compost, manure, humus..... please help

ok....i've been reading more about the use of compost instead of peat-based soil. from what stinkyattic was saying it sounded like humus is a replacement for the acidic peat moss. i don't want to worry about adding lime to stabilize the ph and testing it over and over again. i went to the local Lowe's and picked up and 50 lb bag of black kow composted manure (.05 .05 .05) it doesn't say with humus, there's some other stuff around, a different brand of manure, still cow manure but it doesn't say composted has the same npk values, then there's some stuff called composted mushroom something or other... WITH humus but there's no NPK value on the bag. i've been searching the forums but can't find a clear answer to my question... which do i use, do i need to combine anything, do i need to add anything to it, if so what? do i need to add peat still? how much perlite should i add? is there a difference in PH levels between different brands of manure/compost? somebody help if you can, thanks in advance

the main bennefit from peat is the water holding capabilities.
compost is basically humus. humus is broke down material. most humus and compost has no npk. the best bennefits are the benneficial micro organisms, and the broke down elements and sometimes depending on compost alittle npk.

your best peat substitute is leaf mold compost.
mushroom compost is a compost made from mushrooms generally has alittle npk but not much
most manure you buy is going to be composted unless you get it from the source(the farm)

compost/humus, manure, topsoil, sand and or perlite is a good base. you want good water holding capabilitiess with good drainage/areation

You're going to want to be careful starting young plants in a heavily manure based mix.
Like Tex says, good leaf compost is the best substitute for 'composted humus', and it's a great source of organic material.
Make sure you have PLENTY of perlite and good drain holes!
That other stuff is 'mushroom compost', whcih is used media from commercial mushroom farming, and is nice for our plants. Liek all composts, it needs drain material added. Perlite is best, but outdoors, sand is fine, as long as it is free of salts.

ok, let me clarify a couple things. it wasn't mushroom compost i had seen it was cotton burr compost with humus, it has no npk rating on the bag, but it seems really fluffy, i figured mix this stuff with the black kow composted manure and some perlite for a veg mix. does this sound like a plan? and i'm not planting seeds directly into it, i have a few seedlings that are about 2 -3 weeks old that i started with a mix of about 50 percent peat, 20 percent hyponex and 30 percent perlite, all left over from a previous op. they're doing ok so far i guess, but 3 out of 5 have these yellow/brown spots on the leaves, looks like cal. def. to me, exactly the same problem my last baby had nearly through the entire grow, but it seems so early to start having def. problems. anyway, that's a different subject i guess. thanks in advance

i just spoke with a retailer for cotton burr and was told the ph is 6.0 perfect.

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Originally Posted by str8jacket secure

ok....i've been reading more about the use of compost instead of peat-based soil. from what stinkyattic was saying it sounded like humus is a replacement for the acidic peat moss. i don't want to worry about adding lime to stabilize the ph and testing it over and over again. i went to the local Lowe's and picked up and 50 lb bag of black kow composted manure (.05 .05 .05) it doesn't say with humus, there's some other stuff around, a different brand of manure, still cow manure but it doesn't say composted has the same npk values, then there's some stuff called composted mushroom something or other... WITH humus but there's no NPK value on the bag. i've been searching the forums but can't find a clear answer to my question... which do i use, do i need to combine anything, do i need to add anything to it, if so what? do i need to add peat still? how much perlite should i add? is there a difference in PH levels between different brands of manure/compost? somebody help if you can, thanks in advance

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Humus compost is compost that has a small amount of clay added during the decomposition of the
organic material. The carbon forms into chains that bind to the clay and will remain in the soil
as organic matter just like natural humus. In addition the clay provides a natural habitat for a
greater amount of microlife to exist in the compost. The microbes are immediately available and
do not require activation as is the case with regular compost. It is easy to apply and can be
mixed with water and applied using a hose end sprayer. It is an excellent organic fertilizer.