Can I use this soil ?

[Isab]

Hi,
Recently I opened some bags of organic soil I had from last summer and all of them seemed to have some type of mould or fungus, smelt like mushrooms ( it has lots of wood chips) and it was clumped together. I filled a couple of grow bags, making sure to sieve it with my hands and after a while it seemed better but it is still kind of clumps together again. Any advice? Can I still use it to grow vegetables successfully? Please see attached photos for reference. Thanks!

 

[Chuck]

It will probably be better this year than it was when you bought it. All that is happening is the fungi is breaking down the compost into a more usable form for nutrition uptake by the plants.

 

[Isab]

Thanks, Chuck. I think I will use it as topsoil for the grow bags or mixed with plenty of new soil to avoid it clumping together.

 

[Chuck]

Thanks, Chuck. I think I will use it as topsoil for the grow bags or mixed with plenty of new soil to avoid it clumping together.

I don't know what it is made out of but I bet that if you moisten it a little it will break up easily.

 

[Isab]

I used some of those bags last year and they were fine. It looks like the soil has way too much wood chip in it and this might have created the fungus over time? I have watered after sieving it into grow bags, and it clumps together and stars creating the white mould again.

 

[Chuck]

I used some of those bags last year and they were fine. It looks like the soil has way too much wood chip in it and this might have created the fungus over time? I have watered after sieving it into grow bags, and it clumps together and stars creating the white mould again.

The white mold is harmless. Sometimes instead of mold it grows mushrooms (toad stools). And wood chips are one of the favorite things for this fungi to grow in.

 

[headfullofbees]

Add a high nitrogen fertiliser, (I like composted chicken manure pellets) as the decomposition of the woodchips will use quite a lot.
It's not the same as a woodchip mulch, which provides a beneficial nitrogen-depleted layer, which discourages annual weeds.