What dog-safe plant mix?

[belindamctigue]

Two years ago one of our dogs buried a treat in our veggie patch then dug it up and ate it. He ended up dying. It had a fertilised plant soil mix in there. 😭 I want to plant some more herbs but am terrified the same thing will happen again to our surviving dog. Can anyone tell me if there is any such thing as a potting/planting mix that poses no risks to dogs please?

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @belindamctigue. It's wonderful to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about dog-safe plant mixes.

I'll start by saying how terribly sorry I am to hear that; it must have been devastating for you.

If you already have a garden bed in mind you could, instead of using a potting mix, which typically includes a chemical fertiliser, add compost such as Richgro 25L All Purpose Mushroom Compost to your soil to create a growing mix. You could then only use organic fertilisers such as Powerfeed.

Alternatively, have you considered a raised garden bed? Obviously if your dog is a bit of a jumper, it would need to be high enough to prevent them jumping up and onto it.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell
 

[belindamctigue]

Thank you. The mushroom is among the worse ingredients due to the toxicity of the fungi. 

We are going to do raised garden beds this time but I still worry about the dogs getting up to them.

[MitchellMc]

Hi @belindamctigue,

I apologise, but I'm under the impression that mushroom compost, made from the byproducts of growing button mushrooms, is generally safe for pets and does not contain toxic fungi. However, if you'd prefer to steer clear, that's entirely up to you.

You might like to look toward wholesale soil distributors that sell in bulk and our Special Order team can assist you there. These soils, unlike potting mixes, might be produced without fertilisers in them.

Let me also tag our horticultural expert @Noelle to see if she has any thoughts.

Mitchell

[Noelle]

Hi @belindamctigue 

While we sympathise with you for the loss of your dog, in my opinion there is something else at play here rather than the soil/mix in your garden.

Mushroom compost is the waste material from mushroom farming, the cultivation of mushrooms for human consumption. It seems most unlikely it could or would contain toxic fungi.It is widely used in the domestic growing of organic vegetables and herbs and, to my knowledge, has not been the cause of deaths or illness among humans when used according to the label directions.

Also, the vast majority of premium quality potting mixes are considered to be 'pet-safe' in that they are manufactured predominantly from composted plant materials. They are registered with and approved by the Australian Pesticides & Veterinary Medicines Authority and are produced in accordance with the appropriate Australian Standard for potting media and soils used for growing of vegetables and other edibles for human consumption.

It is unlikely they would be toxic to animals unless a considerable quantity of the actual mix itself was consumed by a dog or cat. Even then, any sickness would be more likely to be caused by the included fertiliser - but a significant amount would need to be eaten by the animal.