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Can you put ashes in your garden


Using Wood Ash in the Home Garden – Wisconsin Horticulture

Authors: Kevin Schoessow, Extension Burnett, Sawyer and Washburn Counties
Last Revised: 02/27/2020
X-number: XHT1268

Home gardeners often ask if wood ash can be used as a fertilizer in vegetable gardens and flowerbeds, around landscape trees and shrubs, and on lawns.  Wood ash can be a valuable source of certain nutrients and can also be used to modify soil pH.  However, it needs to come from an appropriate source and its use should be based on recommendations from soil fertility testing provided by a professional lab such as the UW Soil and Forage Lab (https://uwlab.soils.wisc.edu/).

Using wood ash in home gardens can increase soil fertility and raise soil pH.

What are the potential benefits of using wood ash?  Wood ash contains nutrients that can be beneficial for plant growth.  Calcium is the plant nutrient most commonly found in wood ash and may comprise 20% or more of its content.  Potassium (also called potash) is another common component of wood ash, occurring at concentrations of up to 5%.  Magnesium, phosphorus and sulfur are also typically found in wood ash at concentrations of up to 2%.  Finally, wood ash can contain trace amounts of iron, aluminum, manganese, zinc, boron and other nutrients needed by plants.

In addition to its nutrient content, wood ash can help in neutralizing soil acidity.  When wood is burned, high amounts of carbonates are produced.  Carbonates react with and neutralize acid in the soil, causing the soil pH to increase.  The levels of carbonates present in wood ash (and thus its acid-neutralizing properties) will vary depending on the type of wood burned and how the wood was burned.  In general, wood ash has about 50% less acid-neutralizing capacity than commercially available acid neutralizers such as pelletized lime or aglime.  Approximately four cups of wood ash can be substituted for one pound of aglime.

What are potential downsides of using wood ash?  On occasion, even the best wood ash may contain heavy metals such as cadmium and lead, but the levels of these metals can be minimized by carefully selecting the wood that is burned to produce the ash (see below for details).   In addition, the increase in soil pH associated with using wood ash tends to decrease the likelihood of plants taking up heavy metals.  If wood ash is used at recommended rates, concentrations of heavy metals should be low enough not to pose a threat to plants, or to animals or humans who eat plants grown in treated areas.  If you are concerned about heavy metals in your wood ash, consider testing for these elements prior to use.  The UW Soil and Forage Lab (mentioned above) does not test for heavy metals at this time; however staff can help answer questions about heavy metal contaminants.

Because using wood ash tends to increase soil pH, applying it where acid-loving plants (e.g., blueberries, azaleas/rhododendrons, birch trees, red maples, pin oaks) are growing will likely not be beneficial.  Using wood ash may actually be detrimental and contribute to problems with chlorosis [see University of Wisconsin Gardens Facts XHT1002 (Chlorosis)].  In addition, many vegetables and other landscape plants prefer slightly acidic soils, so wood ash should be used judiciously when growing these plants.   Finally, in some cases, increased pH due to use of wood ash may promote certain diseases.  As an example, potatoes grown at higher pH tend to be more prone to potato scab [see University of Wisconsin Gardens Facts XHT1117 (Potato Scab)].

In order to use wood ash in the best manner possible, always make applications to garden soils based on the plants that are to be grown and based on recommendations from a certified soil testing lab.

What type of wood ash should I use?  If you decide that using wood ash is appropriate for your gardening needs, only use wood ash that has come from trees grown in natural areas.  DO NOT use wood ash produced from trees grown near industrial sites, in soils that may be contaminated with toxins or heavy metals, or if you have no knowledge of the origin of the wood that you are burning.  Also, DO NOT use ash produced by burning treated wood, waste oil, plastics or garbage.

How do I apply wood ash?  Prior to use, sift wood ash to remove large charcoal pieces, as well as any active embers.   Apply only the amount of wood ash recommended based on a soil fertility test and based on the nutrient needs of the plants that you intend to grow in the treated area.  Applying excessive amounts can lead to nutrient toxicity and/or nutrient deficiency issues in plants.  Applications of wood ash are generally limited to a maximum of 15 to 20 pounds (approximately a five gallon pail) per 1000 sq. ft., per year.  Spread wood ash evenly over the area to be treated (e.g., vegetable garden bed, established perennial flowerbed, lawn or other landscape area) during the winter.  Because wood ash particles are very fine and can easily be blown by the wind, avoid making applications when it is windy.  Whenever possible, apply wood ash to moist soil.  Where feasible (e.g., in a vegetable garden), work the ash into the soil using a rototiller, spade or rake in early spring.

Due to its alkalinity, wood ash can potentially pose a human health risk.  Therefore, when working with it, be sure to wear appropriate protective clothing (e. g., long pants, long sleeve shirt, gloves, eye goggles, dust mask) to limit exposures that might lead to skin, eye or respiratory irritation.

For more information on using wood ash in the home garden, as well as soil fertility testing:  Contact your county Extension agent.

Using wood ash in the garden - Gardening at USask - College of Agriculture and Bioresources

Provides some benefit when used sparingly


If you have a fireplace, woodburning stove or outdoor firepit, you might have a lot of wood ash on your hands. On average, burning a cord of wood will produce about 9 kilograms (20 pounds) of ash, enough to fill a five-gallon (19 litre) pail. 
 
Gardeners often ask if wood ash is a good amendment for the garden and compost pile. If you are burning hardwoods or softwoods then yes, wood ash helps the garden depending on where you live, the type of soil you have and how you apply it. Used sparingly, it can even be added to your compost pile. Wood ash is a low-cost soil fertilizer and a way to recycle material that would otherwise go in the landfill.  
 
Is wood ash a good fertilizer? 
Wood ash adds nutrients to your soil, but the amount varies according to the kind of wood burned. Generally, the largest ingredient in wood ash is calcium carbonate (about 20%). This is followed by potassium (less than 10%), phosphorus (1%) and trace amounts of micro-nutrients such as iron, manganese, boron, copper and zinc. Wood ash does not contain nitrogen. 
 
Used in moderation, wood ash helps to fertilize your soil. However, since wood ash has no nitrogen at all, it is not a complete fertilizer. Adding compost to your soil will help meet the other nutrient needs of your plants.  
 
Many gardeners use synthetic fertilizers on their gardens and lawn, but it is dangerous to mix wood ash with synthetic nitrogen. Because wood ash is very alkaline mixing will cause a chemical reaction that produces ammonia gas. Never mix ash with ammonium sulfate (21-0-0-24S), urea (46-0-0) or ammonium nitrate (34-0-0).  
 
What about pH?  
The calcium carbonate in wood ash is alkaline and can change pH in certain types of soil. In some areas of the continent, wood ash is a common treatment for raising soil pH levels from acidic to alkaline.  
 
However, soils of the prairie plain regions of Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta are different from other regions of the continent and are naturally more alkaline. These soils also have a natural buffering capacity that resists changes to pH. Wood ash will not change the pH of prairie soils, like it would in soils in other areas. Fortunately, prairie gardeners really don’t have to worry about pH, because even with slightly alkaline soil, nutrients are still available to plants.  
 
However, soils in northern areas of the prairie provinces are different and likely acidic. You can take a soil test to measure pH or look around you. If plants like bog bilberry, blueberry, creeping snowberry, dwarf bog rosemary, lingonberry, Labrador tea, or small bog cranberry grow naturally in your area, then your soil is acidic, because these plants thrive in acidic soil. The addition of modest amounts of wood ash to northern acidic soils will make it more alkaline, which helps if you are trying to grow vegetables. Root crops like potatoes grow well in northern soils because they tolerate some acidity. However, most other vegetables grow best in soils that are more alkaline. Adding wood ash to northern acidic soils (which lack the buffering capacity found in prairie soils) will become more alkaline. Northern soils also tend to be shallow, so while you’re at it, add lots of compost to build up your soil.  
 
Wood ash safety 

Store wood ash in a metal container with a lid. Ensure that ash is completely cold before filling the container. 
 
How to use wood ash 
The best wood ash comes from burning dry, aged wood from trees like poplar, ash, birch, pine or spruce. It helps to remove or sift out large chunks before you use it.   
 

How to use it

Where How often How to apply it How much Notes
Garden soil Once per year. 
 
Fall is best. 		 Spread a thin layer on top of soil, then rake or lightly fork it into the soil. 

9 kg per 92 sq m

20 lbs per 1,000 sq ft 
 

 Seeds planted directly into wood ash may not germinate. For this reason, it’s best to apply wood ash in fall. If applying in spring, mix ash well into root zone. 
 
Do not apply synthetic nitrogen fertilizer with wood ash – this creates hazardous ammonia gas. 
Lawn Once per year. 
 
Fall only. 		 Sprinkle thin layer on lawn then rake.  4.5 kg per 92 sq m

10 lbs per 1,000 sq ft 

 Do not apply synthetic nitrogen fertilizer with wood ash - creates hazardous ammonia gas. 
 
Do not apply in spring if seeding lawn – seeds planted into wood ash may not germinate.  
Compost pile Anytime, ongoing.  Sprinkle on top of pile.  Sprinkle one or two cups of wood ash on top of compost each time 15cm (6”) of green or brown materials are added to the pile.  No more than 5% of total volume of compost. 
 
More is not better. Too much wood ash can slow or harm the composting process. 

 

Sources:

https://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource004042_Rep5718.pdf

https://extension.umaine.edu/publications/2279e/

https://extension.oregonstate.edu/ask-expert/featured/are-ashes-good-my-soil

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Ash is an excellent natural complex fertilizer. How to use it in the garden

Every year more and more gardeners and gardeners prefer organic farming. The crop grown without “chemistry”, they assure, tastes completely different! But not everyone knows what and how to replace well-known drugs. Therefore, very often natural fertilizers remain unclaimed. Take, for example, wood ash. After pruning trees, many take out the branches as garbage. And if they burned it, they would get an excellent complex fertilizer.

Photo by Olga Rukevich

Ash contains about 30 useful elements, and in a concentrated form: magnesium, iron, potassium, calcium, silicon, phosphorus, sulfur, boron, manganese and others, Anna Gordeeva, Candidate of Agricultural Sciences explains :

- Not a single mineral fertilizer can boast of such a composition! And most importantly, there is no chlorine in the ashes, which is detrimental to many crops. Therefore, this wood fertilizer can be safely applied to all crops that are at odds with chlorine - eggplant, potatoes, cucumbers, cauliflower, peppers, beets, strawberries, gooseberries, raspberries, plums, currants, apple trees and pears. No, however, in the ashes and nitrogen - its compounds volatilize when burned along with smoke. But nitrogen is much easier to replenish. Wood ash as a fertilizer deoxidizes the soil, creates favorable conditions for the life of microorganisms (especially nitrogen-fixing bacteria), decomposes organic matter, making it more accessible to plants, increases the winter hardiness of plantings and the viability of crops. Saplings and seedlings take root faster during transplantation and get sick less.

Mineral cocktail

Wood ash will give odds to any advertised potassium-phosphorus fertilizer. True, its percentage composition largely depends on the feedstock. So, most of all potassium (up to 40%) is in the ashes of the vine and potato tops. Therefore, after harvesting the bulb, it is better to burn the tops immediately and burn them on the site. There is also a lot of potassium in the ashes of sunflower and buckwheat - up to 30%.

Hardwood ash leads in calcium. Most of all (up to 37%) of easily digestible calcium, which gives plants frost resistance and heat tolerance, is in birch firewood.

Phosphorus is abundant in the ashes of coniferous crops (up to 7%) and in the ashes of tree bark, rye and wheat straw.

There is a lot of lime in the ashes of peat, but not enough potassium. Therefore, it is best to use it for liming the soil.

Coal ash is rarely used as fertilizer - it contains not only lime, but also potassium and phosphorus.

After being applied to the soil, the ash "works" for another 2-4 years. And the grossest mistake is made by the one who immediately carries the ashes from the stove or fire to the beds or pours it into heaps in the middle of the site.

Ash should be stored exclusively in a dry place (moisture washes away potassium and other trace elements) and applied to the soil for certain crops.

For the time being

The effectiveness of ash also depends on the correct timing of its application. For example, if there is clay or loam in the area, bring in the ashes in the fall for digging. If the soil is light (sandy, sandy) or peat - in the spring (after the end of the rainy season). Volume - 100-200 g per 1 sq. m. You can give ash instead of mineral fertilizers and directly in the preparation of beds for cabbage, root crops, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, dill, spinach - up to 300 g per 1 sq. m.

It is good to sprinkle ashes even on the lawn, then the grass grows better and there are fewer weeds. By the way, wood fertilizer copes well with weeds such as wood lice, wheatgrass, galinzoga and horsetail.

Ash perfectly neutralizes acidic soils: in areas with a humid climate, they still gradually become acidic. The ash brought in from autumn increases the amount of phosphorus in the ground and increases the cold resistance of crops.

Those who use wood fertilizer also do the right thing when laying compost. If each layer of grass and food waste is sprinkled with ashes (10 kg of ash per 1 cubic meter of compost), then organic matter will turn into humus much faster.

Dry or wet?

Ash can be used both dry and in the form of solutions. The second option is, of course, preferable. Dry ash is applied when digging beds or loosening the soil. But since some of the nutrients will be lost in this case, the concentration (compared to the infusion) should be slightly increased - 3-5 glasses per 1 sq. m.

To prepare an infusion, take 100-150 g of ash for 1 bucket of water. Stirring continuously, the solution is carefully poured into the furrows and immediately covered with earth. It is important to convey to the plants an insoluble precipitate containing phosphorus.

Individual approach

In a daily ash solution without sediment (20 g per 1 liter of water), the seeds are soaked for 4-6 hours before sowing. Such a "font" is especially useful for eggplants, cucumbers, tomatoes.

Every culture has its own attitude towards ash. When planting seedlings of cucumbers, zucchini, squash, add 1-2 tbsp. l. ashes in the hole. For sweet peppers, eggplants and tomatoes, the rate is increased to 3 tbsp. l.

Ashes are also used for fertilizing vegetable crops (1-1.5 cups of ash are taken per bucket of water). The mixture is well mixed and poured into a depression made near the plants, which is immediately covered with earth. It is good to alternate such ash top dressings with nitrogen-containing infusions of mullein, bird droppings or slurry.

Potato ash is much more effective than any other potash fertilizer. Two matchboxes of ash added to the hole before planting can increase not only the yield of the bulb, but also increase the content of starch in the tubers. You can “powder” potatoes with ashes and immediately before planting - 1 kg per 30 kg of tubers. Or make it during hilling: at the first - 1-2 tbsp. l. under each bush, at the second (at the beginning of budding) - up to 0.5 cups for each plant. With such top dressing, excellent potatoes will grow. Even the Colorado potato beetle will be too tough for him!

Thank you for the ashy "cocktail" and fruit crops. It is best to embed ash or ash solution (2 cups per bucket of water) into the soil to a depth of at least 8-10 cm. Left on the surface, it will accelerate the formation of a soil crust that is harmful to plants and microflora.

Very responsive to wood fertilization in planting pits and tree trunks of cherries and plums. Once every 3-4 years, be sure to feed them with ashes. They respond well to ashes and blackcurrant bushes - 3 cups for each plant.

The result of ash applied under trees and bushes will be much better if used in a mixture with peat: both the soil will be fertilized and the soil will become deoxidized.

ofazende.ru

Turn from the gate

Wood ash copes with many plant diseases and pests. Plantings can be pollinated with ash or treated with a solution.

To scare away slugs and snails, dry ash is scattered around the bed near the stems of plants. Ash will repel both ants (it is enough to sprinkle their paths), and wireworm.

When the first signs of gray rot are found on strawberries, pollinate the berry with wood ash at the rate of 10-15 g per plant. After several such treatments, the rot will disappear.

An effective remedy for diseases such as powdery mildew, clubroot, blackleg, leaf spot, etc., as well as against aphids, flea beetles, cutworms, wireworms, whites and other pests is a mixture of ash infusion with laundry soap (100 g per 10 l) and a decoction of herbs.

Cabbage that grows on a bed fertilized with ash (500 g per 1 sq. m.) suffers less from clubroot and black leg. Voracious larvae will not touch the roots of strawberries, if the bottom and walls of the holes, when planting seedlings, are powdered with a thin layer of ash, then sprinkling it with moist soil.

Use ash mixed with tobacco dust (1:1) to dust cabbage, radish, radish, swede, onion against cabbage and onion flies, cruciferous flea. From such processing, a double effect is both nutrition and protection.

It is useful to soak onions for 12 hours in an ash solution before planting: 1 glass of ash per 10 liters of water.

Ash applied to the beds when sowing beetroot protects it from heart rot and tail rot. And the seedlings themselves are then less affected by the root beetle.

Cucumbers affected by root rot should be powdered with wood ash or treated with the following solution: dilute 1 tsp in 0.5 l of water. copper sulfate and 3 tbsp. l. ash.

To protect plantings of blackcurrant, gooseberry and roses from powdery mildew, apply 200-300 g of wood ash under each bush, evenly scattering and shallowly covering.

We work smart

In order for the ash to "work", it must be used skillfully. For example, ashes cannot be used together with nitrogen fertilizers (fresh manure, ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, urea), otherwise they will lose most of the nitrogen. They must be applied to the soil at least a month after the ash. Or, in the fall, fertilize the beds with humus, and give the ashes in the spring.

Do not mix ashes with superphosphate and phosphate rock, otherwise the amount of phosphorus available to plants will be an order of magnitude smaller. For the same reason, ash should not be applied with lime or used on recently limed soils.

And one more thing. As with any other drug, do not abuse the ash. By increasing the alkalinity of the soil, the ash will make it difficult for plants to access the beneficial substances contained in the soil, and will do more harm than good.

PHOTO OF OLGA RUKEVICH

Spray solution

In 2.5-3 liters of water, dilute 300 g of ash, put on fire and boil for 30 minutes, and then leave for 4-6 hours. After that, for stickiness, add 30-40 g of grated laundry soap and bring the volume of the solution to 10 liters. Strain and start processing immediately. Soap-ash solution can be applied several times a season after 10-14 days.

Spray plants in dry weather in the evening (after 6 pm) or in the morning (before 7 am) so as not to burn the leaves. The same composition can be used against powdery mildew of currants, gooseberries, cucumbers.

OUR REFERENCE

♦ 1 kg of wood ash replaces 220 g of granulated superphosphate, 240 g of potassium chloride and 500 g of lime.

♦ 10-12 kg of ash is required for 10 acres.

♦ To meet the needs of plants in boron, it is enough to apply 1 sq. m 70 g of ash.

TIP

Do not apply ash to alkaline soils (pH 7 or higher) or acidophilic plants that prefer acidic soils: azaleas, camellias, rhododendrons, blueberries, cranberries, blueberries, heathers, and others.

Do not use ashes from incinerated waste, plastic materials, painted or treated wood - they may contain potentially hazardous chemicals and heavy metals.

BTW

The ashes from the burning of thin brushwood or small branches of young trees contain much more nutrients than the ashes from old and large trees.

KNOW THE RATE

In 1 tbsp. l. contains 6 g of ash, in a faceted glass - 100 g, in a half-liter jar - 250 g, in a liter jar - 500 g of ash.

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Ash in the garden and kitchen garden - what happens, where to get it and how to use it? Photo - Botanichka

There were times when all heating and cooking rested solely on burning firewood - there was ash ... They used it wherever possible: they made lye for washing and washing, and cleaned the dishes, and poured them into cesspools to smell there were none, and mice and rats were scared away, and chickens were rid of parasites, and they themselves were treated. They even bleached their hair. In the garden, the garden was still used in every way. And now some summer residents have to buy ash in the store. Tell someone in the outback, in the village - they will laugh. And in vain! This is business. But I, in fact, am not talking about business, but about using it in the garden. Not only for plant nutrition, but also for a variety of household needs.

Ash in the garden - what happens, where to get it and how to use it?

What kind of ash is there?

The problem of using ash appeared after buying a house in the Kuban. Gas has not reached our village yet, the plans for the next year will be ten years already. Therefore, the entire heating system is connected to a wood-burning boiler. And in the very first winter it turned out that he produces quite a lot of ashes - it's not like frying kebabs once a week. I had to study the topic thoroughly.

So, from the very beginning: ash is a non-combustible residue of any type of fuel. In this case, we will talk about the ash that remains after the burning of plant residues, mainly wood.

Ash from the combustion of plastic, chipboard, synthetic materials and even wood, but treated with varnish, paints and impregnations, is not considered, since there is no benefit, except harm, from it.

Combustion of coal, especially low-grade coal, produces low-use ash with a high content of sulfates (sulphuric acid salts) and it will be effective only when mixed with compost. By the way, due to sulfates, coal ash acidifies the soil, unlike the rest, which, on the contrary, alkalizes.

Sulfur lovers in the garden (onions, cabbages, garlic, legumes, radishes) will be grateful for feeding with compost with coal ash. And the use of pure coal ash can give hydrangeas a blue color.

Peat ash is much inferior to wood ash in terms of the content of the main elements: potassium, calcium and phosphorus.

Ash from burning sunflower stalks, buckwheat is very useful in the economy, but now it is already exotic. Those who know buckwheat and sunflower farmers are lucky and can have an environmentally friendly high-potassium fertilizer.

The most common ash is wood ash. It is also different: coniferous ash is worse, hardwood ash is better in terms of mineral composition. The highest content of nutrients in the ashes of hardwoods: hornbeam, oak, birch, beech. From fruit trees - dogwood, cherry, sweet cherry, apple tree, pear. The most fragrant kebabs are obtained by frying on branches of apple, cherry, plum, and even better on walnuts.

Burning dry tops, cuttings of vines, branches of shrubs and trees can produce ash, even more saturated with microelements than wood ash.

Wood ash does not contain nitrogen, but contains almost all the other elements necessary for plants - it is also obtained from plants. And the form of these elements for plants is quite digestible. Ash has no analogues among mineral fertilizers, even complex ones.

Coal ash will only be effective when mixed with compost. © STIHL

Where to get and where to put the ashes?

This is where they heat with firewood, there is an abundance of ash. For the vast majority of summer residents, obtaining it has already become (given changes in the legislation regarding the burning of something on the site) a problem. All hope for the brazier, although now everything is not so simple with him. That is, those who have wood-burning stoves become the owners of a very valuable resource. But most of the time, they don't care at all.

Therefore, making friends with the surrounding local people who have a wood-burning stove is definitely useful. Or actively use the barbecue, barbecue, and also regularly take a steam bath in the bath, whoever has it.

Well, for example, we ate shish kebabs, steamed up in the bathhouse, and in the morning we got half a bucket of ashes that had already cooled down. The first step is to make an ash solution in the ratio: a glass of ash per 10 liters of water. This is a universal balanced top dressing for almost all plants, with the exception of lovers of acidic soils.

First, it is advisable to feed those plants that have set and pour fruits - with potash top dressing, all fruits are tastier. Strain and spray the plants over the leaves. Not only is it a good foliar top dressing, but also the prevention of fungal diseases.

Pour the remaining thick between the bushes of garden strawberries to poison the existence of slugs and weevils. If there is still ash left after spraying, it’s a good idea to make an ash solution again and pour it around the perimeter of the crown of trees that have tied fruit - it doesn’t matter which ones. They will all be grateful. But stone fruits - especially.

It would not be out of place to look at the weather forecast: if rains are expected, you can simply pour ashes into the root zone of plants, a glass per square meter.

If suddenly the steam room and kebabs stretched out for a week and the ash remained, you need to collect it and store it in a metal container, closed with a lid, somewhere under a canopy or indoors: potassium is quickly washed out of the ash with water, and fly ash (if it is suddenly blown away by the wind ) is very harmful to the respiratory tract.

Read also our article How to use needles in the garden?

In the absence of a stove for obtaining ash, it is useful to actively use a barbecue, barbecue, and also regularly take a steam bath in a bathhouse, who has one

Seasonal use of ash

In different seasons, the use of ash can be very diverse: in spring it is good to apply dry ash to the soil when digging for those who dig, and on the surface - for those who do not dig. Approximately 2-3 cups per square meter. It is worth considering that ash from sandy soil (and not only ash, but everything useful) is quickly washed out by rain and water during irrigation. In this case, it is better to feed the plants with a leaf solution, because the ash applied before sowing will be washed out before the plants grow roots and can reach it.

When pruning trees in spring it is good to sprinkle the cuts with ashes. And when whitewashing trunks, in addition to copper sulphate, it’s a good idea to add ash to the solution (a glass of 5 liters) - this is all protection against fungal diseases.

It is advisable to sprinkle garden strawberries with ashes during the growth of young leaves . That is, the strawberry itself, and the land around it. In addition to the actual feeding, this operation will be very unpleasant for weevils getting out of the ground - it is disgusting for them to gnaw the leaves sprinkled with ash.

The lawn, when sprinkled with ashes in spring, will look noticeably more cheerful and grow better.

When planting potatoes , dusting the tubers with ash will protect them from fungal diseases and will help build up a strong root system at the start.

The whole cabbage family , from early radish to late autumn radish and cabbage, will be grateful for occasional sprinkling of ash in the morning over the dew (so that the ash sticks). This operation greatly spoils the appetite of both cruciferous fleas and slugs. At the same time, and somewhat interrupted by a strong smell coming from plants and attracting cabbage butterflies.

When planting any seedling , it is a good idea to add ashes to the hole, mixing with the soil, about half a handful per plant.

After fruit set all plants can be sprayed regularly with ash infusion. Pour 1/3 bucket of ash with hot water to the top, leave for two days, drain, mix with a spoonful of liquid soap. This, in addition to top dressing, will also be protection against leaf-eating pests: sawflies, scoops, aphids, leafworms, moths. Prevents powdery mildew on currants and gooseberries.

Compost , when pouring layers of organic matter with ash, it will be enriched with useful micro- and macroelements, and pathogenic microorganisms will decrease.

In autumn, ash will also be needed , because potassium helps to increase the winter hardiness of plants - it’s good to add perennials, shrubs and fruit trees to the root zone. Once again, the most high-potassium ash is from the burning of corn stalks and buckwheat.

During autumn (and also spring) division of plants sections of rhizomes are useful to dust with ash to protect them from decay.

It is advisable to sprinkle garden strawberries with ashes during the period of regrowth of young leaves

Safety measures

Everything is good in moderation. And this has the most direct relation to the use of ash. Excess potassium, which is rich in ash, prevents the absorption of certain elements, including nitrogen. Therefore, you don’t need too much, especially during the period of active growth - the plants will lag behind in development.

The highest potassium ash is found in sunflower and buckwheat stalks, followed by wood ash. It also contains a lot of calcium, which, in excess, does not allow iron compounds to be absorbed and leads to leaf chlorosis.

The use of ash is beneficial for plants in acidic (especially) and slightly acidic soils. On alkaline soils, it is better to use it as part of compost, because the presence of calcium compounds further alkalizes the soil.

Use ash to feed acidophilic plants, that is, lovers of acidic soils (rhododendrons, hydrangeas, garden blueberries, ferns, magnolias, conifers, sorrel), you need to be very careful, and even then if the soil is really acidic, and not formed acidic in a particular area.

Ash does not need to be mixed with other mineral fertilizers: ash and nitrogen neutralize each other's beneficial properties, and ash mixed with phosphates can generally destroy plants.

Most of the overdose horror stories are about soil depleted of microorganisms. Therefore, in organic farming, ash is more beneficial than in traditional farming: the abundance of fungi, bacteria, and protozoa in the soil can quickly convert many elements into a form that is digestible for plants.

The rhizosphere (surrounding the suction root of microorganisms) will not allow the root to be burned by salts, but will provide it with everything necessary. This is also why the ashes do not need to be brought into the sterile soil for seedlings - there is no one to protect the young roots, and the salts will only complicate the life of the seedlings.

Read also our article What can and cannot be composted?

Lye multi-purpose - good for washing hair, laundry and washing dishes. © Vadim Karabinsky

Bonuses from the use of ash in the garden

This one will be interesting for those who have a lot of ash. Ash paste, slightly diluted with water, perfectly cleans dishes, as well as silver, glass and metal products.

Ash can be used to absorb odors in the refrigerator - just remember to change it periodically. To neutralize the smell of a country toilet, ash is also used - they simply pour it into a cesspool.

In country conditions, if you need to bleach something, you can boil the thing with the addition of ash. Ash is added in a bag. The result can surprise.

Cat food contains ash, which is very beneficial for animals. Therefore, if pets eat "from the table", then it is useful to add a pinch of ash to their portion.

Multi Purpose Lye is very easy to make. Pour 10 centimeters of wood ash into a 10-liter bucket and pour boiling water to the top. Let stand for three days. If unbearable, you can boil for about an hour until the mixture is clear and soapy to the touch. Cool and filter. Let stand for another day and drain from the sediment. This will be the lye.

When using, dilute at least 1:10. It is good to wash hair with lye - such a variety of microelements is not found in any shampoo.

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