Whats the story of ash's garden uses?

[sofasurfer]

1) What does ash do?
2) Is its use differant than biochar?
3) Is there a limit to how much you can use before its too much?
4) Is there certain plants that do not want ash add to their soil or is it a general good thing in all situations?

I read that you can add ash to your soil when ever you aquire some but it seems that there must be a limit.

[Rick]

Wood ash's largest component is calcium carbonate....(think lime). So adding it to your soil will increase the alkalinity of your garden. Most plants like the soil slightly acidic. Increasing the alkalinity in your soil causes many of the nutrients to be bound to the soil and are no longer available for plant uptake. Before you add anything to your garden soil you need to know it's make up and pH. Take a sample to your local county extension office and have it tested. They can tell you what your soil amendments should be for the type of crops you like to grow, if any amendments are needed.

"Much wood ash contains calcium carbonate as its major component, representing 25[5] or even 45 percent[1] Less than 10 percent is potash, and less than 1 percent phosphate; there are trace elements of iron, manganese, zinc, copper and some heavy metals.[5]However these numbers vary as combustion temperature is an important variable in determining wood ash composition."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_ash

[Tokwan]

In the olden days...when Malaysia was still Malaya..and the British were still around...poor folks would use ash to clean their teeth.

[Rollicks]

I Agree, first things first, you need to do a Ph test on your soil to figure out if it's acidic or alkaline. Then you need to figure out what kind of plants you'd like to grow and what kind of soil Ph they like. I don't know how strong of an alkali wood ash is, so I wouldn't know how much to use. If you do make your soil too alkaline just add an acid to the soil to bring it back. I brew blackberry wine every September, but a few times it was sour. I just added an alkaline (baking soda) to the wine which made it less acidic.

Also, what is biochar?

[Rick]

Biochar is charcoal that is used as a soil amendment. Same stuff, different name.

[Tokwan]

Oooohhh..u guys were talking about using ash for agriculture?

[hunter63]

Oooohhh..u guys were talking about using ash for agriculture?

You bet your ash they are......

All good advice....need to know what the soil pH is.
Biochar is used in poor soil, dug in, to loosen up, retain moisture, and release nutriments.

Ash it's self is useful in small quantities like everything else....moderation and used with a purpose.

[Tokwan]

My ash? bhoaohahahahahahahahahaha.......all burnt up...

[LowKey]

If using ash in your garden, be sure it's coming from untreated wood. Hardwood is best.
Don't use ash from trash, cardboard or painted wood. Be careful with pallets you may use to burn. If the pallet doesn't have an IPCC logo stamped on it, it may have been fumigated or treated at some point in its life. If it has an MB stamp on it don't even pick it up. It's been treated with Methyl Bromide(few and far between these days but good to know.) Pallets that arrive on containers from overseas are usually fumigated with pesticides. Anything that was used to ship perishables may harbor E. Coli. Always be aware of the pallet source.

Acid loving plants like Blueberries and strawberries don't appreciate ash in their soil. Rhododendrons and Azaleas the same. On the other hand, your lawn grass will love it if applied sparingly. Too much can chemically burn the grass or its roots. Think "lye". When those ashes get rained on, they will leach caustic lye that will kill plants if applied in large quantities.

I use it in onion beds and garlic beds. I also dust pea plant rows with it when they get about 6" tall. Gramps said it kept the slugs away. Doesn't hurt. I also use it if the beds I put chopped leaves in if they test too acidic in the spring.

[hunter63]

Ashes are also good for lawns where a female dog does her whizzing....will burn other wise.

Haven't had any decent ashes for the wood stove lately....mostly old pallets Who knows) and printed paper (ink clay, chemicals?)....I mix it in the bags with the dog poop, a toss it in the garbage....a good thing to do if it's hot weather.

[sofasurfer]

Biochar is used in poor soil, dug in, to loosen up, retain moisture, and release nutriments.

I read that biochar's other great advantage is that it is very porous and so is a breeding ground ro house microbes and bacteria

[sofasurfer]

printed paper (ink clay, chemicals?)....

Isn't news print ink biodegradable these days?

[LowKey]

The black stuff is when on newsprint, in most cases. Gotta be careful of the color inks and slicks.

[Rick]

Gotta be careful of the color inks and slicks.

That's true in the outhouse as well. I rue the day Sears and Roebuck went to a color catalog.

[hunter63]

Three corn cobs....two "browns and a white"....

Yeah they say ink is safe these days....still don't like to use a lot of paper...good quality paper has rag content...good? bad?....not sure.

[ClayPick]

Keep ashes away from potatoes. It makes them scab.

[ClayPick]

Here’s a pic of my 3rd world garden experiment from last year. My soil is north eastern, highly leeched from rain and acidic. The only amendment has been wood ash and ground charcoal for nutrient. This year i'm also adding leaf mold.

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[Roel]

Be carefull with ash that comes from tropical wood. Some of them quite have an unpleasent effect on your plants.

[Rollicks]

Thanks for that info, I'm gonna be planting potatoes here soon.