Using ash in the garden: 5 effective steps

Hello. At the dawn of his youth, my grandfather, sprinkling the garden with gray powder, said: “Ash is a gardener’s godsend.” Only after some time did I find out that it contains magnesium, potassium, calcium and many other nutrients.

And now, being an experienced gardener, I want to tell you how to use ash in the garden. I also want to share how to use ash fertilizer to improve soil characteristics, fight diseases and pests, and also tell you which soils ash will harm. After all, knowing the rules for using ash, you will achieve rich yields. Begin…

Why I decided to use ash in the garden

I completely agree that ash is “furnace gold.” This fertilizer is a storehouse of nutrients and mineral elements, a light soil deoxidizer, and a remedy for fungal diseases and garden pests.

Wood ash is an alkaline fertilizer, a source of carbonates, oxides, mineral elements:

Calcium carbonate. Stimulates tissue metabolism, accelerates the development of vegetative plant cells. The element is important for full, lush flowering.
Potassium orthophosphate. Maintains water balance and counteracts the accumulation of ammonia, an element that inhibits plant development. Potassium orthophosphate forms a non-aggressive alkaline environment and increases the resistance of heat-loving crops to cold weather.
Calcium sulfate. It is this element that is found in superphosphate.
Calcium silicate. Allows the absorption of vitamins by plant cells. It is especially important for onions: if there is a deficiency of the element, the bulbs split and dry out.
Calcium chloride. A valuable element for fruit plantings and vegetable crops (especially pumpkin). Participates in photosynthesis, activates the production of enzymes, and helps transport nutrients. Increases frost resistance, builds plant immunity to fungal diseases (in particular, rot).
Magnesium compounds. They help produce energy, building material (carbohydrates) for the synthesis of starch and cellulose.
Sodium components. Activate the action of enzymes, maintain water balance (necessary for tomatoes).

When wood burns, sulfur and nitrogen are burned. The following remain in the ash: potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, moreover, in a form easily digestible by plants.

The content of components varies depending on the type of firewood. maximum calcium in the ashes of deciduous varieties. “Record holders” - birch, linden, alder, aspen, pine, spruce and other soft species. The minimum calcium content in the ash composition of hard wood - elm, ash, oak, larch fuel. And ash from weeds, straw, branches, last year's leaves and tops is rich in potassium.

The percentage of useful elements depends on the age of the wood. The younger the raw material, the more potassium, the older the more calcium. In terms of phosphorus content, ash is inferior to superphosphate. However, it contains this element in a more easily digestible form.

Ash does not contain nitrogen. However, I never apply mineral nitrogen fertilizer with “furnace gold” - this is fraught with the release of ammonia, which is harmful to the roots.

I would like to draw your attention to the types of ash that can also be useful in your garden:

Rice husk ash. Rich in all components necessary for plants - magnesium, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, sulfur, manganese, molybdenum, cobalt, boron, zinc.
Ashes of sunflower husks, buckwheat. Valuable potassium supplement. To enrich the substrate with nitrogen, you need to add the crushed dried husk itself when digging.
Walnut ashes. Gardeners are often afraid to use this ash because of the juglone (nucin) content. This is a vain precaution - this organic substance disintegrates and evaporates when burned. And the ashes are rich in potassium, phosphorus, and calcium. In smaller volumes - sulfur, zinc, magnesium, iron.
Hay, straw of rye, oats, wheat. In terms of useful components, the composition is the poorest, but also the most universal - it is used for all vegetable crops.

The methods of using fertilizer are simple but effective: in dry form for digging, in liquid form - for watering holes, furrows when sowing, replanting. 200 g per 1 m2 is the standard ash rate for increasing soil fertility. This amount of funds will be enough for 2-4 years.

Wood ash for fertilizer and plant protection | SadimVmeste.ru – Blog about gardening

Many gardeners have accumulated several bags of wood ash during the heating season (the soil needs wood ash; coal is not suitable for burning firewood, leaves, organic waste). Many superficially know that this is a useful fertilizer for various plants. But not everyone knows how to specifically apply it to fruit trees, bushes, and garden crops. Therefore, let’s bring some clarity to the agricultural technology of using wood ash.

Ash composition: potassium, phosphorus, trace elements

Wood ash is a good source of potassium and phosphorus, and in such a form that plants can easily absorb them and use them for growth and development. It also contains calcium, iron, magnesium, sulfur, and zinc as microelements, which are necessary for vegetables, perennials, fruit trees and ornamental plants. The application of this natural fertilizer is especially useful on acidic or neutral soils.

Use of ash in moderation

Ash is used, regardless of the chosen method of application, for a variety of herbaceous plants and trees. In this case, the main factor is the amount of this fertilizer applied per square meter of soil. Despite the obvious benefits, it should not be abused. When applied in large quantities, it can sharply increase the alkaline reaction of the soil, and this will lead to the fact that it will become difficult for plants to extract useful substances from the soil, and they will begin to lag behind in development, and accordingly, the yield will fall. You need everything in moderation - this is the golden rule that applies in all areas of life, and directly relates to crop production.

Interaction of ash with nitrogen fertilizers

Do not use ash simultaneously with nitrogen fertilizers. Nitrogen includes organic - fresh manure, as well as mineral - ammonium sulfate, carbamide (urea), etc., since nitrogen will lose its beneficial effect. Therefore, the best tactic is to apply nitrogen fertilizers at least a couple of months after the ash. It is better to add humus in the fall and ash in the spring.

Determining soil acidity using the traditional method

You should not use ash if the soil in your garden or garden is alkaline (with a pH above 7). If you do not know what the soil composition is in your area and there is no possibility of laboratory testing, you can use the simplest method: buy a regular baby pacifier (without a hole) and a bottle with divisions at the pharmacy. Pour dry, and preferably sifted, soil from your garden into a bottle until the second division. Add regular water up to the fifth mark, add half a teaspoon of crushed chalk and quickly place a nipple twisted into a tube (so that there is no air in it) onto the bottle. Shake the bottle vigorously for a minute or two and leave it for a couple of hours, although a reaction can be noticed much earlier. When water and chalk interact with acidic soil, a certain amount of carbon dioxide is released and the nipple straightens. If it has completely straightened or puffed up, the acidity is high; if it has slightly straightened out, it is normal or slightly increased; if it has not straightened out at all, the soil is alkaline, and you should not add ash to it.

Plants indirectly indicate high acidity. If cranberries, blueberries, azaleas, rhododendrons, and camellias feel luxurious, you must assume that the soil is acidic.

On what soils is ash used?

Ash fertilizers are ideal for the following soil characteristics:

Acute calcium deficiency.
Strong acidity (pH - less than 5.5).

The addition of ash products reduces the acidity of the soil. Therefore, it is not recommended to use them on substrates with a pH above 7 - ash contributes to an increase in alkalinity.

checking the soil with a pH meter

Which soils will ash harm?

Let me warn you that wood ash (in large quantities) is not used on the following substrates:

acid neutral;
alkaline.

The use of ash preparations can raise the pH so high that the plantings will not be able to absorb mineral and nutritional elements from the soil.

Benefits for plants and soil

It is no coincidence that wood ash has been loved by gardeners and gardeners since ancient times. She:

loosens the soil structure;
reduces acidity;
contains macro- and microelements in a plant-friendly form;
creates a favorable soil environment for the development of microorganisms;
disinfects the soil, destroying fungal spores;
improves the quality of compost;
allows you to effectively combat different types of pests and plant diseases.

Ways to use ash in the garden

“Film gold” is a universal remedy. This is not only a top dressing, but also a deoxidizer, a protector against diseases and pests.

Liquid fertilizer

The ash solution is prepared simply: 1 glass (150-200 g) of ash per 1 bucket (10 l) of water. The liquid is infused for 24 hours, after which it is thoroughly mixed. The composition should be homogeneous, without individual fractions or inclusions.

Another option is ash extract: 1 cup of dry mass is poured with 3 cups of boiling water. The mixture is carefully mixed, covered with a lid, and left for 24 hours. The result is a concentrated fertilizer - do not forget to dilute it with water 1:3.

The product is suitable for spring and summer feeding of annual plantings, ornamental plants, lawn grass, and perennial fruit and berry plantings.

Dry fertilizer

Dry ash is used for the following purposes:

Preparing the land for a garden bed.
Increasing soil fertility.
Dusting the green parts of plants from diseases and pests.

When pouring into planting holes, dry ash must be mixed with the substrate. The dosage varies by crop, but not more than 100-200 g of product per 1 m2 of land.

Dry ash is an excellent option for lawn grass. It can be sprayed over the lawn in late autumn or after the snowdrifts have melted. It is best to spread coarse ash or even charcoal.

Ash fertilizer is an easy alternative to liming. Makes the pH neutral, but less aggressive. Peat ash is most suitable for deoxidizing the soil.

When working with dry ash, I advise you not to forget about the safety rules: wear special glasses and gloves. In windy weather, a respirator is needed.

wood ash as a soil deoxidizer

Ash fertilizer for pests

Ash is an enemy of invertebrates (snails, slugs). Getting on their mucous membranes, ash contributes to dehydration of organisms, as a result of which the pests die. To scare away uninvited guests, I place a protective circle of ash around each planting.

But such a remedy is effective only until the first watering, rain. Then you need to update the protection again. Therefore, it should not be used on alkaline, neutral soils - the level of calcium in the substrate will increase.

Before planting potatoes, it would be a good idea to dust the tubers with ash: 1 kg of the product per 30-40 kg of seed. This is enough to make it unattractive to wireworms and Colorado potato beetles. For preventive purposes, young shoots of onions and cabbage are also dusted with ash: 1 cup per 1 m2.

click beetle and larva (wireworm) enemy of the gardener

Other unpleasant guests - ants - cannot tolerate ash. 2 cups of ashes are scattered at the places where they gather, after which they rush to leave the area.

Cabbage, carrots, green onions, radishes and other cruciferous vegetables can be saved from carrot, cabbage, onion flies, cruciferous flea flies, white flies, and earth flies using the same “furnace gold”. It is enough to dust them with ash from time to time. Cabbage is additionally treated with ash liquid (1 cup of dry mass per 10 liters of heated water) to protect it from the caterpillar.

Berry and fruit representatives are protected from codling moth, bud mite, powdery mildew, cherry sawfly with the following composition:

300 g of ash (it is better to sift it through a sieve) is boiled in 3 liters of water for half an hour.
The solution is cooled, settled, and then filtered.
The liquid is diluted with water up to 10 liters.
To increase the effectiveness of the drug, add 40-50 g of fine soap shavings.
Treatment is carried out in calm, cloudy weather or after sunset.

The following composition protects plantings from aphids: 100 g of ash, 100 g of laundry soap shavings, 20 g of urea, 12 liters of water. The ingredients are mixed, left for 2 days, then sprayed onto the foliage.

Ash from diseases

Ash preparations are effective means in the fight against fungal infections. To counteract powdery mildew, sour mildew, and blackleg, radishes, cabbage, radishes, and rutabaga are treated with them.

Combine ash and dry crushed tobacco in equal parts, dust the greens with the mixture (but only after 2-3 true leaves have formed). This remedy is also a preventive measure against cabbage flies and cruciferous flea beetles.

Effective soap-ash solution:

The ash is crushed, sifted, then 3 kg is poured.
The dry mass is poured with 10 liters of hot water and infused for 2 days. To increase the effectiveness of the product, you can replace the water with an infusion of herbs - tansy, tomato tops, yarrow.
The finished infusion is filtered.
40 g of tar shavings and laundry soap are poured into 500 ml of boiling water.
The solution is poured into the ash mixture and mixed well.
To prevent fungal diseases, spray the product and irrigate the leaves every 2 weeks.

Ash protects garden strawberries, strawberries, and Victoria from gray rot. To do this, plant leaves are dusted with ash - 2 tbsp. spoons per bush.

For making compost

Not all gardeners know that ash contributes to the decomposition of compost heaps. The product creates excellent conditions for the life and reproduction of soil organisms, which perform useful work. I sprinkle a thin layer of ash on each new layer of compost. Such layers additionally saturate it with nutritional components.

Where to get manure and ash to fertilize your plot or garden

Fertilizers (mullein, manure and ash) are completely free - advice from an experienced summer resident

It is known that many gardeners and gardeners use manure as a nitrogen fertilizer, but it is now expensive and not always available, and mineral fertilizers cost a lot of money.

I want to share my experience and give advice about mullein and ash; of course, they are not suitable for everyone - but some people may find them useful.

Indeed, there are usually no farms and livestock farms near summer cottages or just outside the city.

But as soon as you drive further away, to some distant village, and look for livestock farms near it, you will definitely come across the so-called letniki. These are plots of land temporarily fenced with rafters or planks, intended for the summer night placement of teenage livestock (young animals).

In the morning, at 8-9 o'clock, the shepherds drive the cattle to the pasture to feed on lush grass and by noon, after watering, they drive the herd into the pen for rest. After lunch, at 15-16 hours, the whole procedure is repeated, and until the morning the herd spends the night in the pen.

Thus, twice a day - in the morning and after lunch - the corral remains empty and open (as a rule, the shepherds do not close the entrance due to the heavy and inconvenient gates they made, and there is nothing and no one to steal there). Taking this opportunity, for many years now I have been collecting mullein from this pen in the form of dry granules in unlimited quantities.

The young animals trample these cakes with their hooves during the day, and the heat of the sun turns them into granular dry manure 2-3 cm thick over the entire area of the paddock. The amount of fertilizer does not decrease, since there are few hunters like me, but the herd is growing every week, and the number of cakes is increasing.

The next year, not far from this place, the shepherds make a new corral for livestock (since we have plenty of land, the corral is not cleared), and the cycle repeats.

The selection of granules is carried out as follows. It’s best to start this work at the end of May, when the ground finally dries out and succulent grass grows for feeding livestock, and there will be up to 25 bags of cakes per two hundred square meters, the rest goes to the beds, under apple trees, raspberries and other shrubs. Part of the heap remains for humus until next spring.

Of course, all my recommendations are for car owners who have vegetable gardens or personal plots. Although at one time my wife and I had a small plot, and as a warm-up, I also carried one bag of dry mullein on the trunk in the morning and evening, 5 km from the paddock, on a bicycle. Firstly, there are great benefits for the garden, and secondly, even more health benefits.

Where to get ash to fertilize your garden

In villages where they burn wood, there is ash in every house, but try to ask and no one will give it to you. It's the same in gardening. A friend told me how he wanted to pick up a bucket of ash on the road opposite a private house, so first they threatened him from the window, and then an elderly woman jumped out of the house and almost broke his arm with a stick, which he was trying to protect himself from her...

If you heat your bathhouse with wood at least once a week during the summer season, then this ash will barely be enough for the beds. For annual fertilizing of a potato garden (one glass per hole), at least 4-5 buckets of ash are needed for just one hundred square meters. Where can I get it?

I extract ash in the following way. We still have nostalgia for the “communist cleanup days”, when the local area was being cleaned (first we litter it throughout the current year, and then we clean it up in one day). At the end of April, the 21st-22nd (Ilyich’s birthday), on a clear sunny day, residents of apartment buildings come together for a “Leninist” cleanup day and begin to pile up garbage from the territory.

In addition to cans, bottles and various rubbish, wood waste (old stools, broken chairs, various sticks, etc.) is also put there, in addition, old trees and bushes are cut down. All this waste is burned and turned into ash. Now it is necessary not to doze off: in the evening or the next morning, I first rake out the unburnt large debris (glass, bricks, etc.) from the pile of ash, and then scoop the ash into a plastic bag with a scoop and put it in the car.

Thus, 2-3 bags of ash are collected from two or three piles. At the dacha I sift this ash through a sieve. As a sieve I use an empty herring jar (diameter 200 mm) with 5-10 mm holes. You can also use an old baking sheet from a gas or electric stove oven as a sieve, having previously drilled the appropriate holes in it.

To what has been said, I will add that it is better to collect ash early in the morning (when residents are sleeping) or at dusk in the evening, otherwise neighbors and residents may not understand my good intentions and call the police. Thus, without much difficulty, without problems and for free, I stock up on valuable mineral fertilizer for future use.

Note to the gardener:

The effect of ash is enhanced by peat, compost and humus.
Ash does not combine with manure, bird droppings, superphosphate and nitrogen mineral fertilizers.
Ash needs a strict dosage: in large quantities it will destroy all the beneficial inhabitants of the soil - their numbers will take a very long time to recover.

Author S.L. Rasko

vsaduidoma.com

How to properly use ash in the garden

There is no chlorine in the ash composition, which is why the fertilizer is ideal for plants that cannot tolerate this element: grapes, currants, potatoes, raspberries, strawberries. But coniferous plantings, rhododendron, heather, hydrangea, blueberries, blueberries, and ferns do not like ash. They “like” slightly acidic soils.

Please note that alkaline soil is “not to the taste” of weeds - wheatgrass, horsetail, woodlice. Therefore, autumn and spring digging of the earth with the addition of ash will help get rid of the gardener’s malicious enemies.

Ash fertilizers are ideal for plants:

sweet peppers;
cabbage (all varieties);
eggplant;
raspberries;
potato;
onion;
tomatoes;
currant;
Victoria, garden strawberry;
plums;
cherries;
roses.

The fertilizer is no less useful for domestic inhabitants - geraniums, tuberous begonias, fuchsias, cyclamens.

conclusions

Apple trees are the most common among fruit trees, but they are more often susceptible to diseases, so for a good harvest and maintaining the health of the apple tree, it must be annually supported with fertilizers and treated against diseases and parasites.

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