Aww … . the holiday season . Very few thing compare with the presence of menage and friends pile up around a toasty fond fire in the fireplace or wood stove . The warmth of the Yule Log on New Year ’s Eve has become a distant store , leave alone behind the memories — and a pile of gray ash . But what can be done with the wood ash that have accumulated over the holiday season ? Well , it just depends .
The burning of wood releasesnitrogen and sulfuras gases . And the chemical element of Ca , K , atomic number 12 , and tincture element such as B , copper , molybdenum , and Zn are left behind , many of which are essential to plant life . In general , the principal nutrients in wood ashesare : caustic potash ( K ) ( 3 - 8 % ) , phosphate ( 1 - 2 % ) , calcium ( 20 - 25 % ) and magnesium ( 2 % ) . In terms of commercial-grade fertilizer , a purse of woods ash would be labeled 0 - 1 - 3 ( 0 % nitrogen , 1 % phosphate and 3 % potash ) . Calcium is the most abundant factor in Grant Wood ash and has the same effect on soil as calcium hydroxide — it reduces the sourness or elevate the pH level of the soil . The chemical substance make - up alter with the character of wood burned . In general , hardwoods produce slap-up concentrations of chemical than deal .
Right off the bat , wood ash tree has three thing going for it — it ’s a fertilizer , it will raise the pH of the soil , and it ’s crummy . swell stuff , correct ? Well , not so fast !
Wood ash process faster than lime . When Grant Wood ashes are use to the soil , it raises the pH of soil , much like Citrus aurantifolia . Yet unlike unslaked lime , which can take six months or more to alter the land pH , wood ash iswater - solubleand works very quickly to change the pH.
Remember , the pH of the grime affects a flora ’s power to glean nutrient from the soil . For example , certain nutrients like iron , copper , and Al becomeless usable to plants in alkaline soil(higher - pH grease ) , while other food , such as Ca and phosphorus , becomeless uncommitted in acerbic soils ( soils with a low pH ) . The advocate pH range for a vegetable garden is in the reach of6.2 - 6.8 . Therefore , wood ash should NOT be tote up to the garden if stain pH falls within the recommended image . Those wood ashes could bring up the pH to a point that it becomes detrimental to many garden plant . The only way a nurseryman can make an informed decision on sum Ellen Price Wood ash to the garden is by doing a territory test . The Virginia Cooperative Extension Publication 452 - 129provides information on how to collect a soil sampling , and soil test kit are available at your local Virginia Cooperative Extension Office , located a 460 Stagecoach Road , just off Fifth St. Extended in Charlottesville . extra information on the note value of soil examination can be found in our October 2016 payoff of The Garden Shed ; see the article titledInterpreting Your Soil Test .
Once you have received the results of your dirt test , if the recommendation is to add lime to lift the pH , the general ruler is it takes2 poundsof wood ash to touch the neutralize power of1 pound sterling of land limestone . For example if the lime recommendation is to add 8 pound of lime per 100 straight feet , 16 pounds of wood ash tree would be the equivalent .
Wood ashes should NOT be placed around sure plant ; for example , blueberry that favor more acidic soil , or potatoes , asscab diseasebecomes more prevalent in soils with a high pH. Potatoes are less likely to develop scab when the pH isbetween 5.0 and 5.2 .
Do NOT expend ashes that result from burn down coal , pressure - process wood , painted or varnished wood , or composition board . These textile contain potentially harmful chemicals .
thrifty consideration should be made before using Sir Henry Wood ashes in the garden . A measured program can be beneficial to increase soil pH. Over - applications of wood ash will increase the likeliness of soil - related problems . Sobefore you start spreading those ashes , be certain to have your soil screen andfollow the recommendation .
Thanks for stopping byThe Garden Shed;we look forrad to your sojourn next calendar month .
Sources :
“ Best Management Practices for Wood Ash as Agricultural Soil Amendment , ” University of Georgia Extension , Publication No . B 1142,http://extension.uga.edu / publications / detail.cfm?number = B1142
“ Soil Preparation , ” Virginia Cooperative Extension , Publication No . 426-313https://pubs.ext.vt.edu/426/426-313/426-313.html
“ Using Wood Ash in the Garden , ” University of Illinois Extension , http://web.extension.illinois.edu / state / newsdetail.cfm?NewsID=12505
“ Soil Sampling for the Home Gardner , ” Virginia Cooperative Extension Publication Number 452 - 129,http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/452/452 - 129/452 - 129.html
“ Potatoes , Peppers and Eggplant , ” Virginia Cooperative Extension Publication No . 426-413https://pubs.ext.vt.edu/426/426-413/426-413_pdf.pdf
“ Wood Ashes for Gardening , ” Penn State Extension , http://extension.psu.edu / lackawanna / news/2013 / wood - ash - for - gardening
