Wood ash as fertilizer: how to use it in the garden

Wood ash as a fertilizer has always enjoyed wide popularity among gardeners and gardeners. This organic matter is a residual product of wood combustion, and contains mineral residues of the most useful elements for plants: potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, which contribute to the active growth of fruits, vegetables and flowers. Ash can rightfully be considered a complex fertilizer, since by its properties and content of substances it alone is capable of replacing any mineral complex mixture.

Content

1 Compound
2 Video "Wood ash, soil use"
3 When can and can not be used
4 How to use
5 Video "Features of the use of ash"

Compound

It is very difficult to determine the exact composition of the ash as it depends on the type of material being burned. If the fertilizer is obtained during the combustion of wood and plant residues, then the chemical composition will depend on the type and age of the plant. If coal ash is obtained in the process of burning coal, then its composition depends on the type of coal. Also, a fairly valuable fertilizer can be obtained from the combustion of organic materials such as peat and oil shale.

It must be said that peat, shale, and even more so coal ash is rarely used for plant fertilization. Coal ash contains very few nutrients, so its use has only two options - thanks to its large granules, it is often used as drainage for flowers, as well as to increase the acidity of alkaline soils. And since the most effective fertilizer is ash obtained from burning wood, its composition will be discussed below.

The formula of wood ash is approximate and may vary slightly depending on the type of wood being burned. 100 g of ash contains the following substances:

calcium (calcium carbonate - 17 g, silicate - 16.5, sulfate - 14 g and chloride 12 g);
potassium orthophosphate (potassium and phosphoric acid salts) - 13 g;
magnesium (magnesium carbonate - 4 g; silicate - 4 g, sulfate - 4 g);
sodium orthophosphate - 15 g;
sodium chloride - 0.5 g;
phosphorus - 4-6 g;
there is also a small amount of manganese, iron, molybdenum, boron, sulfur.

Although ash belongs to potash fertilizers, it can be seen from the formula that calcium still predominates in it, and in the form of four compounds at once. Such fertilization is useful for garden plants, especially seedlings at the initial stage of growth, during the formation of green mass.

There is no nitrogen in wood ash - it evaporates during combustion. But, if we compare ash with mineral mixtures, then its indisputable advantage is the absence of chlorine, which does not have the best effect on plant growth. As for indoor flowers, plant ash is the best fertilizer for them. It turns out such fertilizer in the process of burning dry grass, hay, tops of garden crops. Plant ash contains more potassium (up to 30%), calcium 15%, and phosphorus (about 8%).

Video "Wood ash, soil use"

An illustrative video with a ton of useful information about ash.

When can and can not be used

As a fertilizer, wood ash is suitable for almost any soil. Moreover, it is able to neutralize the soil of medium and high acidity, and simply saturates the neutral soil with calcium, potassium, phosphorus and many other useful elements. A product is used to fertilize any colors, as well as the following garden crops:

zucchini, pumpkin, squash, cucumbers - feeding of these vegetables is carried out three times per season: when digging a site 1 glass / sq.m, before planting seedlings - 1-2 glasses / well, in the middle of the growing season with watering - 1 glass / sq. m;
eggplants, tomatoes, peppers are fed twice: during digging, 3 glasses / sq. m, and 0.5 cups / hole when planting seedlings;

for feeding cabbage, swede, fertilizer is used twice: a handful / hole when planting, and for spraying when the plants reach 3-4 leaves;
under winter garlic and onions, ash is brought in in the fall when preparing a plot of 2 cups / sq. m;
before planting legumes and greens, fertilizer is applied to the soil during digging at the rate of 1 glass / sq. m;
for root crops (celery, beets, carrots), dressing is applied once when digging 1 glass / sq. m;
potatoes are fertilized three times over the entire period: 1 glass / sq. m when preparing the site for sowing, 3 tbsp. spoons / hole during planting of tubers, and when hilling with watering 1-2 glasses / bush;
for garden flowers, fertilizer is applied at 1 glass / sq. m when preparing the site, and 1 glass per hole when planting plants;
for indoor plants - periodically introduced during watering at the rate of 3 tbsp. spoons / glass of water.

Ash is also a good food for fruit and berry crops. When planting young seedlings, fertilizer is applied to the planting pit and mixed with the soil. For berry bushes, watering with an ash solution at the rate of 200 g / bucket of water is useful.

For adult fruit trees (pears, apple trees, cherries, plums), fertilizing is applied once / 3 years in liquid form in the near-stem circles. Ashes are an excellent way to combat soil and vegetable pests. Slugs, snails, ants and other animals that inhabit the ground do not like him. To get rid of pests, ash is scattered around the plants that they have chosen. In addition to invaluable benefits, ash in some cases can cause harm:

fertilization of flowers such as azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias is not recommended - plants stop growing and flowering;
you should not add ash under blueberries, cranberries, lingonberries - these berries love acidic soil, and ash neutralizes the acidity of the soil;
radishes, radishes, turnips react badly to feeding - the plants quickly release an arrow, and the underground part stops growing;

ash cannot be added with an excess of calcium in the soil - the following signs may indicate an excess of an element: the death of shoots in vegetable crops (tomatoes, cucumbers), increased leaf growth in grapes, whitish spots and discoloration of leaves in garden roses;
also, you should not apply fertilizer with an overabundance of potassium - this is evidenced by the bitter taste and uneven surface of the fruits, the falling of leaves in indoor flowers.

How to use

As a top dressing, ash is used in the following ways:

Dry. This method is used when digging a site for planting plants, and directly during planting. When covering ash in the ground, you need to be careful: so that the roots of young seedlings do not get burned, it is better to mix the fertilizer with the soil. Also, do not use a dry product for plants that have not reached 3-4 true leaves. Mature fruit trees can be fertilized with dry ash without fear. It is poured into specially dug depressions along the perimeter of the crown and covered with earth. To feed one tree, you need about 2 kg of dry fertilizer.

In the form of an aqueous solution. This method is used for watering crops during the growing season. The solution is prepared at the rate of 150-200 g of ash / bucket of water. The agent needs to be insisted a little, and immediately before watering, stir well until completely dissolved. The slurry is best suited for watering flowers, berry bushes, and garden vegetables. Liquid dressing is carried out 1 time / 14 days.

To increase efficiency, peat or humus can be added to the solution in a 1: 4 ratio. It is important to know that poultry manure, manure, and mineral nitrogen-containing fertilizer cannot be used simultaneously with ash.This is due to the fact that calcium, contained in a large amount in the ash, absorbs nitrogen released from the above dressings. If it is necessary to use both types of fertilizers, it is better to apply nitrogen-containing fertilizers (manure, dung, saltpeter) in the fall, and ash - in the spring. For watering flowers, it is not advisable to use solutions containing humus - indoor and garden flowers respond better to mineral mixtures, and organic fertilizer is more suitable for garden and horticultural crops.

Video "Features of the use of ash»

Information video with recommendations for the use of fertilizer.