If you have wood heating or a fireplace, you’ll need to clean it during the colder months. ash often. Before long, you’ll start collecting several buckets of ash a week. What to do with all this leftovers? they can be many useful in your orchard or garden. Let’s try to make good use of this gray and dusty by-product.
According to the ‘Ecoinventos’ portal, ash and bits of coal are full of minerals. Additionally, its natural alkalinity and slightly abrasive texture means wood ash has many uses in the home, garden or orchard.
It’s important to note that this list assumes you’re burned out. clean wood and untreated woodlike painted. Hardwoods typically have more nutrients than softer woods such as pine, but softwoods produce a softer ash than hardwoods.
embers may remain hot for days. Make sure the wood ash has cooled completely before using it at home.
Good advice for a start: wear gloves when working with wood ash.
The use of wood ash in the garden
On ‘Ecoinventos’ they say that wood ash is enriched with many of the minerals it contains as wood: calcium, potassium, magnesium and other trace elements, to name a few.
Keep in mind that if left outside in the rain, it will quickly lose all its beneficial minerals dissolved in water. So you have to keep the ash well.
Remember not to use wood ash for plants that prefer acidic soil, such as potatoes, blueberries, hydrangeas or azaleas.
The use of wood ash in the garden
- Correct the acidity of the soil. You can use ashes to help balance the pH of acidic soils. It is best to test the pH of your soil before applying, but generally apply between 2-4 kg of ash per 10 square meters. The best time to do this is before planting, which you can put directly into the soil. If you apply wood ash to the soil with young, growing plants, be sure to rinse them off afterward, as the ash can burn the young leaves.
- Improve your compost. Ash can increase the microbial environment of your compost, providing your compost with much-needed oxygen, making the microbes very happy. The porous nature of charcoal also means that all the minerals in the ash are absorbed and retained in your compost rather than being lost in the rain.
- Stop snails and slugs. Snails and slugs can wreak havoc in a garden. You can stop them by making an ash ring around plants susceptible to snails and slugs.
- Eliminate fruit rot. Seeing the first black spot on your tomatoes is enough to make anyone cry because you know it’s just the beginning. Avoid this early in the season by giving the plants an extra dose of calcium. When planting tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers and peppers, sprinkle a small handful of wood ash in the hole before placing the plant in the ground.
- Eliminate algae in still water. When it comes to using ash in a pond, a little goes a long way. You can use about one tablespoon for every 4,000 liters of water. Be careful if you are unsure of your water volume; start small and give it a few days before adding more ash.
- Prevents crops from frost damage. When temperatures begin to drop in autumn, the danger of frost begins. You can dust your plants with some powdered wood ash to prevent frost damage.
- Save the seeds for next year. Seeds that are not stored properly lose their viability and do not germinate. It is very important to store the seeds in a good insulating environment that absorbs moisture. Add ash to the container where you keep the seeds to reduce and retain moisture.
- Encourages ants to move. Throwing ash in the anthill will encourage them to gather and find another place to live.
Reference article: https://ecoinventos.com/usos-de-la-ceniza-en-huerto-o-jardin/#more-124048
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Environment department contact address:crisclimatica@prensaiberica.es
Source: Informacion
