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Wood ash is a very useful product for plants. Its composition contains a large amount of potassium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus, necessary for plants during flowering and fruiting.
The disadvantage of wood ash is that it contains almost no nitrogen, which is necessary for plants during the active growing season. It is necessary to feed the plants with complex mineral fertilizers.
It is not desirable to use nitrogen-containing fertilizers simultaneously with the ashes. With this use, the nitrogen reacts with alkali, and ammonia is formed, which quickly evaporates. It is better to apply nitrogen fertilizers and ashes on different days.
It is also forbidden to add ash to the soil together with phosphate fertilizers. In this case, the phosphorus will not be absorbed by plants.
Benefits of ash as fertilizer
Wood ash does not contain chlorine, so it can be safely used for fertilizer:
- cucumbers;
- zucchini;
- potatoes;
- carrots;
- strawberries;
- raspberry.
All these cultures do not tolerate chlorine in the soil. In addition, the ash reduces the acidity of the soil and makes the soil looser, therefore it is introduced to normalize the pH level.
If loam or peat soil prevails on your site, it is recommended to deposit from 700 to 1.5 kg of wood ash per 1 m2 of area. If you use the ash resulting from burning straw, the rate should be doubled.
When using wood ash as a fertilizer, the rate is 100 g per 1 m2 of planting area. During the growing season it is necessary to make a liquid feeding. For its preparation, 100 g of ash are dissolved in 10 liters of water.
How ash is harmful to plants
Since wood ash has an alkaline reaction, it is not recommended to make it under crops that grow on acidic soil. Mostly this ornamental plants:
- coniferous crops;
- Magnolia;
- Azalea;
- rhododendrons.
Neutral soil is not suitable for such plants.
Ash as a means of pests and fungal diseases
In order to get rid of aphids and slugs, in the early morning, moisten the leaves of the plants and sprinkle them with wood ash. This method is effective for potatoes and strawberries.
If you mix the infusion of wood ash, tobacco and laundry soap in equal proportions, you get an excellent remedy for powdery mildew and aphids.
How to harvest wood ash
Collect ash after a picnic, burn hazel and sick tree branches. Store the ashes in an airtight container. At observance of storage conditions the expiration date of wood ashes is not limited.
Walnut releases toxic substances that inhibit the growth of other crops. When burning branches and foliage, these substances disintegrate. Wood ash from burning hazel can be safely used to fertilize other plants.
