Wood ash has been used since ancient times as an organic fertilizer. It is a valuable source of potassium, calcium, sodium and magnesium, as well as other useful substances necessary for the growth and development of plants.

What is useful wood ash for the garden? What is its composition? How to apply it? We will try to answer these and many other questions in the article.

Ash composition

It is quite difficult to accurately determine the composition of this natural substance, since it changes depending on the age and type of plant that was burned. Nevertheless, even D. I. Mendeleev presented the general formula for ash, which indicates the percentage of elements contained in 100 grams of this fertilizer.

Ash Formula

The properties of wood ash are due to its chemical composition, which includes many different trace elements. Some of them have a beneficial effect on the growth and development of plants, others help in the fight against various diseases. The concentration of these constituents may be higher or lower than shown. However, the list below gives a general idea of ​​what substances and in what proportion are contained in the ash:

• calcium silicate (CaSiO3) - 16.5%;
• calcium carbonate (CaCO3) - 17%;
• calcium chloride (CaCl2) - 12%;
• calcium sulfate (CaSO4) - 14%;
• magnesium carbonate (MgCO3) - 4%;
• potassium orthophosphate (K3PO4) - 13%;
• (MgSO4) - 4%;
• magnesium silicate (MgSiO3) - 4%;
• sodium chloride (NaCl) - 0.5%;
• sodium orthophosphate (NaPO4) - 15%.

Gardeners successfully use wood ash as a source of lime and potassium. The word "potash" comes from the expression potashes ("ash from the boiler") and has English roots. This name is explained by the old way of making this fertilizer. Previously, the ash was washed and then the resulting solution was evaporated. The resulting precipitate contained potassium carbonate and other salts.

All the mineral elements that were in the plant are contained in unwashed wood ash. The use of this substance in the garden contributes to the saturation of the soil with potassium, which strengthens the stems of plants, makes them more stable. In addition, potassium significantly increases vitality plants, increases its resistance to disease.

The use of wood ash in the garden allows you to restrain the excessive growth of the plant, which is caused by an excess of nitrogen, to prevent too early fruit ripening, which usually provokes phosphoric acid. Potassium is actively involved in photosynthesis and in the formation of green pigment in stems and leaves.

Ashes from softwoods contain significantly more potassium than softwood fertilizers. There is a misconception that it is more caustic and can harm the plant. In fact, both ash is suitable for incorporation into the soil in flower beds, gardens and orchards.

Cooked ash can be stored in a dry place for later use, or immediately applied to beds or compost heaps. It is better to store it in paper bags. If you confirmed that your site is too acidic, add ashes in the fall, winter and in early spring. Fertilizer is applied at the rate of 2.5 kg per 10 m 2.

Potassium deficiency

The fact that there is not enough potassium in the soil is indicated by a change appearance plant leaves. Since potassium moves upward from the lower leaves, if there is not enough of it, the edges of the lower leaves first turn yellow, then acquire a brown tint. In addition, speckling or yellow spotting appears on the lower leaves.

How often should ash be added?

Wood ash deoxidizes the soil. It is twice as effective as limestone, which is often used to neutralize too acidic soils. However, this does not mean that this fertilizer must be used every year. Moreover, agronomists do not recommend adding it to the soil without first checking the acidity of the soil.

Soil analysis is preferably carried out once every two years. Quite a lot of plants develop well on slightly acidic soils, so the use of ash in large quantities is allowed only for very acidic soils.

A simple soil acidity test can be done on your own. To do this, you need to take a soil sample, moisten it with a small amount of rain, deionized or distilled water and dip litmus paper into the soil mixture. Its color will change immediately. It remains only to compare it with the color chart that is attached to each set of litmus paper.

Use of ash

Today, many vegetable growers use wood ash. Application in the garden involves adding it to the compost heap, in which organic materials contain a large number of various acids.

Excessively acidic compost heap material decomposes more slowly. The introduced ash effectively neutralizes this environment. If this is not done, a lot of ammonia will be released from the compost, which can harm and even kill earthworms and other beneficial soil organisms living there.

Ashes should be scattered on every layer of soil, lawn mowed grass, food waste. By combining organic material and ash, the compost is enriched with various beneficial organisms that promote decomposition. Experts recommend spreading about a kilogram of ash per 1 square meter compost.

Wood ash is a real pantry of nutrients for all plants. You need to know that in regions with a humid climate, the soil on lawns, in gardens and orchards is gradually acidified, and wood ash will help neutralize it. The use of such organic fertilizer in the garden will help increase the yield on your site.

Ash as fertilizer: how to apply?

It can be used in dry and dissolved form. Wood ash solution is a source of minerals. Often it is used instead of water when seeds are soaked to speed up their germination. seeds vegetable crops kept in such a solution for about six hours, then dried and planted in the ground.

To prepare such a composition, it is necessary to pour two tablespoons of ash with a liter of water and insist for two days, then it can be filtered. This solution can be used for feeding indoor plants and seedlings. Clay heavy soils on the lawn, in the garden or in the kitchen garden can be lightened by adding wood ash to them. Saturated with water, clay soil sticks together, forming lumps. Add wood ash to it at the rate of 5 kg per 10 m 2, and the soil will become looser.

Effective for roses and fruit bushes How to apply it in this case? Dry powder should be spread in spring and autumn. Under the roses, you need to add about 500 grams of ash under the bush. During precipitation and irrigation, nutrients from the fertilizer enter the root system of plants.

Beneficial wood ash hard rock and for the lawn. It contains as much lime as ground limestone, which is necessary to improve the external Most of lawn grasses develops more actively on soils with almost neutral acidity (pH from 6 to 7). With this indicator, the nutrients in the soil become more accessible to plants, they are more easily absorbed by the root system.

Lawn grasses that have received a large portion of wood ash are more aggressive than those on acidic soil, so they do not allow weeds into their immediate environment.

Ash as fertilizer for strawberries

Juicy, aromatic and sweet strawberries grown all over the world, on a variety of soils, in different weather and climatic conditions. According to agronomists, good harvest strawberries cannot be obtained without top dressing. But every gardener, having heard about fertilizers, thinks about how harmful they can be to health. For this reason, many people use folk methods, organic preparations, one of which is wood ash.

How to use it to fertilize the bushes of your favorite berries? Strawberries are fed either with an infusion of ash or with a dry variety, bringing it under the bushes in early spring. Such top dressing increases the number of peduncles and, accordingly, berries. Ashes are usually added to the holes when creating a new strawberry bed. A feature of this fertilizer is its long-term effect. It retains its beneficial properties for two years after being applied to the soil.

Ash solution

A solution is most often used to fertilize strawberries. To do this, a glass of ash is poured with a bucket of water, the solution is well mixed before use so that the ash is evenly distributed, and the soil is watered. In this composition, there is no nitrogen, since it disappears during the burning of wood. But experts do not recommend bringing it along with it.

When should you not use ash?

Excessive use of fertilizers (including organic ones) leads to no less negative consequences than their complete absence. Wood ash as a fertilizer should be completely eliminated in areas with high soil acidity.

High pH is indicated external changes plants. With an excess of calcium, there are:

• Too rapid growth of leaf rosettes in apple trees and grapes.
• Dying off along the entire length of the shoots of tomatoes.
• Falling leaves of garden flowers.
• Chlorosis with whitish spots on roses.
• Change in leaf pigmentation (they turn white).

With excess potassium:

• The pulp of pears and apples turns brown.
• Bitter pitting of the fruit appears.
• Falling leaves of plants.

Advantages of fertilizer

A wonderful fertilizer of organic origin is wood ash. The use of a dry substance or solution in the garden will not harm the health of your loved ones. This is the main argument in favor of choosing ash for plant nutrition. Ash fertilizers correct use very efficient. They help not only to increase the yield of vegetables, fruits and berries, but also significantly save on the purchase of ready-made formulations. Ash is easy to make yourself.

Since ancient times, people have been using wood ash as a fertilizer. Ash not only fertilizes, but also structures the soil. The use of ash in horticulture simultaneously improves both mechanical and chemical composition soil. Ash has the ability to reduce acidity, accelerate the ripening of compost and loosen the soil. Fertilized and alkalized with ash, the soil is a favorable environment for the vital activity of soil microorganisms, especially nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

Important! Ash should be stored in a dry place. Moisture harms this fertilizer - it loses trace elements, potassium. If you pack the ashes in plastic bags, which do not allow the penetration of moisture, it can be stored for up to several years. At the same time, the ash retains its properties.

What is useful in ash

Wood ash as a fertilizer is used due to its beneficial chemical composition. It contains calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium and other substances that are necessary for the development and growth of plants.

The chemical composition of the ash is different, as it depends on the burned plant from which it is obtained. Potato tops, vines, meadow grass in their ashes contain 40% potassium. wood ash hardwood has a different composition, in which the calcium content is in the lead. Coniferous trees rich in phosphorus - up to 7% in the composition.

Ash contains more than 70 elements and 30 trace elements. At the same time, it does not contain chlorine, which allows you to fertilize crops that do not tolerate it. The only element that plants need that is not found in ash is nitrogen. All elements in this natural fertilizer are contained in a form that is most suitable for absorption by plants.

What soils can ash be used on?

Ash can be used on different soils. Due to its properties, it improves its quality, subject to proper use.

Ash has the ability to loosen, which can be used for heavy clay soil. By introducing ash into such soil in the fall, you can make it looser. The calculation of the amount is based on the acidity of the soil and the plants that are expected to be grown on it. From 100 to 800 g of ash can be applied per 1 m².

It is customary to fertilize light sandy soils with ash in the spring. This is done so that useful substances do not go deep into the ground with melt water. The introduction of ash into sandy soils has a particularly good effect on their quality.

Ash is used to neutralize acidic soils, enrich marsh, marsh-podzolic and gray forest soils with its help. Only in alkaline soil is not recommended to make ash.

Did you know? Different plants after combustion give a different chemical composition of ash. Ash contains the most potassium herbaceous plants: sunflower stalks– up to 40%, buckwheat– up to 35%, nettle - 32%, cereals– 20%. Peat ash contains little potassium and phosphorus, but a lot of calcium. There is also a lot of calcium in the ashes from willow and poplar - up to 43%, and in birch - 30%.

What plants can be fertilized with ash

For many plants, ash is a storehouse of substances necessary for proper growth.

The ash is used to fertilize trees, vegetables, and flowers.

What vegetables are wood ash good for:

• potato;
• tomatoes, peppers, eggplant;
• cucumbers, squash, zucchini;
• onions, winter garlic;
• cabbage of different types;
• carrots, parsley, beets, radishes;
• peas, beans, dill, lettuce.

In addition to fertilizing vegetables, ash for flowers is also a great benefit. Indoor flowers often need to be enriched with minerals, of which there is a sufficient amount in the ashes. Garden flowers can also be fertilized with ashes - gladioli, asters, begonias, balsam.

For trees, the elements of ash also bring many benefits. To fertilize trees, both dry ash and solutions containing it are used.

Did you know? The introduction of ash into the trunk poles and landing pits cherries and plums favorably affect these plants. Such top dressing is enough to do every 3-4 years. To bring ash under the trees, grooves are made along the perimeter of the crown, into which the ash solution is poured or ash is poured. After that, the groove, the depth of which is about 10 cm, is covered with earth.

Ash is a very effective fertilizer, but if used together with humus, compost, manure and peat, you can further increase its productivity. The benefits of this fertilizer can be derived from different stages plant life - when preparing the soil for planting, preparing seeds, planting plants, feeding them.

Soil preparation

Before planting many plants, it is useful to add ashes to the ground. During digging, before planting potatoes, 1 glass of ash per 1 m² is added. The same amount is required for cucumbers, squash, zucchini. To prepare the soil for tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, add 3 cups of ash per 1 m².

Before planting cabbage for different varieties you may need 1-2 cups of ash per 1 m². Carrots, parsley, beets and radishes require 1 glass of ash for such an area, as do peas, beans, radishes, lettuce and dill.

During winter digging, before planting onions and winter garlic, 2 cups of ash are added per 1 m².

Seed preparation

Before sowing seeds of different plants, they can initially be treated with microelements. Such enrichment with seed substances is carried out before sowing peas, tomatoes, sweet peppers, and carrots. This manipulation accelerates the ripening of the crop, increases it.

Before sowing, the seeds are treated with ash for 12-24 hours. It is diluted in an amount of 20 g in 1 liter warm water, insist 1-2 days, then soak the seeds in this solution for 6 hours.

When planting plants, you can also use ashes. Exist different methods how to sprinkle seedlings with ashes. Ash is poured into the holes before planting in the amount of 1-3 tbsp. spoons. When planting shrubs, you can use a glass this fertilizer, and for trees and large bushes, 1-2 kg of ash is used in one hole.

When planting plants, it is recommended to mix the ash with the soil, as this makes it possible to spread its effect more on the future root system. Also, mixing the ash and soil will prevent the plant from getting burned, which is possible with direct contact.

Plant nutrition

It is customary to feed growing and already developed plants so that they bear fruit better. Top dressing can be done with ash in different forms.

To feed strawberries with ash, it is necessary to sprinkle loosened soil with ash at the rate of 2 cups of ash per 1 m². In the second year of the life of this plant, such top dressing will be very helpful. Strawberry feeding solutions are also popular, which are used in different seasons.

Potatoes are also fed with ash - at the first hilling, 1-2 tbsp is added under each bush. spoons of ash. When the budding stage begins, a second hilling is performed, during which half a glass of ash can be added under each bush.

For spring feeding garlic and onions with embedding in the soil, apply 1 glass of fertilizer per 1 m².

Ash is a good top dressing for berries, vegetables, trees. For the latter, the effect of the applied fertilizer lasts up to 4 years.

Important! When using ash for plant nutrition, do not forget about your own health. It is necessary to comply with safety regulations requiring the protection of the eyes and respiratory organs from dust particles that can easily penetrate there.

When Ash Can't Be Used

Even organic fertilizers have contraindications for use. Soil ash should not be used in conjunction with bird droppings, manure (promotes nitrogen volatilization), superphosphate, nitrogen mineral fertilizers(provokes the release of ammonia and harms plants). Ash in alkaline soils with a PH of 7 is also not used.

Most often, gardeners use wood ash as a fertilizer. This is one of the most popular types of feed for tomatoes, cucumbers, various kinds flowers, which is traditionally used in household plots.

This top dressing has a very rich chemical composition, which is rich in all necessary elements for optimal development and rapid growth of the plant.

Ash fertilizers are very effective when applied correctly. With their help, you can not only increase the yield of vegetables, but also significantly save on the purchase of complementary foods. This fertilizer is quite simple to make yourself, and you can easily get rid of garden debris.

The chemical composition is different for each type of ash, as it varies depending on the variety of the burnt plant and its age. But the relatively exact formula for ash was calculated by Mendeleev. The percentage of elements in the ash approximately corresponds to the following indicators:

• calcium carbonate and calcium silicate up to 17%;
• sodium orthophosphate up to 15%;
• calcium sulfate, calcium chloride and potassium orthophosphate from 12 to 14%;
• carbonate, silicate, magnesium sulfate up to 4%;
• sodium chloride up to 0.5%.

From the presented ratio, it can be seen that top dressing in the form of wood ash is able to fully satisfy the need garden plants the main nutrient is calcium.

The use of ash ensures the full growth and development of the root structure and greenery of all country plants, but this fertilizer is especially important for crops with a dominant aerial part. The cultivation of cucumbers, tomatoes, pumpkins and zucchini is not complete without the addition of ash impurities.

Varieties of ash

Professional gardeners have favorite types of wood ash, because this bait has been tested for generations and is available for self-manufacturing. Its chemical composition and properties depend on the raw materials chosen as the basis for the preparation of fertilizer, therefore the ash itself is divided into varieties based on the organic material chosen as the basis.

Among the most popular options for this complementary food, various source materials are used:

• Deciduous trees. Ash from such raw materials, as well as from herbaceous crops with a strong stem structure, such as sunflower and buckwheat, will help to introduce an increased dose of potassium and calcium into the soil, which will balance the balance in soils with high acidity.
• Coniferous trees. They also significantly enrich the soil composition with calcium. Additionally, they are an excellent source of phosphorus. Feeding from wheat and rye straw has similar properties.

• Peat. Such a composition has a minimum level of useful chemical elements and is more often used only as an admixture to the soil to maintain an acceptable level of acidity.
• Coal. Not suitable for fertilizing horticultural crops, but thanks to high level sulfur in the composition, is used to acidify soils.
• Shale ash. The presence of calcium in this product reaches 65%, which makes this fertilizer very effective. But slate is less accessible than other types of raw materials; therefore, it is rarely used by the poet.

Often the choice of source material does not depend on the needs and characteristics of the soil, but on the presence of organic waste from economic activities. After all, such a solution allows not only to get rid of garbage, but also to get a safe and effective fertilizer.

Application in home garden

There are many ways and techniques for introducing organic ash into the soil. Professional gardeners have special techniques that are inherited, but for a beginner, ash fertilizer can be a problem. Improper application of combustion products to the soil will not bring the expected result and may harm the crop.

To avoid mistakes, you need to follow a few simple rules:

• groundbait from ash is great for potatoes, tomatoes, strawberry and strawberry bushes, grapes, cucumbers and flowering plants;
• fertilizers should be applied on loams and clay soils in autumn period, after harvesting, and on sandy and sandy varieties of soil - in the spring;
• with an ash consumption of 200-300 grams per 1 square meter, the effect will remain for up to 4 years;
• for soils with an acidic environment, the introduction of wood ash in the fall will increase the resistance of plants to frost;

• in addition to directly applying the ash to the soil, it can be successfully added to the compost, where it will act as a catalyst for the decomposition process;
• many gardeners like to water plants with an infusion of 100 grams of ash in a bucket of water;
• for soaking the seeds of cucumbers, tomatoes and zucchini, you should use a solution that has been infused for at least a day, so the seeds will receive the necessary supply of all trace elements for full development;
• it is necessary to store the ashes in a dry place, as moisture will deprive the fertilizer useful properties and make its use meaningless;

• it is impossible to combine ash with nitrogen fertilizers, since they neutralize each other's action, the interval between applications should be at least a month;
• adding phosphorus impurities to the ash will also reduce the effectiveness of bait;
• processed wood and household waste cannot be used as raw materials, toxic and harmful compounds from these materials will only harm the crop.

Ash is an excellent fertilizer not only in the garden. It is perfect for use in greenhouse conditions, in the garden and even for house plants. Professional florists often use an infusion of ashes to water flowers. Yes, and indoor flower lovers love this simple and effective supplement.

The trace elements that are part of the ash stimulate the growth of flowers, and the regular use of such a natural stimulant hardens the immune system of the plant, making it more resistant to various flower diseases.

Benefits of using

The use of ash supplements in the garden is quite diverse, and the effectiveness has been proven by the experience of generations. Plants after soil treatment not only grow better and faster, but also become more resistant to negative factors in the form of bad weather conditions or garden diseases.

Especially noticeable are the benefits for vegetables and flowers.

So, for a higher quality and increased yield of cucumbers, eggplants and squash, it is enough to cover the soil with one glass of ash before digging, and after planting, add another tablespoon under the bush. Under such conditions, the cucumber crop will receive all the necessary trace elements, which will make the plants more resilient and prolific. Also, when planting cucumbers, it is very effective to pre-treat the seeds with ashy dust to stimulate the growth of the plant.

Salads, cabbage and greens prefer more saturated complementary foods: 1 cup of ash is added per square meter of land before planting, and half under a bush. And it is wiser to fertilize onions and garlic in the autumn, as microelements interact better with the soil and make onions and garlic more resistant to various weather conditions.

For a tomato, an infusion will be the best solution. When watering a tomato with a solution of ash and water, the liquid must be constantly stirred. So the water is optimally saturated with useful elements, and they are more easily absorbed by the culture. Tomato bushes must be watered under the root, avoiding contact with leaves and fruits.

Growing flowers in the garden is also not complete without feeding with ashes. In the case of flower beds, it is better not to apply fertilizer at planting, but to use it as complementary foods. Dry ash is applied with root powder of perennial flowers. Nutritious watering is also possible, for which an infusion of 100 grams per bucket of water for 2 days is well suited.

Pest protection

Often, plants in the garden need not only additional feeding, but also protection from garden pests. Slugs, snails, wireworms, ants and even aphids can be effectively dealt with with the help of pollination and ash powders.

Cucumber and tomato crops can be protected from insect encroachment by simply sprinkling the surface at the root with ashes, insects will bypass such bushes. You can also protect rose bushes from aphids, just dust the base of the stem with ashy dust in the spring, and access to foliage and flowers is closed.

​Related Articles​

Mila Nabogova "Ash for the garden: how to use it" especially for the Eco-life website.​

Average values ​​of the main elements in the ash after combustion:

Potassium

1. Ash does not contain chlorine at all, so it is suitable for plants that cannot tolerate it - strawberries, potatoes, currant bushes, gooseberries and raspberries. Adding ash to the soil in garden beds intended for planting cabbage will prevent keel and blackleg diseases.
   • Wood ash is an excellent fertilizer for acidic and neutral soils. It enriches the earth with readily available forms of potassium and phosphorus, as well as calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium and sulfur. All trace elements contained in the ash are very useful for garden crops, shrubs, fruit and ornamental trees.
   • A tablespoon holds 6 grams of composition without a slide;
   • What is root nutrition of plants
2. Tip! You can fertilize trees and rooted seedlings with an infusion prepared from 1.5 kg of ash and 12 liters of water. The resulting composition is simply poured evenly around the plant, no further than 0.5 m from the trunk.
   • Tip! The ash diluted in water, when watering, must be constantly shaken or stirred slightly in order to prevent it from settling to the bottom.
   • Acidic soils - when wood ash is applied as a fertilizer, a certain balance is created between the natural reaction of the earth (acid) and the alkaline component (ash), which has a beneficial effect on the growth and development of plants. The exception is crops that initially prefer acidic soil: potatoes, radishes, melons and some others, as a result of which these plants need to be fertilized with ashes very carefully, after weighing the possible benefits and possible harm.
   • Peat - 1%.
   • sunflower (stem, leaves and head) - 40%;
3. Ash is an absolutely affordable and highly effective phosphorus-potassium fertilizer, containing a lot of substances and microelements necessary for the development and growth of plants. You do not need to buy it, you do not need to use transport for transportation - such fertilizer can be made independently. The availability and benefits of ash are undeniable! Although it should be noted that the quality characteristics and mass fraction of certain trace elements may vary depending on the raw materials used to produce the ashes.​
4. Photo: Nikonov D.V.
5. Zucchini, cucumbers and squash respond well to ash fertilizer. It is quite enough to add a glass of ash for every square meter of land when digging it.

Phosphorus

1. The benefits of using ash for the garden and garden are extraordinary. With its help, you can fight pests and various plant diseases.
   • A two-hundred-gram glass holds 100 grams;
   • We recommend you check out
2. The use of ash for plants comes down not only to fertilizing the soil, it is also excellent tool against many pests and diseases:
3. Before planting seedlings of tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, you need to add 5 dessert spoons of ash to each hole and mix it slightly with the ground or add it when digging at the rate of three 200-gram glasses per 1 m².
4. In practice, ash as a fertilizer is used in 3 ways:

Calcium

1. Shale - 1.5%.
2. Dried grass (nettle, quinoa, sow thistle, etc.) - 30%.
3. Important! When using ashes as a fertilizer, it should be remembered that when raw materials are burned, nitrogen escapes, so its shortage must be compensated for by any nitrogen-containing additives.​
4. The ash contains potassium, phosphorus, trace elements, it alkalizes the soil, preventing decay. I add ash when transplanting into the soil mixture, except for crops that need an acidic substrate (anthuriums, hydrangeas).

For plots of land intended for planting tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, it is necessary to apply 3 cups of ash for each square meter of soil.

Use of ash on different types of soil

• Garden without chemistry:
• A half-liter glass jar can store 250 grams of a substance;
• It is known that potassium chloride, contained in many store dressings, acidifies the soil, which is completely unsuitable for growing indoor flowers and can lead to their disease.

Ways to use ash as a fertilizer

Cruciferous flea treatment - mix ash and tobacco dust in equal proportions and pollinate with the resulting plant composition.

1. Lawn grass - before sowing seeds, add top dressing to the selected area, 300 gr. per 1 m². It is not recommended to sprinkle already sprouted seeds.
2. Dry scattering in tree trunks, under bushes, between rows of garden crops and in holes before planting seedlings.
3. Wood - 45%.​

Buckwheat, sunflower husk - 35%.

Wood:

All the same, it will turn out to be more important if you add sand!

It is undesirable to introduce ash into alkaline soils, since ash increases alkalization, making it difficult for the plant root system to access nutrients.

For example, if you mix the ashes with tobacco dust and a small amount of red hot pepper, and sprinkle the beds with zucchini, colored and white cabbage, pumpkin and other vegetables, then your plantings will be protected from the invasion of slugs.

• 500 grams can fit in a liter jar.
• Wood ash, on the contrary, does not allow the soil to oxidize and, due to its composition, is able to completely replace mineral fertilizers.
• Ash infusion is very effective when used in the fight against powdery mildew, as well as aphids. It is prepared very simply, for this they are mixed: 12 liters. cold water, for 110 g. laundry soap and ash, 20 g of urea. All ingredients are thoroughly mixed and infused for 2 days.
• Fertilization with ashes of cucumbers, tomatoes and cabbage during the growth period can be carried out with a pre-prepared solution: 100 g / 10 l (ash / water), after mixing the ingredients, the infusion is ready after 24 hours. Pour 500 ml of infusion under each plant or make longitudinal grooves and spill them evenly.
• Spraying or watering plants with a concentrated solution and / or infusion prepared from ordinary water and ashes.
  • Herbaceous raw materials - 10–20%.
  • Peat - 10%.
• Coniferous - about 8%;

need

The use of ash for plants as protection against diseases and pests

Also, do not feed the following plants with wood ash: camellias, azaleas, cranberries, blueberries, rhododendrons.

• By powdering wet young leaves of radishes, radishes, cabbage seedlings with this powder, you will prevent cruciferous fleas from eating greens.
• Root feeding of plants with infusion of vegetable ash should not take place simultaneously with the addition to the soil where houseplants grow, organic fertilizers containing ammonia and nitrogen. Among them are urea, ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate and manure. And nitrogen fertilizers can be started only four weeks after feeding the flowers.
• But when preparing the composition for dressing, you need to carefully monitor that the mixture does not contain extra elements in the form of rubber, film, packaging, nails, which may appear on the surface of the initial product, since they are unlikely to benefit your potted pets.
• There is an opinion that the regular addition of ash to the ground of the garden contributes to the extermination of the wireworm.

Wood ash as a fertilizer - video

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Top dressing with ash: preparing an infusion for caring for indoor plants

Top dressing with ash: what is its use for green pets?

​Laying in a compost heap (2 kg/m³). Subsequently, the compost is used traditionally.​

• Peat - 20–50%.
• Slates - no more than 2%.

Deciduous - 14%;

You can add, it will not hurt as a prevention from decay. Ash is successfully used in the manufacture garden compost. Sprinkle it over layers of organic matter and it will help maintain an optimal environment for micro-organisms.​

Powder garden beds wood ash repels onion and carrot flies.

How to prepare liquid top dressing from ash?

Feeding flowers and indoor plants with wood ash can be carried out both in dry form and in the form of infusion. To do this, from 50 to 150 grams of the substance is diluted in a bucket of water. When introducing the infusion into the soil, it should be constantly stirred - this will allow the remainder of the ash, which does not dissolve, but contains a lot of phosphorus, to be evenly distributed over the entire surface. In addition, such an infusion is used for liming the soil of domestic plants, since it contains 18-36% calcium carbonate in its composition. As a preventive measure for various fungal diseases, plants are also pollinated with ash.

• It is useful for trees to fertilize at least 1 time in 3 years:
• How to use ash as fertilizer?
• Shales - about 70%.
• Wood:
• Grape vine - 40%.

What is important to remember when using ash?

And you need ash and sand

Try to use ash top dressing no later than a month before applying nitrogen fertilizers, such as rotted manure, ammonium nitrate, etc., as ash neutralizes the effects of these substances.

The seedling will not touch your apple trees if they are periodically dusted with ash and not washed off.

Such top dressing should be applied quite carefully, in small portions, in order to prevent oversaturation of the soil with useful elements. To dilute the correct and sufficiently saturated solution, you need to take only 100 g of dry matter per ten-liter bucket of water, mix thoroughly, insist and use the finished mixture throughout the season. After the solution has been applied to the soil, its action continues for another 2-4 years.​

nasotke.ru

Ash for the garden: how to use |

When using an infusion of ash for plant nutrition in the form of fertilizer for indoor flowers, it is important to follow the correct dosage.

Tip! Spray the ashes only when it is completely calm outside, this will guarantee that the product will get exactly on the plants that were planned for. top scores gives pollination in the early hours, when the dew has not yet subsided.

The use of ash in the garden

​adults - 2 kg for each tree, apply to the area trunk circle in its pure form, you can make a special groove (deepening 10 cm) around the circumference and fertilize there. In dry weather, subsequent abundant watering is required;

How much ash is needed for a particular crop?

Important! In no case should ash after combustion be used as fertilizer: polymers, household waste, rubber, colorful glossy magazines, colored paper and synthetic materials. When using such a “fertilizer”, you can generally forget about the harvest - the earth will be poisoned for many years.

conifers - 6%;

Herbaceous raw material:

Ash is alkali (potash). When it is introduced into the soil, the acidity drops sharply, which is extremely undesirable for most indoor plants, and sometimes even fatal. Why do you want to use it?​

​IMPORTANT: Do not use horticultural work ash from garbage, plastic, coal, painted wood, as it may contain chemicals, carcinogens and heavy metals that are harmful to humans and soil.​

Infusion of ash (pour boiling water, leave for a day and strain) it is good to spray all green plants in the garden or in the greenhouse. This procedure is a foliar top dressing of crops with useful microelements. This infusion can sometimes be watered seedlings.

Care must be taken when using and storing ash. When working with this fertilizer, it is necessary to protect the eyes, hands, mouth and nose from getting it inside the human body, as poisoning may occur. And you need to store the purchased bag in a dry, non-hot place, as if excess moisture can take away all its useful components from the substance.

Therefore, for ease of calculation, we will give the values ​​\u200b\u200bof its weight for different types of containers:

The most useful is the ash obtained in the process of burning sunflower and buckwheat, as they contain a lot of potassium, phosphorus, zinc, iron, pestilence, manganese, sulfur, molybdenum and boron. All these trace elements are necessary for the proper development of plants, and indoor flowers grown in pots especially need them.

One of the most popular natural fertilizers, enriching the soil with microelements and thus nourishing the plants, is wood ash. Its use in agricultural work on personal plot allows you to improve the structure of the soil, its chemical composition, deoxidize and loosen if necessary, accelerate the ripening of the compost substrate. Ash as a fertilizer is not difficult to prepare, but it is important to know how to do it correctly in order to use it in the most effective way.

Description and chemical composition

Ash is a mineral non-combustible residue that is formed during the combustion of organic matter. Nitrogen in the process of burning wood passes into the air, and a lot of useful trace elements, including potassium, boron, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, calcium, manganese and others, remain and are a complex of valuable substances necessary for plantings to develop, strengthen immunity, as protection against harmful insects.

The ash formula below allows you to have an idea of ​​the proportions of substances in it. It is approximate, since the percentage of components depends on the type of wood, its age and other characteristics:

• CaCO3, or calcium carbonate, - 15-18%;
• CaSiO3, or calcium silicate, - 15.5-18%;
• CaSO4, or calcium sulfate, - 13-14%;
• CaCl2, or calcium chloride, - 11-12%;
• K3PO4, or potassium orthophosphate, - 11-14%;
• MgCO3, or magnesium carbonate, - 3-5%;
• MgSiO3, or magnesium silicate, - 3-5%;
• MgSO4, or magnesium sulfate, - 3-6%;
• NaPO4, or sodium orthophosphate, - 13-16%;
• NaCl, or sodium chloride, - 0.5%.

To the composition of the ashes from among needed by plants only nitrogen is not included. First of all, it is an excellent potash, lime, phosphorus fertilizer. Having a sufficient amount of material for burning, many gardeners refuse to use synthetic compounds for plant protection and nutrition, because such a complex and effective fertilizer as ash is incomparably safer for the health of future consumers of grown products.

Types of ash

Types and chemical composition differ primarily in the type of material burned:

• the ashes of burnt dry plants (tops, stems, grass, straw) are especially saturated useful substances, in particular, the content of potassium in it reaches 30%;
• wood ash is also an excellent type of fertilizer;
• coal - poor in potassium and phosphorus, but containing silicon oxide in it well loosens clay moist soils.

IN different types ash contains its own percentage of nutrients, data on them are given in the table.

Burning plants	The content of the main plant nutrients (%)
	Potassium	Phosphorus	Calcium
Sunflower (stems)	35-40	3-3,5	17-20
Buckwheat (straw)	28-37	2-3	18-20
Rye (straw)	9-15	4-5	8-9
Wheat (straw)	9-20	4-10	5-7
Potatoes (tops)	>20	<8	<32
Birch (wood)	10-13	4-5	34-40
Pine (wood)	9-12	3-6	32-40
Spruce (wood)	3-5	2-3	23-27

The composition of "kiln gold" depends on the material burned:

• hardwood wood gives more calcium at the output than softwood;
• there is more potassium in young burnt plantations than in old ones. An increased percentage of its content is also found in the ash obtained from dry vegetation;
• In general, the composition of ash from coniferous tree species is poorer in nutrients than from deciduous ones.

Useful substances in the composition

The positive effect of the microelements included in the ash relates to different aspects of the development of crops grown in the garden, vegetable garden, and flowers. Ash refers to rare fertilizers, natural in composition and containing a whole range of substances important for plantings.

The list of what calcium is useful for plants is impressive: it activates metabolic processes in them, stimulates their growth, photosynthesis and enzyme formation, and accelerates the transfer of nutrients.

Magnesium is called the partner of potassium in the process of energy production by plants. Sodium chloride, or rock salt, is a growth catalyst for vegetables that need to accumulate and retain the water they need for fruit development and juiciness.

Despite the absence of nitrogen ash in the list of useful substances, you should not use them at the same time. In this case, neither nitrogen nor phosphorus additives will be properly assimilated: nitrogen will evaporate, turning into ammonia, and phosphorus compounds will become inaccessible to plants during the alkaline reaction of ash. The benefits of ash from vegetation, woody or coal, are determined not only by the correct dosage, but also by the appropriateness of use on soils of various types.

Application on different types of soil

The high alkaline reaction of wood ash is the most important factor in its use as a soil deoxidizer. This property of the fertilizer makes it especially appropriate to use it on heavy clay soils.

The ash introduced into the sandy soil allows you to retain useful substances in its upper layer, preventing them from leaving too deep with melt water. Wood ash and its useful properties show themselves well when introduced into podzolic-marsh, marsh, gray forest soils.

Not all gardeners know how to properly use the carbon burnt substrate that accumulates in many in large quantities, which is much poorer in nutrients than woody species, plus containing them in the form of silicates inaccessible to plants. Nevertheless, it is good as a substitute for sand and effectively drains wet soils. It is impossible to use coal ash on acidic soils: sulfates in its composition acidify the soil even more. But on salt licks, where the use of wood ash is undesirable, they, forming soluble salts, are gradually washed out of the earth, reducing its salinity.

What soils can be used

In order to neutralize the acidity, wood ash is added once every 4-5 years at the rate of 500-550 g/sq. m of area, more straw is added - up to 3-3.2 kg for the same area. It is brought in for plowing, feeding not only garden and horticultural, but also meadow, grain crops, spending up to 3-6 centners per hectare, added to the soil under the crowns of trees (4.5-15 centners).

However, despite the naturalness of the fertilizer, its overdose can harm plants. How much ash to add to the soil as a source of nutrition during planting and further feeding depends both on the acidity of the soil and on the needs of the crops grown on it.

When application is not possible

There are situations where the use of ash can worsen the condition of the soil or plants:

• fertilizer should not come into contact with the seeds in the ground, but with the roots of plantings. Therefore, for growing seedlings, it is used only when it develops two true leaves;
• it cannot be used on recently limed soils: an increase in calcium in them interferes with the absorption of other elements - boron, magnesium, zinc, iron, manganese, copper, phosphorus;
• it is not recommended to add to alkaline soils and those whose acidity index is pH 7 and higher, as this will lead to their even greater alkalinity;
• acidophilic plants (cranberries and blueberries, rhododendrons and azaleas, heathers, conifers and some others) do not like ash. From vegetables, the “opponents” of ash are turnips, radishes, radishes - root crops begin to shoot.

Many gardeners prefer not to use it when growing carrots. In addition, green crops - parsley, onions on a feather - need more nitrogen to build up green mass, which is not in the ashes.

What can replace ash

If it is not possible to prepare on your own or buy natural ash from burning wood, it can be partially replaced with other substances. Equivalent to it are the unburned remains of dry vegetation - grass, tops, sunflower stalks. Such material contains at least two times more potassium than wood.

Since the main components of "furnace gold" are potassium and phosphorus, the list of purchased drugs - what can replace it - is headed by superphosphate and potassium sulfate, but they must be added separately from each other.

To deoxidize the soil, you can use dolomite flour and fluff lime.

Do not neglect the remains of ash from the brazier in the country after cooking barbecue: this amount is enough to prepare the infusion and therapeutic or preventive treatment of a considerable number of plants.

How to use ashes in the garden

Since ancient times, "furnace gold" has been used in horticulture for various purposes:

• as a universal fertilizer for most crops;
• to normalize the structure of the soil and its acidity;
• as a supplier of a large number of micro and macro elements to plants;
• as a cooking accelerator and compost enricher;
• as an effective fungicide and insecticide;
• when storing root crops (prevents the development of putrefactive diseases);
• for presowing treatment of seeds and their saturation with microelements.

Ashes as fertilizer

As a top dressing for gardens and gardens, wood ash is an excellent supplier of potassium and phosphorus. The list of what can be fertilized with ash includes almost all crops, with the exception of a few. Since there is little chlorine in it, it is good to fertilize potatoes, currants, raspberries, strawberries, to which this element is harmful. With gratitude, he will accept the introduction of ashes when transferring seedlings of squash, zucchini, cucumbers to the garden: fertilizer is mixed in the hole in the amount of 1-3 tablespoons with soil, or when digging up the soil, a glass of fertilizer is planted in it per square meter of area.

For indoor flowers during transplantation, it will be useful to add 2-2.5 tablespoons of ash per liter of soil for top dressing. Geraniums and cyclamens are especially responsive to fertilizers from ash.

Once every few years, ash top dressing is applied under fruit trees. To do this, grooves 10 cm deep are made along the perimeter of the crown, dry ash is poured into them or an ash solution is poured and sprinkled with earth. Thus, it is possible to feed both new plantings and old ones.

Already developed crops are fed with ash in almost any period of their growing season. Top dressings are usually applied in liquid form, but you can also sprinkle fertilizer on the beds and then spill them well with water. When foliar top dressing with ash - spraying fertilizer on leaves and stems - it is absorbed by the plant better and faster. An ash solution is prepared for spraying.

You need to know how to feed young seedlings correctly. Feeding with ashes is not carried out until the third true leaf begins to form on the sprouts. After that, they are carried out in the usual way, the most effective option is ash water.

When combined with humus, peat, ash further enhances their effectiveness or accelerates the readiness of compost. Do not mix it with fresh manure.

Soil preparation

Unlike synthetic fertilizers, “furnace gold” is easily absorbed by the soil. It is applied when planting many plants. Usually, before the direct planting of seedlings, ash is added in an amount of 1.5-3 cups per square meter, depending on the crop.

On heavy clay, loamy soils, it is applied simultaneously with autumn or spring digging. On light sandy, sandy loam soils - only in spring, deepening into the soil by 7-12 cm. Application rate - 150-250 g / sq. m.

The most effective return on the use of ash is on podzolic soils. Wood ash in the amount of 450-650 g/sq. m makes even heavy clay soil more loose, alkaline. One such supplement is sufficient to carry out every four years. To prevent the ash from being carried by the wind during work, it is brought in immediately before loosening the soil and covered with mulch.

Seed preparation

Seed material treated with microelements shows better germination, actively resists diseases and is resistant to external adverse conditions for the first time after planting in open ground.

The most affordable and effective source of trace elements is wood ash. To prepare a solution, 20-30 g of the substance is diluted in water (1 liter) and infused for a day or more, stirring occasionally. Seeds are placed in a gauze case and placed in an infusion of ash for 7-12 hours. Then washed and dried.

planting

When transferring seedlings of flower or vegetable crops to the beds, add 2.5-3 tablespoons of ash fertilizer to each well, after mixing it with soil and humus. When planting shrubs - 1-2 glasses of ash is enough, when preparing planting pits for ornamental and fruit trees - 1.5-2 kg of ash. It is always recommended to mix it with the soil - to increase the area of ​​​​influence on the roots of the plant and prevent the possibility of burns in direct contact with top dressing.

Technology of collection and use

There are two ways to obtain wood or vegetable ash for agricultural purposes:

• by burning in open containers. The color of such a substance is from light gray to brown;
• combustion in a closed container (furnace) with the return of gases released during combustion there and their afterburning (pyrolysis). Such a product has a black color and larger fractions of granules.

To deoxidize the soil, the fertilizer is used in dry form, for foliar top dressing, prevention and treatment of planting diseases - its aqueous infused solution or extract from the ash is prepared.

How to assemble

The question of where to get ash for fertilizing plants in a personal plot is usually decided by a fire pit. Only ashes from the combustion of wood materials and plant residues are suitable for use. Do not use a product obtained as a result of the processing of any synthetic substances, colored paper, rubber. It is collected after complete cooling (if the fire was large, approximately two days later). Store in a dry place in any closed container.

It is advisable to sift the ashy mass before use so as not to clog the soil with debris and not get hurt when working with fertilizer with glass fragments, stones, objects that accidentally fall into the fire.

If the stove in the house is heated with wood, naturally, the ashes need to be collected and accumulated for spring and summer gardening.

Preparation of water extract

If, to obtain an aqueous solution, 2-2.5 cups of ash for feeding are diluted in a bucket of water and the plants are immediately watered with this composition, then preparing an aqueous extract is a slightly more laborious process. A glass of ashes is poured with three liters of boiling water, the container is covered with a lid and left to cool and infuse for a day. The liquid with the mixture is periodically stirred. After that, a liter of mother liquor is diluted with 10 liters of irrigation water for root dressings and half a liter per bucket of water for foliar applications.

Before preparing the extract, the required volume is calculated from the number of plants in order to carry out any type of feeding and processing at the same time.

Ash extraction is an effective tool that allows you to replace purchased potash and phosphorus fertilizers. In liquid form, the absorption of the substrate by the root system is better and more efficient.

Dry top dressing

The fastest way to use the ashes is as a dry top dressing. It is added, as indicated above, to the landing pits and holes, having previously mixed with the soil. You can also sprinkle fertilizer on the beds between the rows of plants and mulch with any suitable material so that the wind does not blow away from dry land. Careful watering or natural precipitation will dissolve it and deepen it into the ground. The effectiveness of dry top dressing is inferior to that of the use of wood ash solutions and extracts, but requires less effort and time.

Ash continues to be a natural, indispensable fertilizer. But its use requires knowledge of the correct technology and dosages so that excessive fertilization does not kill the plants.