All of us have repeatedly seen ash, which remains after burning wood. Many housewives, growing indoor and garden plants, use ash as mineral fertilizers. And this is not surprising, because ash is the most natural fertilizer. But is wood dust for plants useful?
Composition and value of ash
Ash is a non-combustible part of the mineral admixtures of herbaceous plants or wood during their absolute combustion. In this connection, ash is distinguished for wood and vegetable ash. The best is considered wood ash. Ash is considered a good alkaline potassium-phosphorus complex fertilizer. The composition of the ash includes potassium carbonate, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, zinc, copper, sulfur and no nitrogen. The ratio of useful substances depends on the raw material: in the ashes of the vine, potato plants and stems of sunflower up to 40% of potassium. In the ash of tree species, about 30% of calcium, in conifer ashes, up to 7% of phosphorus. Remember: in the ashes of herbaceous potassium plants, more than in wood, but phosphorus in the ash is less than potassium. In peat ash there is a lot of lime and very little potassium. Such ash can only be used as a calcareous fertilizer to reduce acidity.
The benefit of ashes for indoor and garden plants is that the phosphorus and potassium that are in it are well absorbed by plants. Also, there is no chlorine in the ash. Therefore, it can be used for crops that are very sensitive to this element and negatively respond to it. These are plants such as raspberries, currants, strawberries, grapes, citrus fruits, potatoes and others.
For which soils is useful ash
Ash is excellent for acidic, neutral, sod-podzolic, gray forest, bog-podzolic and marshy soils. Favorable conditions are created for the growth and development of plants: they quickly take root during transplantation and get little sick. At the same time, ash not only brings useful micronutrients to the soil, but also improves its structure, reduces its acidity. It should be applied to heavy soils in autumn and spring, and on the lungs (sandy and sandy loamy) - only in the spring. Introduce about 200 grams per square meter.
Do not add ash to the ground with a pH of 7 or higher: the ash enhances the alkaline reaction of the substrate. Remember: if the soil contains a lot of lime, but little potassium and phosphorus, it is impossible to make ashes in bulk. Since in this case the soil will be further enriched with lime. The effect of ash after application in the soil lasts from 2 to 4 years.
Use of ash in dry form
Keep ash in plastic bags in a dry place, so it will retain all its useful properties. In order to maximize the benefits of wood ash, you should correctly dose it. 1 teaspoon contains 2 g of ashes, 6 g in 1 tablespoon, 100 g in 1 glass, 250 g in a half-liter jar, 500 g in a 1-liter jar.
Wood ash in the form of coal, in particular birch and aspen, is a very useful thing for those engaged in floriculture. Pieces of coal with a diameter of 0.8 - 1 cm are recommended to be added to the substrate for orchids, aroids, cacti and succulents (3 - 8% of the volume of the substrate). From coal, the substrate becomes loose and water-permeable. Also, coal is an excellent antiseptic, it protects the roots from decay. Powder of charcoal can be used to treat plant wounds.
Before planting house plants it is recommended to add ash in the substrate and mix well with the soil. Ash is an excellent fertilizer in the growing season. Some recommendations for use:
• For cucumbers, the ash should be added every 10 days from flowering, sprinkling the soil at a rate of 1 glass per 1 sq.m.
• Place 1 - 2 tablespoons of ashes for seedling or 1 glass per 1 sq. M under zucchini and squash. when digging a bed.
• For the tomatoes, the ash is introduced in the spring during the preparation of the soil at the rate of 2/3 cups per 1 sq.m. In the middle of July - beginning of August, one half of a glass of ash per square meter is applied to the soil.
• For pepper ashes make when tying fruit, sprinkle the soil at a rate of 1 glass per 1 sq.m.
• Potato tubers are recommended for 30 days before planting pollinated ash, and when planted in the holes, pour on a handful of ashes.
• 1 tablespoon of ash per 1 sq.m.
• 100 - 200 g of ash per 1 sq. M. Are applied to beet, turnip and radish.
• For strawberries, raspberries and flowers, 100 g of ashes per 1 sq.m.
Ash is very useful for cherries and plums. For this, once every 4 years, you need to feed them with ashes. Along the perimeter of the crown, the trees are closed with a ditch about 15 cm deep, ash is covered in it, or they are poured with ashes. It is prepared as follows: 2 cups of ash pour one bucket of water. Ditch immediately sprinkled with earth. Adult tree requires about 2 kg of ash. "Love" ash and bushes of black currant. It is recommended to make three cups of ashes under each bush and immediately seal it in the soil. By the way, ash scares slugs and snails. To do this, scatter dry ash at the stems and around the plants near which they live. If aphids have appeared, it is necessary to sprinkle the soil under the bushes of gooseberries and currants with ashes.
Ash infusions
Ash infusion is used to fertilize plants. Prepare the ash infusion so: 100 - 150 g of ash should be poured with one bucket of water and insist for about a week, periodically mixing: useful substances from the ash easily pass into the water. The resulting infusion watered the plants, using as a fertilizer. The solution should be constantly stirred, pouring into grooves for tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage. The norm is a half liter of the mixture per plant. After this, it is necessary to immediately fill it with soil.
You can prepare an ash-soap solution. It is considered a universal, preventive and protective-nutrient. For this it is necessary to sift 3 kg of ash, pour it 10 liters of hot water, insist two days. Then strain, add 40 g of soap, previously diluted in a small amount of hot water. You can also add mineral fertilizers. This solution should be sprayed plants in the evening in dry weather. Apply several times per season every 10 to 14 days.
Powdered ash
Ashes can be pressed flowers (lunaria, vespers, alissum) and some plants (cabbage, radish, radish, onions, watercress). This method helps to drive away pests, in particular, cabbage fly, cruciferous flea fly onion, from plants in spring. The dusting with wood ash is done this way. Take an empty tin can or plastic can, many holes are made at the bottom, then it is poured into a jar of ash and, slightly shaking it over plants, they cover them with a dusty ash powder. Powdering should be done early in the morning. Wood and straw ashes perfectly copes with the gray rot on strawberries. During the ripening of the berries pollinate the bushes at the rate of 10-15 grams of ash per bush. Pollination should be repeated 2 - 3 times, but ash is taken for 5 - 7 g per bush. Ashes can be pollinated by potato beds: the larvae of the Colorado beetle perish completely.
Soak
In a wood ash solution, it is recommended to soak the seeds for 5 to 6 hours. Such a bath will be useful for eggplants, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and other crops. 20 g of ash dilute 1 liter of water and drain.
What can and can not be done with ash
Wood ash is not a simple mixture, as it may seem at first glance. It must be applied according to all the rules:
• Do not mix ash with nitrogen fertilizers, superphosphate, phosphorite flour, lime, manure, ammonium nitrate, urea and bird droppings. In this case, up to half the nitrogen is lost. At least a month later, nitrogen fertilizers should be applied to the soil after the application of ash.
• No more than 8% of the weight of superphosphate can be added to wood ashes to superphosphate.
• Wood ash should not be abused as a fertilizer. By increasing the alkaline reaction of the soil, ash will block the plants access to useful substances in the soil.
• If the ash from the peat is rusty, you can not bring it into the soil. In such an ash there will be a lot of iron, which will slow down the absorption of phosphorus.
• Ash can be used together with humus, compost or peat.
• Ash should not be added to the soil for plants that prefer acidity of the substrate (azaleas, camellias, rhododendrons, heathers).
• Ashes must be buried in the soil to a depth of at least 8 - 10 cm, as left on the surface, it forms a crust harmful to plants and the soil itself.
• 1 kg of wood ash replaces 220 g of granular superphosphate, 500 g of lime and 240 g of potassium chloride.
Following these recommendations, the benefit from wood ash for plants will be maximized.