Plants That Like Wood Ash

Tagged As:

Ashes from wood burning stoves and wood burning fires have an immediate use in the garden landscape. The ash of untreated soft and hard woods serve as mulch or compost parts. Wood ashes add nutrients and repair deficiencies, in addition to having an alkalizing effect on excessively acidic soils. Wood ash isn’t acceptable for use on all plants. But there are lots of ornamental and vegetable plants which directly benefit from wood ash mulches or compost.

Plants With Potassium Deficiencies

Plants need potassium for healthier flowering and fruiting. Use wood ash as a soil amendment for crops experiencing potassium deficiencies. Potassium deficiencies look in plants as a browning or discoloration of leaf edges. It’s crucial to test the soil and rule out any other potential diseases, but if potassium is lacking, wood ash add it to the ground. Besides potassium, wood ash include other essential nutrients like calcium, magnesium and calcium. Think about using young hardwood ash when treating a severe potassium deficiency. Young hardwoods like maple or oak contain up to 7 percent potassium, while softwood ash and old hardwood ash may contain as few as 3 percent potassium.

Plants in Too Acidic Soils

As wood ash has a liming effect on the ground, you may use it to the yard, on ornamental flowers, plants and shrubs in addition to in the garden to decrease soil acidity. Some plants thrive in neutral to alkaline soils, as opposed to too acidic soils. For instance, garden plants like artichokes, tomatillos, greens like collards and arugula, and brassicas like broccoli require alkaline soil for optimum health. Since wood ash increases the pH of the soil, always analyze the soil to make sure that it does not become too alkaline. Never use wood ashes on acid-loving crops like strawberries, like raspberries, raspberries and strawberries. Other acid-loving plants contain rhododendrons, fruit trees, azaleas, potatoes and parsley.

Plants Overrun from Pests and Disease

Utilize wood ash on alkaline-loving plants to keep different insects at bay. Cooled, untreated wood ash directly from a flame and applied as mulch, or wood ash combined to compost, are useful around cabbage and onion plants to keep off root maggots. Wood ash mulch or compost also keeps slugs and snails out of overrunning alkaline-loving flowers and ornamental plants. In some instances, raising the pH of the ground with wood ash is useful in disease removal. Brassicas like broccoli and cauliflower are commonly influenced by club root disease. Raising the pH of the ground with wood ash helps you to eliminate club root.

Considerations and Application

Always use caution when choosing to employ wood ash in the garden landscape. Do not use wood ash if the soil pH is 7.0 or higher, as the inclusion of wood ash further increases the soil pH. While a few plants thrive in alkalinity, too alkaline soils cause harm to other plants. Avoid using wood ash if you can find significant levels of potassium in the soil. Do not use wood ash on plant leaves or directly against the foundation of crops, or about new plant roots and seedlings during germination, as it has the capability to burn crops. To treat diseases, increase potassium or boost soil alkalinity, utilize wood ash in the speed of 1/2 lb per tree, 10 to 15 pounds per 1,000 square feet of lawn, or 1/2 lb per square yard of lawn space.

See related