Care for ornamental and fruit crops includes the mandatory use of fertilizers represented by organic and inorganic compounds. Among the most tested products is wood ash. When burning branches and leaves, you can not only clean the site in the fall, but also stock up with valuable fertilizers.
Raw materials and methods for producing ash
The chemical composition of the ash residue includes the products of combustion of tree trunks, bark, deciduous and stem parts of plants. As raw materials for ash, not only wood, but charcoal is used.
The composition of the mineral part
The use of wood ash contributes to the active absorption of mineral substances by plants immediately after application. Organic fertilizers must first be overtaken.
The chemical composition includes mixtures of salts of alkali, alkaline earth metals and iron, which belong to wide groups of carbonates, sulfates, phosphates and silicates. Externally, it has a color from white to gray, sometimes it contains “rusty” inclusions due to the presence of glandular compounds in the composition.
Properties of mineral constituents
Wood ash in the form of fertilizer is relevant for most garden and indoor plants. Its components in the form of a solution have a complex effect on the development of fruit trees, bushes and houseplants.
Chemical composition:
- Calcium is the main growth stimulator, especially necessary when plants are gaining green mass.
- Sodium is an element that activates a number of enzymes that are indifferent to the presence of other elements of the ash residue. It normalizes the water balance of cells and provides alkalization of the soil.
- Potassium maintains the alkalinity of ash solutions and favors the growth of horticultural crops and indoor plants.
- Phosphorus is necessary for the normal functioning of thermophilic plants such as grapes. For this element to actively pass into the soil from the solution, the latter must be periodically mixed, since orthophosphates quickly precipitate at the bottom of the tank.
- Magnesium is part of the chemical composition of chlorophyll, which is involved in the production of oxygen.
- Silicon is presented in the form of silicates and helps cells to stay together. Its useful properties are to increase the digestible proportion of trace elements contained in the soil.
Table 1: Content of the main elements
Ash | The content of the main elements | ||
phosphorus | potassium | calcium | |
Hardwood | 3,5 | 10,0 | 30,0 |
Conifers | 2,5 | 6,0 | 35,0 |
Peat | 1,2 | 1,0 | 20,0 |
Kizyaka | 4,8 | 11,3 | 8,5 |
Cereal straw | 4,0-8,0 | 10,0-20,0 | 4,0-8,0 |
Buckwheat straw | 2,5 | 30,0-35,0 | 18,5 |
Sunflower stalks | 2,5 | 36,0-40,0 | 18,0-19,0 |
Shale | 0,5-1,5 | 1,0-1,5 | 65-80 |
In addition to the main components in the ash, more than 30 elements were found that are involved in the life process of fruit and ornamental crops. Their properties are manifested at various stages of development. They contribute to maintaining a healthy appearance, prevent the death of foliage, fruit and root systems.
Ways to use ash
There are many approaches to fertilizing the soil of a garden plot and garden, differing in laboriousness, material consumption and fertilizer composition. The most common 3 methods of applying ash to the soil:
- Uniform scattering on the site with subsequent digging is carried out in the fall and is effective for fertilizing the land over the entire area of the site and the garden prepared for spring planting.
- Backfill in a hole designed for seeds or seedlings. The presence of ash along with seeds and tubers not only increases the nutritional properties of the soil, but also protects the seed from pests. When processing trees, they dig ditches 10–20 cm deep designed to hold the nutrient medium near the roots. Mixing with soil increases its fertility for indoor plants.
- Watering with an aqueous solution of ash provides the most rapid and deep penetration of minerals into the soil. If the solution is poured on top of the foliage, and not under the root, then the likelihood of developing diseases and the appearance of pests is reduced. The composition of the suspension for irrigation includes 2 cups (200 g) of ash mixture per bucket of water (10 l).
The composition and properties of dry ash are such that it practically does not sink in water, being 2 times lighter than it. About 2 g of ash is placed in a teaspoon, 6 g in the dining room, and 100 g in a classic faceted glass.
Material consumption
The amount of mixture required to achieve the maximum effect of fertilizer depends on the type of soil, plant variety and method of application. To determine the required amount of ash, use approximate consumption rates:
- potatoes - 10-12 g of ash under a tuber, previously mixed with the ground. In autumn, a landing place can be sprinkled on top with a dry ash mixture (1 glass per 1m2) During the growing season and hilling of potatoes, wood ash is brought under the bush in an amount of up to 50 g;
- zucchini, eggplant, cucumbers require the same autumn soil preparation as potatoes. Intermediate soil cultivation during the ripening process is recommended to be carried out once - 1 glass per 1 m2 followed by abundant watering;
- tomatoes, eggplant, pepper, cabbage - 3 cups per 1 m2 during the digging of the site in the fall and 1-2 tablespoons in a hole with seeds. During the growth period, cabbage should be additionally sprinkled with ash. It will protect the crop from pests and increase the fertility of the upper soil layer after irrigation;
- for small crops (beans, peas, radishes), one glass per 1 m is enough2 during digging in autumn or spring to ensure uniform saturation of the soil;
- onions and garlic - 2 cups of wood ash in the fall, 1 cup in the spring per 1m2. The specific growth properties of onions and garlic require not so much a nutritional composition as protection against rot. To saturate the soil more strongly before planting, you can pour it with an ash solution;
- fruit and ornamental trees and shrubs - 2-3 kg of ash is introduced into the grooves dug around the perimeter, which are covered with earth and watered abundantly with water. Fertilizing is recommended every 3-4 years. Ash will protect the wood from pests and pathogens, increase the supply of minerals to the root system;
- indoor flowers - when planting, just mix with the ground 2 tbsp. l ash on one pot. The resulting soil composition should be updated every 1–2 years to support flower growth and prevent pests.
Acidophilus plants requiring acidic soil (cranberries, blueberries, camellias) cannot tolerate strong alkalization (increased pH) by ash. For these species, separate sections are needed that will have a suitable soil composition.
Wood ash is an affordable and effective fertilizer used by all gardeners, gardeners and farmers.. It successfully replaces artificial chemical top dressing. The introduction of ash into the soil in the summer cottage in spring and autumn not only periodically “feeds” trees and shrubs, but also solves the problem of disposal of plant waste, which remains in large quantities after kindling the furnace and trimming the garden. Indoor plants also need fertilizers, one of the types of which is wood ash, introduced into the soil.