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Wood ash
Lulu The Lurcher
Posts: 258
in Talkback
Is ash from a woodburner good for the garden?
0
Lulu The Lurcher
Posts: 258
Posts
Yes. It is a good source of trace elements as well as lime. I sprinkle it around whatever I think needs it including the yellowy bits of the lawn. It is slightly caustic so don't put too much in one place.
I add it to the compost heap, not too much though.
Wood ash can contain metal elements, we had lots of it when younger it went into an old sink and was allowed to weather then added to the compost. Dad a gardener supreme would say to kill the plants use wood ash to murder them use coal ash. At one time using saw dust as a mulch was the best thing since Christmas then the found it sucked all the Nitrogen out of the soil. I would mix it into the compost.
Frank
depends what type of wood?
if its natural wood (as in logs) then its good, if you've been burning old bits of wood from fences or pallets and the like, it can have chemicals still in it from the wood preservative.
I seem to remember reading that only decent source of nutrients from ash is from garden bonfire from twiggy growth. Old seasoned logs etc have negligible nutrients.
I might well be wrong. I stick mine in the compost on the basis it's doing no harm.
I don't put mine on the garden, it's full of nails, old pallets, a bit of coal, sundry wood we find lying about.
I tried some on a corner of ome woodland round the corner and the grass didn't look too healthy for a whil.
Thanks. We only burn seasoned logs, I might dig some into my raised beds before I start sowing
Hostafan, it always amazes me what people will put on their precious plants without prior knowledge of what it does. Years ago we had chimney's that needed sweeping usually in summer when fires were out. The bags of soot went into a brick holding area, the oldest weathered soot went in a circle round plants the slugs loved it worked, others would spread it on the garden and wonder why crops failed. I would much rather scatter a handfull of granular fertiliser round the plants, you know the make up and how much to use, hoeing in a handfull of bone meal works as well. Old wives tales do not produce good plants, hard work and knowledge will.
Frank.
I have used wood ash on the garden for years, more than 25, so I am speaking from some experience. It's good stuff. If you are burning tons of chemically treated wood, that is a different matter. Wood ash from seasoned logs is a natural product and full of goodness.
Palaisglide, no one is talking about soot from the chimney, which is indeed full of toxins. The question is about wood ash which is combusted and clean.
Redwing, sorry not convinced. What is the chemical make up, how does it improve the soil, how do you know there is no contamination in the wood, do you see it cut at source transported watch it burn. We burnt wood cut on the farm in the boilers though on more than one occasion found the odd posts or fencing being tossed in and on one smelly occasion the tar blocks from the High Street that had lain for years between the tram rails. Years of gardening under first my Father then making my own mistakes taught me to be wary so I add it to the compost and mix it well knowing it will be there a while. I would not dose my Grandchildren with a substance of which I knew little and I do not feed my plants on such things either, I beg to differ.
Frank.