RHS members can get exclusive individual advice from the RHS Gardening Advice team. It contains potassium or potash (they’re not identical but - scientists look away now - the terms are often used interchangeably), and potassium is a vital nutrient for crops. Similarly, clay soil does better with wood ash than does sandy soil. When mixed with other components in the compost heap, the resulting alkaline compost can be used as a mulch around most ornamental plants and vegetables unless, like raspberries, rhododendrons and roses, they require an acidic soil. Wood ash can pile up during a cold winter, and it would be nice to have a practical use for it. Wood ash and roses. Wood Ash Uses In the Garden. This will provide nutrition to growing plants, as you can spray the tea around the base of your plants. Ash from wood fires, such as bonfires or wood burning stoves, can be a useful additive to the compost heap or can be applied directly to fallow ground and dug in. There is a history of it being used for many purposes including pottery, food preparation, and in even in soaps. The salt in the wood ash will kill bothersome pests like snails, slugs and some kinds of soft bodied invertebrates. However, where club root is present, wood ash can be used to raise the pH to as much as 7.5  to inhibit this disease. To a lesser degree, they also provide some phosphorus, a bit of aluminum, magnesium, and sodium, and a few micro-nutrients, such as boron, copper, molybdenum, sulfur, and zinc. The garden is the primary location where wood ash provides benefits. It also has a liming effect, so wood ash can remedy excessively acidic soils. Most wood ash contains a good percentage, about 25 percent, of calcium carbonate, an ingredient in garden lime. Instead of looking for areas to dispose of it safely, consider these 11 practical uses for wood ash in the garden. Marie Iannotti is an author, photographer, and speaker with 27 years of experience as a Cornell Cooperative Extension Horticulture Educator and Master Gardener, The Spruce uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. times, RHS Registered Charity no. the RHS today and get 12 months for the price of 9. It also has a liming effect, so wood ash can remedy excessively acidic soils. Wood ash may contain useful levels of potassium (about three percent), a major plant nutrient associated with flowering and fruiting. The best ways to use wood ash. Never use wood ash in the garden, especially around edible plants, if any fuel or wood preservative was used on the wood. Wood ash can be used to boost the pH of your lawn’s soil quickly—faster than limestone, since the ash is more water soluble. Wood ash can also be used to smother aphids. Improves Compost. Although in smaller extent you can use it in any season. 020 3176 5800 Spread and rake wood ash directly on the soil on vegetable patches in late winter at a rate of 1.7 – 2.4 oz per square yard (50 – 70 g. per sq m.). Just because you had a bon-fire doesn’t mean that you can use all of that ash in the garden. Large amounts should be avoided. 1. Ash from wood fires, such as bonfires or wood burning stoves, can be a useful additive to the compost heap or can be applied directly to fallow ground and dug in. Wood ash is enriched with many of the same minerals that it contained as a tree – calcium, … It can be a natural source of potassium and trace elements. Slugs and snail are repelled by wood ash, and if they do come in contact with it, it acts much like salt and desiccates their bodies. Wood ash (as opposed to coal ash) can be a great addition to the garden. Wood ash in the garden. It can be a natural source of potassium and trace elements. Although in smaller extent you can use it in any season. Fruit too performs best in slightly acid soil so wood ashes are unsuited for use in the fruit garden. There is a history of it being used for many purposes including pottery, food preparation, and in even in soaps. Spread and rake wood ash directly on the soil on vegetable patches in late winter at a rate of 1.7 – 2.4 oz per square yard (50 – 70 g. per sq m.). Plants need a variety of essential nutrients to thrive and grow. On the other hand, if your soil is neutral or alkaline, to begin with, adding wood ash could raise the pH high enough to interfere with the plant's ability to take in nutrients. And since wood ash raises the soil pH, the presence of heavy metals should not be a problem. You can hose the ash off the plants, once it has done its job. The best ways to use wood ash. You have to know a little about both your soil and the ashes themselves. If your soil is very acidic (5.5 or lower), amending with wood ash can raise your soil pH. Wood ash is also useful for pest control. 15 Uses for Ash in the Garden 1. Use of wood ash is excellent in the preparation of compost. It has often been used as a soil amendment in gardens. Store your ash out of the elements when using it in the garden. Improves Compost. What Is Organic Matter and What Does It Do for My Garden Soil? Mon – Fri | 9am – 5pm, Join the RHS today and support our charity. Wood ash should also be avoided around acid-loving plants like rhododendrons and blueberries. Would you know if wood ash benefits roses? Introducing "One Thing": A New Video Series, The Spruce Gardening & Plant Care Review Board, The Spruce Renovations and Repair Review Board.

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