This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

Re: Fireplace ashes

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html




>Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html
>
>Thanks everyone on the mulch answers that you provided me with.  I have
>another question now about the ashes from burning wood in your
>fireplace.  This is the first year I've used real wood for the
>fireplace, so now I have all of these ashes.
>
>Does it provide any benefit to my garden or compost pile to use these
>ashes in these ways?
>
>Are there any negatives to using fireplace ashes?
>
>I think I remember from somewhere that fireplace ashes are very
>alkaline.  Does anyone know if this is true?  If so, maybe I shouldn't
>use them, since the ph of my soil is fairly alkaline, around 7.8 to 8.0.
>Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Wood ashes are highly alkaline and caustic, so they should be used sparingly
or not at all on alkaline soils. They are useful in composting acidic
materials such as pine needles, but still in small amounts.

Where you have a soil rich in organic matter, a light dusting of wood ashes
won't hurt anything and will provide nutrients and dissuade some insect
pests; around brassicas such a dusting will reduce cabbage root maggots, for
example.

Prolly the best thing to do with them is to return most of them to the
woodlot where your firewood came from, but that is another topic...:-)

Frank---noting that 25 pounds of ashes per thousand square feet of garden
every two-three years is one recommendation he's seen; ashes are rich in
potassium, calcium and contain some phosphorous, but are concentrated and
can throw yer soil outta whack ( and you don't want that--you wanna keep
your soil *in* whack, I suppose...:-)
>
>Thanks for all your help once again.
>
>Kim
>zone 9, sunset zone 23
>laguna hills, so cal
>
>
>______________________________________________________________________
>To unsubscribe, write to sqft-unsubscribe@listbot.com
>Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/
>


______________________________________________________________________
To unsubscribe, write to sqft-unsubscribe@listbot.com
Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index