Wood ash - composition and application as a fertilizer

Wood ashes have been used as a fertilizer for several millennia. It contains valuable macro-and microelements for plants, without which it is impossible to obtain a high yield.

Properties of wood ash

Ash does not have a certain chemical composition. The composition of the ashes depends on which plants were burned. Ashes can be obtained by burning coniferous and deciduous wood, peat, straw, dung, sunflower stems - in all these cases the chemical composition will be different.

Mendeleev derived an approximate general formula for ash. By this formula in 100 gr. ash contains:

• calcium carbonate - 17 g;
• calcium silicate - 16.5 g;
• calcium sulphate - 14 g;
• calcium chloride - 12 g;
• potassium orthophosphate - 13 g;
• magnesium carbonate - 4 g;
• magnesium silicate - 4 g;
• magnesium sulphate - 4 g;
• sodium orthophosphate - 15 g;
• sodium chloride - 0.5 gr.

It can be seen that although ash is considered predominantly potassium fertilizer, but most of all in it is calcium. Calcium is needed vegetable garden vegetables, forming a voluminous overground part, such as pumpkin and melons. It is important that the calcium in it is contained in the form of four compounds at once: carbonate, silicate, sulfate and chloride.

1. Calcium carbonate enhances metabolic processes, playing the role of a link during transportation of nutrients in cells. It is indispensable in floriculture, as it increases the size and splendor of the inflorescences. In the calcium carbonate, cucumbers are needed, as they grow faster than other vegetables.
2. Calcium silicate combines with pectin and binds the cells, binds them to each other. Silicate affects the absorption of vitamins. Particularly "loves" this element onions. With a lack of silicates, the bulb stratifies and dries, but it is worth pouring the onion planting with the infusion of ashes - the situation is immediately corrected.
3. Calcium sulphate is found in superphosphate, the most popular mineral fertilizer. Calcium sulphate, introduced into the soil in the form of ash, is better assimilated by plants than superphosphate. This connection is necessary during the growing green mass, for example, when growing greens and onions on a feather.
4. Calcium chloride activates photosynthesis, increases the winter hardiness of grapes and fruit trees. It is considered that chlorine is dangerous for plants. The exception to the rule is wood ash. The composition of the fertilizer completely, including chlorides, satisfies the plants' need for nutrition. Chlorine is found in fruit and vegetable crops in the amount of up to 1% of the dry mass, and in tomatoes it is even more. With a lack of chlorine in the soil, the fruits of tomatoes rot, the apples stored for storage become black, the carrots crack, the grapes fall. Calcium chloride is useful in growing roses - it protects the culture from the disease with a black leg.
5. Potassium . The composition of the ash includes potassium orthophosphate K3PO4, which is necessary for regulating the water balance of plants. Potassium compounds increase the winter hardiness of heat-loving crops and alkalize the soil, which is important when growing roses, lilies and chrysanthemums.
6. Magnesium . The composition of the ash includes just 3 magnesium compounds necessary for the normal life of plants.

Use of wood ash

If there is wood ash in the bins of a summer resident, its application can be varied. Ash can be used as:

• phosphate-potassium fertilizer;
• the neutralizer of soil acidity;
• enriching additive to compost;
• fungicide and insecticide.

Wood ash as a fertilizer differs from a "mineral water" by the absence of harmful chemical compounds. Compounds in the ash easily dissolve in water and are quickly absorbed. In ashes there is no nitrogen - this is a big minus, but it has a lot of calcium, potassium and phosphorus. Especially a lot of potassium and phosphorus contains ashes of sunflower and buckwheat - up to 35%.

In the ashes of wood, potassium and phosphorus are markedly less - 10-12%, but it contains a lot of calcium. The most rich in calcium are birch and pine, which makes it possible to use their ash to alkalize and improve the structure of the soil. For this purpose, burnt peat and shale are suitable.

Important! If lime was introduced into the soil, then ash can not be applied in the same year, since the soil phosphorus will pass into inaccessible form.

To deoxidize the soil, the ash is applied once every 3 years in an amount of 500-2000 g. per square meter. It activates the microflora of the soil, which immediately reflects on the structure - the earth becomes loose and light in processing.

Adding ash to the compost accelerates the ripening of the compost heap and enriches the final product with calcium and magnesium. Compost pile is interlaced with unbroken ash as it is laid, pouring in an arbitrary amount. Lime is not necessary to add.

Rules for the application of fertilizer

Useful substances contained in ash, actively dissolve in water, so it is better to fertilize the soil not in autumn, but in spring. It is possible to introduce ash in autumn only on clay soils, from which it is almost not washed by melt water.

The ash is brought in during the digging of the plot, scattering 100-200 gr. for each square meter, and are sealed to a depth of at least 8 cm - this prevents the formation of soil crust.

For your reference : 1 glass ≈ 100 grams of ash.

It is more expedient to introduce fertilizer not during a continuous digging, but immediately into the planting holes. In cucumber holes you can fall asleep on a tablespoon, in tomato and potato - 3 spoons. When planting berry bushes in a planting pit, pour up to 3 glasses of ash. Ash in the holes and holes must be mixed with the soil, so that the roots do not come in contact with it directly - this can lead to a burn.

Important! Wood ashes for plants are not applied simultaneously with phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizers, since nitrogen in this case quickly evaporates, and phosphorus passes into a hardly accessible form.

For many gardeners, the main source of ash is the usual BBQ. "Shish kebab" season is just beginning, so the only way out will be to save the fertilizer from last year.

In winter, the contents of the brazier are stored in a closed bucket in a dry place. The main task in storage is to ensure dryness, since potassium is easily washed out of the ash, after which it becomes useless as a fertilizer.