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Tips on using woodash please?
Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 5:24 am
by Trinity
Hi all,
I've got a big box of woodash saved from the winter. Is it good to use on the veggie beds (waste not want not
)???
Does anyone else here use it? I have a tendency just to experiement and see what works, so any tips would be graciously appreciated (before I launch my experiment on to my unsuspecting veggie beds
)
Trinity
xxx
Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 5:27 am
by Bonniegirl
Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 5:49 am
by Trinity
Thank you for the excellent links Bonnie Girl
Brilliant!!!
xxx
Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 6:37 am
by Millymollymandy
I use it but I riddle it first cos it's got charcoal bits in it.
Use in place of Potassium, the K element of the NPK fertiliser mix. Good for all fruiting and flowering plants.
Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 7:49 am
by Jack
Gidday
Don't worry about the charcoal as it's O.K. It is very good on garlic and onions too.
Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 9:45 am
by paddy
I saw a tv programme where charcoal is supposed to be good for the soil.
Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 12:59 pm
by Millymollymandy
I read somewhere not to put it on the soil!
Anyway we produce so much of it I riddle some and the rest gets thrown away at the rubbish tip.
Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 1:10 pm
by Wombat
Millymollymandy wrote:I read somewhere not to put it on the soil!
Anyway we produce so much of it I riddle some and the rest gets thrown away at the rubbish tip.
Bummer M3,
You can use that in your forge for doing a bit of blacksmithing.....
Nev
Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 7:25 pm
by paddy
Well charcoal is used to filter toxin's and is nothing more than basically baked wood so i cant see why you musn't add it to your soil, but if so i would love to know why anyone????
Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 7:51 pm
by Trinity
Ann interesting point that one of the links above raised was this:
"Wood ash should never be applied to areas where potatoes will be planted as ash can promote potato scab."
No idea if it is true or not, but thought it worthy of noting...
Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 9:22 am
by Jack
Gidday
Charcoal is O.K. cos you can even eat it.
But with the wood ash just bare in mind one thing, that it will lower your soil acidity without adding lime.
Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 8:02 pm
by Magpie
Yes, and it's the changed acidity that will encourage potato scab.
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 5:12 am
by Millymollymandy
Just how much would you need to add to change the pH of your soil? Surely you'd need a lot of it, not just the normal sprinkling one does of fertiliser. ???
Sounds like an idea to dump a load round my Rhodos though, as my soil is not quite acid enough!
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 7:14 am
by Wombat
Millymollymandy wrote:
Sounds like an idea to dump a load round my Rhodos though, as my soil is not quite acid enough!
M3!
No no no no no no no no no no - wood ash REDUCES acidity ie it mkes the soil more alkaline. It was just Jacks funny
way of expressing it. Wood Ash contains potassium carbonate, which is alkaline and raises pH.
Nev
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 11:35 am
by Millymollymandy
Thanks Nev. I won't do that then!
I see what you mean by 'lowers acidity' - I thought it meant the opposite i.e. going from say pH6 to 5!
