Ash as fertilizer - excellent result without cost

Ash is an absolutely affordable and highly effective phosphorus-potassium fertilizer containing a lot of substances and microelements necessary for the development and growth of plants. You do not need to buy it, you do not need to use transport for transportation - such fertilizer can be made on your own. The availability and benefits of ash are undeniable! Although it should be noted that the quality characteristics and mass fraction of certain microelements may vary depending on the raw materials used to obtain the ash.

Important! When using ash as a fertilizer, it should be remembered that when the raw material is burned, nitrogen evaporates; accordingly, its shortage must be compensated for with any nitrogen-containing additives.

Average values ​​of the main elements in ash after combustion:

Potassium

1. Wood:
   • conifers - about 8%;
   • deciduous - 14%;
   • grape vine - 40%.
2. Herbaceous raw materials:
   • straw - about 20%;
   • potato tops - 40%;
   • sunflower (stem, leaves and head) - 40%;
   • dried grass (nettle, quinoa, thistle, etc.) - 30%.
3. Buckwheat, sunflower husk - 35%.
4. Peat - 10%.
5. Slates - no more than 2%.

Phosphorus

1. Wood:
   • conifers - 6%;
   • deciduous - no more than 10%.
2. Herbaceous raw materials - 1%.
3. Peat - 1%.
4. Slates - 1.5%.

Calcium

1. Wood - 45%.
2. Herbaceous raw materials - 10–20%.
3. Peat - 20-50%.
4. Slates - about 70%.

Important! In no case should ash after burning be used as fertilizer: polymers, household waste, rubber, colorful glossy magazines, colored paper and synthetic materials. When using such "fertilizer" you can forget about the harvest altogether - the land will be poisoned for many years.

Ash use on different types of soil

• Agricultural technicians are not advised to use ash as fertilizer on soils with high alkalinity. This is due to the chemical characteristics of ash prepared from any raw material - it additionally alkalizes the soil, which can significantly complicate plant nutrition.
• Loamy and clayey soils - adding only 300–500 g / m² of ash significantly improves the fertility and structure of the soil. Even after a single application of fertilization, the positive effect can last up to 4 years.
• Acidic soils - when wood ash is applied as fertilizer, a certain balance is created between the natural reaction of the earth (acidic) and an alkaline component (ash), which has a beneficial effect on the growth and development of plants. The exception is crops that initially prefer acidic soil: potatoes, radishes, melons and some others, as a result of which these plants must be fertilized with ash very carefully, after weighing the possible benefits and probable harm.

Methods of using ash as fertilizer

In practice, ash as fertilizer is used in 3 ways:

1. Dry scattering in tree trunks, under bushes, between rows of garden crops and in holes before planting seedlings.
2. Spraying or watering plants with a concentrated solution and / or infusion made from ordinary water and ash.
3. Laying in a compost heap (2 kg / m³). Subsequently, the compost is used traditionally.

Practical advice for farmers

How to use ash as fertilizer?

How much ash is needed for a particular crop?

How to properly prepare an ash solution for watering and spraying?

Familiar questions? Well, experienced gardeners and agronomists recommend:

Advice! Ash diluted in water, when watering, must be constantly slightly shaken or stirred in order to prevent it from settling to the bottom.

• Before disembarking tomato seedlings, pepper and eggplant, you need to add 5 dessert spoons of ash to each hole and mix it slightly with the ground or add it while digging at the rate of three 200-gram glasses per 1 m².
• Lawn grass - before sowing seeds, add top dressing to the selected area, 300 gr. for 1 m². It is not recommended to sprinkle already sprouted seeds.
• Fertilization with ashes of cucumbers, tomatoes and cabbage during the growth period can be carried out with a pre-prepared solution: 100 g / 10 l (ash / water), after mixing the ingredients, the infusion is ready after 24 hours. Pour 500 ml of infusion under each plant, or make longitudinal grooves and shed them evenly.
• For a good harvest of cabbage, it is recommended to apply fertilizer repeatedly, and every 10–12 days. The procedure should be carried out during the entire growth period.
• For trees, it is useful to apply top dressing at least 1 time in 3 years:
  • adults - 2 kg for each tree, bring into the area of ​​the trunk circle in a pure form, you can make a special groove (10 cm deepening) around the circumference and apply top dressing there. In dry weather, subsequent abundant watering is required;
  • seedlings - pour 1 kg of ash into a pit prepared for planting, where to mix it with the ground, then planting is done traditionally.
• Fertilization with ashes of indoor plants is also widely used. For this, the agent is poured into a flower pot (1 tablespoon per 5 liters of soil) or an infusion is prepared (2 tablespoons per 6 liters of water), which is used for watering.

Advice! You can feed trees and rooted seedlings with an infusion prepared from 1.5 kg of ash and 12 liters of water. The resulting composition is simply poured evenly around the plant, no further than 0.5 m from the trunk.

The use of ash for plants as protection against diseases and pests

The use of ash for plants is reduced not only to fertilizing the soil, it is also an excellent remedy against many pests and diseases:

• Treatment for cruciferous flea beetles - mix ash and tobacco dust in equal proportions and pollinate the resulting composition of the plant.
• Ash infusion is very effective when used in the fight against powdery mildew and aphids. It is prepared very simply, for this they mix: 12 liters. cold water, 110 g each of laundry soap and ash, 20 g. urea... All ingredients are thoroughly mixed and infused for 2 days.
• It is believed that the regular addition of ash to the soil of the garden contributes to the extermination of the wireworm.
• As a prophylaxis for various fungal diseases, plants are also pollinated with ash.

Advice! Spray the ashes only when it is completely calm outside, this will guarantee that the product will get exactly on the plants that were planned. The best results are obtained by pollination in the early hours, when the dew has not yet subsided.

Wood ash as fertilizer - video