Benefits Of Using Wood Ash In Garden

Most of the people often wonder about what they can do with the ash left after burning a stove or bonfire or even the ash in the fireplace. Well, the answer is quite simple.

The ash left after burning the wood in a stove, fire place or bonfire is called wood ash and can be used as a natural fertilizer for your garden.

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The benefits of wood ash in garden are ample and it can give the nutritional needs of the plants which over a prolonged use of soil can’t provide.

The soil on which we plant trees, flowers or vegetables lose its nutrients over a span of prolonged and rough use.

In such conditions it is always better to rely on the natural fertilization methods which would if not restore it will definitely not cause harm as well.

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Using the benefits of wood ash in garden can be particularly helpful in the northern countries as they have long and harsh winters which are spent alongside the fire place.

Some of the benefits of wood ash in soil and garden are:

Restoring Soil pH
One of the biggest benefits of wood ash in soil is for raising the pH and reducing the acidity of the soil. On a pH scale of 14, 7 are considered as neutral. While above 7 is alkaline and below 7 is acidic.

Both the conditions are bad for the plants and soil. In case you soil has acidity close to the range of 6.5 or 7, then avoid using wood ash as the soil is already nearing neutral which is healthy.

Addition To Compost Heap
Benefits of wood ash in garden can be noticed when it is used with compost heap. It is a great addition to the compost heap as it aids in increasing the fertility of the soil. But add only a minor amount and don’t overdo it since too much of wood ash could harm the micro-organisms of the soil.

Substitute For Lime
Like lime, wood ash is also an alkaline. Hence, it can be used to substitute the lime fertilizers in the garden. Although the contents of home produced wood ash may vary but it can be used to substitute the usual ground limestone.

Sprinkle Directly On The Soil
Benefits of wood ash in garden can be seen if you sprinkle a minor amount over the soil. However, remember that the wood ash is not healthy for the snails and other organisms of the garden which are equally important. Hence, it is advisable to only spray or sprinkle a very small amount of it.

Tea For Tomatoes
Make a wood ash tea for your tomatoes once a week as soon as the plant begins to flower. This gives a potassium boost to the plant and thus, it helps in its growth.

Base Of Hardwood Trees
Return the ash to its roots to see the benefits of wood ash in garden. It aids in the flowering and growth of the hardwood trees as it caters for all the nutritional requirements of the tree. Apple trees particularly enjoys this wood ash treatment.