wood ash.

[Gmac]

Alright! I've been dumping the ash from my woodstove all over the place. Can you overdo it?

That gives me an idea. I live in the pine belt. We use pine straw for mulch arouud Azalia and Rhododendron because they are acid loving plants. I'm going to use ashes in the soil and pine straw for mulch on a test row.
Last year I burned a huge brush pile [big as a house] and planted tobacco in that spot. It was about a foot taller than a plot
right next to it.


Gmac

 

[bonehead]

i till in wood ash every year. i also till in a lot of mulched up leafs in the fall. i don't know if it evens out but my vedgy and tobacco always do good to great.

 

[vinconco]

Hardwood ash has a liming effect on the soil and repeated applications could raise the PH to a very alkaline level and inhibit growth. Like most things, a little bit is good but a lot is not necessarily better. We have heated our big farmhouse with wood for the last 40 years and generate a lot of ashes and I found out the "hard way" to use it sparingly in the garden. I did start a new plot last year and the wood ashes helped a lot because the ground was very acid to start with. I will use the wood ash for the next couple years but will rely on soil tests after that to proceed further.

 

[Planter]

In general, I mix it with leaves on a compost, in moderate amounts it seems to do rather good.