Under what crops to make ash. Ash as fertilizer. Wood ash: reviews, advice from gardeners. How to feed fruit trees with ashes

Many summer residents know that wood ash is a very useful complex organic fertilizer for enriching the earth with the elements necessary for good growth and development of plants. It is able to improve the composition and make the soil more nutritious, as well as protect our beds from various insects and diseases that harm the crop. This tool is one of the most readily available and easy to use.

What is wood ash made of?

Considering what wood ash consists of, you can see that this type of fertilizer contains almost all the most necessary elements for a complete nutrition of vegetable plants:

Composition of wood ash
trace element What does it affect
CALCIUM The element is required for healthy growth young sprouts and proper absorption of nutrients by plants. Reduces soil acidity.
POTASSIUM Prevents premature ripening of fruits. Takes part in photosynthesis. Gives plants resistance to various ailments.
PHOSPHORUS It has an impact on the formation of the root system of young plants, on the early ripening of fruits.
MAGNESIUM Participates in the production of carbon by plants, in the development of a healthy root system.

There is no nitrogen in wood ash - it volatilizes along with sulfur during combustion. It is not recommended to mix ashes with nitrogen fertilizers. Nitrogen will turn into ammonia and will not bring any benefit to the plants. But along with beneficial trace elements, substances remain in the fertilizer that can help neutralize.

AT chemical composition wood ash also includes sodium, zinc, copper and others useful material. The ratio of these elements in the ashes depends on the type and age of the burnt plants. For example, in the ashes of deciduous trees higher potassium content than conifers. But conifers contain more fluorine. Fertilizer obtained from young trees or their branches will be more nutritious.

What is the value of wood ash fertilizer

The ash obtained from burning wood has a lot of useful properties, it:

  • enriches the soil with useful trace elements;
  • normalizes the acidity of the soil;
  • strengthens plant immunity;
  • improves their survival.

Due to the significant content of the elements necessary for the full development horticultural crops, ash allows you to do without additional fertilizers with microelements. Its use improves the yield and quality of vegetable plants.


It also has a sufficiently strong antiseptic and antibacterial effect, which allows it to be used as an insecticide or fungicide. Ashes are also useful for treating damaged roots and wounds of plants.

The substances that make up wood ash are completely soluble in water, without forming dangerous compounds. This contributes to their rapid assimilation by vegetable crops.

What fertilizers is ash compatible with?

wood ash, as a fertilizer can be used alone or in conjunction with some other nutrients.

A good top dressing will be a mixture of wood ash and peat. It will include all the essential trace elements that vegetables need for proper development. To prepare it, you will need to combine ash with peat in a ratio of 1: 3. The components are thoroughly mixed, and the mixture itself is evenly distributed over the ridges.

Ash from wood chips can be added to compost. This helps to create excellent conditions for the existence in the humus of microorganisms involved in the processing of rotting plants. Due to its alkaline properties, it reduces the acidity of the environment, which allows the material to decompose faster. It is not recommended to add ashes to the compost if they are going to fertilize neutral or alkaline soil.

Fighting pests and various diseases, wood ash is used together with herbal decoctions and infusions. Such compositions will help get rid of:

  • from powdery mildew;
  • black leg;
  • aphids, fleas and wireworms;
  • slugs
  • larvae of the Colorado potato beetle.

Cultures are treated with solutions in the morning and evening.

When ash is used as fertilizer

Wood ash is most beneficial to the garden when added to the soil in the spring. This way it stays in the ground longer. Fertilizer can be applied both during digging and into prepared pits for planting. In autumn, it can be added during the digging of the garden only in heavy soils. From light soils useful elements washed out quickly.

Wood ash is used to fertilize the land when there is a shortage of potassium, calcium and magnesium in the soil. Signs of a lack of these elements are as follows:

  • the edges of the leaf plates of plants turn yellow, then they become stained and deformed;
  • there is a fall of ovaries on solanaceous crops;
  • fruits of tomatoes are covered with spots.

Before fertilizing burnt wood, you should know which plants love wood ash the most. These are cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cabbage, zucchini and potatoes. But it should be borne in mind that each of these plants needs different amount useful substances. So, less wood ash is used to fertilize cucumbers than tomatoes, peppers and eggplants.

When not to use ash

Do not mix wood ash or add it to the soil along with nitrogen fertilizers and superphosphate. It is not used on soils treated with lime. It makes no sense to use it with manure, slurry, chicken manure. Between top dressings vegetable crops these nutritious minerals and organic matter and ashes should pass at least 1 month.

The ash is not suitable for fertilizer if it is obtained from trees that grew near busy highways, enterprises with harmful production, in the radioactive zone. After all, it may contain harmful substances, which growing plants will absorb along with useful microelements.

Charcoal is practically not used as fertilizer for the garden. After all, it has few useful substances available. It can only enrich the soil with calcium. It would be much more useful to burn it and use the resulting ashes as fertilizer. More often it is used for indoor plants, because it can help make the soil looser and protect the roots of plants from decay, acting as an antiseptic.

Ash application rates

The use of wood ash in the garden is possible in several variations:

  • in friable form - immediately before watering; under digging; in the holes for planting;
  • in the form of a solution - as a liquid fertilizer; for irrigation from harmful insects and other misfortunes.

IMPORTANT! It should be borne in mind that it is necessary to sprinkle the beds with ashes in calm weather, in the absence of wind. Otherwise, the ash will be blown off the site.

When calculating the amount of wood ash to enrich garden soil, the acidity of the earth must be taken into account. On average, one hundred to one hundred and fifty grams of ash is added per m². It should be sprinkled with a layer of substrate 8 cm high. The applied fertilizer will have a positive effect on the development of plants for three to four years. In the landing holes add 1-2 tbsp. l. substances. However, you should be aware that seedlings of some crops cannot be placed directly in the ashes.

So, when planting nightshade crops, a small amount of ash mixed with earth can be added to the wells. The mixture should be sprinkled on top with soil and only then seedlings should be placed there. The roots should not have direct contact with the ash. This is fraught with burns that adversely affect further development cultivated plants.

A solution of wood ash for fertilizer is consumed half a liter for each bush. To prepare it you will need:

  • 1 glass of wood ash;
  • 10 liters of water;
  • A suitable container.

Wood ash is thoroughly mixed with water. Fertilizer is infused for 1 week. The mixture is stirred periodically. The resulting solution is used at all stages of crop development with a time interval of 2 weeks.

To make it easier to calculate the amount of ash, use the table:

IMPORTANT! It is not acceptable to use wood ash for feeding potatoes. He is favorable environment for scab development.

Wood ash retains its nutrients longer when stored in a dark place with minimal moisture. Dampness adversely affects the composition of the ash and leads to the loss of the beneficial properties of the fertilizer. You can store it in plastic bags or other sealed containers.

Since wood ash fertilizer is a natural complex potassium-phosphorus fertilizer, it is excellent for feeding garden crops. The maximum benefit from fertilizing the beds with ashes can be extracted by observing the rules for introducing this substance into the soil, described above.

​Related Articles​

Under peonies, onions, potatoes, carrots. yes, for everything.

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

Potassium

  1. You make holes in a circle, fill it with ashes and water it, and then you calmly bury it all and all the fertilizer in the soil !!
    • If before that they were fertilized with manure, then it’s very good.
    • If you are wondering if it is possible to feed cucumbers with ashes, then the answer will definitely be in the affirmative. One of the main advantages of this fertilizer is the absence of chlorine, which is contained in many other mineral fertilizers. It is also worth remembering that the composition of the ash directly depends on the combustion of which plant it was obtained. Hardwood contains a lot of calcium, ash from bark and straw is rich in phosphorus, and when burning meadow grass, you can get ash with great content potassium.​
    • Ash infusion is very effective when used in the fight against powdery mildew, as well as aphids. It is prepared very simply, for this they are mixed: 12 liters. cold water, 110 g of laundry soap and ash, 20 g of urea. All ingredients are thoroughly mixed and infused for 2 days.
  2. For good harvest cabbage, it is recommended to fertilize repeatedly, but every 10-12 days. The procedure should be carried out during the entire period of growth.
    • How to use ash as fertilizer?
    • Important! In no case should ash after combustion be used as fertilizer: polymers, household waste, rubber, colorful glossy magazines, colored paper and synthetic materials. When using such a “fertilizer”, you can generally forget about the harvest - the earth will be poisoned for many years.
    • Deciduous - no more than 10%.
    • Potato tops - 40%;
  3. 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 independently. The availability and benefits of ash are undeniable! Although it should be noted that quality characteristics and mass fraction certain trace elements may vary depending on the raw materials used to produce the ashes.​
  4. As a rule, from burning young branches. Ash is more valuable than from old trees.
  5. Oleg, hello! They wrote very well above what ash contains and that almost all plants (or all) love it.

Phosphorus

  1. it is even necessary
    • Ash is the non-combustible residue of mineral impurities. herbaceous plants or wood when they are completely burned. Ash (wood, vegetable) contains potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium and a large set of trace elements, therefore it is considered a good alkaline potassium-phosphorus complex fertilizer. It is important to remember that ash retains its properties only when stored dry. Ash is added to the substrate before planting indoor plants, mixing well with the soil, at the rate of 1 part of ash per 40-50 parts of soil. In addition to applying dry ash to the soil, ash infusion is used to fertilize plants. To obtain an infusion, the ash is poured with water (25 g of ash per liter of water) and infused for about a week, stirring occasionally so that the easily soluble substances from the ash pass into the water, and then the resulting infusion is used for fertilizing watering the plants.
    • There is an opinion that the regular addition of ash to the ground of the garden contributes to the extermination of the wireworm.
  2. It is useful for trees to fertilize at least 1 time in 3 years:
  3. How much ash is needed for a particular crop?
  4. Agrotechnicians do not recommend using ash as a fertilizer on soils with high alkalinity. This is due chemical characteristics ash prepared from any raw material - it additionally alkalizes the soil, which can significantly complicate plant nutrition.

Calcium

  1. Herbaceous raw materials - 1%.
  2. sunflower (stem, leaves and head) - 40%;
  3. Important! When using ashes as a fertilizer, it should be remembered that when raw materials are burned, nitrogen escapes, so its shortage must be compensated for by any nitrogen-containing additives.​
  4. Under the beets.

I will add just one. It seems to me that ash is not a fertilizer for spring. Since now the plants need nitrogen.

Use of ash on different types of soil

  • It is possible and necessary..
  • A very valuable thing for a grower is charcoal (preferably birch, aspen), small pieces of which (0.8-1 cm in diameter) are a desirable part of the substrate for orchids, aroids, cacti and succulents (3-8% of the volume of the substrate). Charcoal makes the substrate loose and permeable, and also works in the substrate as an antiseptic, protecting the roots from decay. Powder charcoal used to treat plant wounds - the result of treatment or vegetative propagation.
  • As a preventive measure for various fungal diseases, plants are also pollinated with ash.

Ways to use ash as a fertilizer

​adults - 2 kg for each tree, apply to the area trunk circle in its pure form, you can make a special groove (deepening 10 cm) around the circumference and fertilize there. In dry weather, subsequent abundant watering is required;

  1. How to prepare an ash solution for irrigation and spraying?
  2. ​Loamy and clayey soils - adding just 300–500 g/m² of ash significantly improves the fertility and structure of the soil. Even after a single application of fertilizer, the positive effect can last up to 4 years.​
  3. Peat - 1%.

Dried grass (nettle, quinoa, sow thistle, etc.) - 30%.

Wood:

Zucchini respond well.

And later, during flowering, the formation of fruits - that's it. I fed with ashes closer to summer.

Of course, it is especially necessary to fertilize the trees with ash from worms helps!

  • Many flower growers in the fall scatter the ash obtained from burning plant residues throughout the area (application rate 100-150 g of ash per square meter), and together with rains nutrients from the ashes fall into the ground. The soil sprinkled with ash warms up faster in spring. In the spring they bring ash under everything horticultural crops in holes or rows.
  • Tip! 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 for. top scores gives pollination in the early hours, when the dew has not yet subsided.
  • Seedlings - pour 1 kg of ash into a pit prepared for planting, where it is mixed with the ground, then planting is done traditionally.
  • Familiar questions? Well, experienced gardeners and agronomists recommend:​
  • Acidic soils - when wood ash is applied as a fertilizer, a certain balance is created between natural reaction earth (acid) and 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 need to be fertilized with ashes very carefully, after weighing possible benefit and likely harm.​
    • Shale - 1.5%.
    • Buckwheat, sunflower husk - 35%.
  • Coniferous - about 8%;

You can throw a little fruit under the bushes. Potassium is responsible for the uniform ripening of berries.

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

Ash should be stored in a dry place.

  • It is possible and even necessary, there is a lot of potassium in the ashes
  • Ash also helps to drive away pests (cruciferous fleas) from plants of the cruciferous family (cabbage, watercress, radish and others, as well as flowers: alyssum, lunaria, evening and others), which especially annoy plants in spring and are able to completely destroy seedlings. The beds and leaves of plants attacked by pests are dusted with ash (for better adhesion of the ash, you can first sprinkle the leaves with water). For ease of dusting plants with ash, they take an empty can or plastic jar, make many holes at the bottom, pour ash into the jar and, slightly shaking the jar over the plants, evenly cover them with fine ash powder.
  • Cucumbers are almost entirely water. They contain a very small amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates and a lot of enzymes and minerals useful for the body. In particular, vitamins C, B1, B2, P and A. Eating fresh cucumbers beneficial effect on the health of the human body. But in order to get a good harvest, you need to properly care for the plant and fertilize it on time. Especially useful is the feeding of cucumbers with ash. Let us consider in more detail how often and in what quantities it is necessary to feed the plant.
  • Fertilizer with ash of indoor plants is also widely used. To do this, the agent is poured into flower pot(1 tablespoon per 5 liters of land) or an infusion is prepared (2 tablespoons per 6 liters of water), which is used for irrigation.

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

Wood ash as a fertilizer - video

glav-dacha.ru

Top dressing of cucumbers with ashes

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

How to feed cucumbers with ashes?

Wood - 45%.​

Peat - 10%.

Deciduous - 14%; All root crops are potassium-loving. So the ash will suit them well.

Cabbage, tomatoes, peppers - potassium gluttons

womanadvice.ru

Tell me, is it possible to fertilize the earth with ashes?

lucia luciao

You can. You just need to sift it.
​need​
Pursuing the desire to harvest a rich harvest of cucumbers, the main thing is not to overdo it. During the entire growth period, the plant needs to be fertilized only 5-6 times. Let's talk in more detail about how to feed cucumbers with ashes. The first stage can be done even at the stage of plant formation, when the second leaf appears on the stem. The second stage of soil treatment with fertilizer must be carried out at the time of flowering. Then, when the plant begins to bear fruit, cucumber ash is fertilized about once every two weeks. Plants need to be fed only during warm weather and after abundant watering. Otherwise, when processing dry land, fertilizers can harm the root system of the plant.​
Tip! You can fertilize 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.

Rustam _

Before planting seedlings of tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, it is necessary to add 5 dessert spoons of ash to each hole and mix it slightly with the ground or add it when digging at the rate of three 200-gram glasses per 1 m².

[email protected]

Dry scattering in tree trunks, under bushes, between rows of garden crops and in holes before planting seedlings.

Musya

Herbaceous raw materials - 10–20%.

lor1 888

Shale - no more than 2%.

nina vandium

Grape vine - 40%.

black wolf

Greens can be ash. Will grow highly nutritious in composition

Galina Guseva

And your plum is useful will be in the spring and whenever you like.. Grapes are still very good with ash. But as for such a colorful phrase .. that \\ there is no sense in burning dry branches \\ .. as some users put it, I want to note .. that the difference between a dry branch and NOT dry is only in the presence of water. Either way, it does not affect the content of what ash is valued for..

Leon

There is not much sense from burning dry branches, the most useful is wood ash, it contains about 14% potassium, and 40% calcium is also phosphorus, iron, sulfur, magnesium, boron, manganese, zinc molybdenum. The best from burning birch, poplar. oak, sunflower, potato tops, nettles and generally young skeletal branches with leaves, but these trace elements are useful for almost all plants

Hope R

of course yes)

INFERNO

Processing cucumbers with ash is not the only way to fertilize. You can also feed plants with various complexes of mineral or organic fertilizers, dissolving them well in advance in water. However, wood ash for cucumbers is one of the best and most invaluable fertilizers. It contains all the necessary mineral elements that the plant needs during formation and growth.

What plants like ash fertilizer?

elena orlova

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

Tatiana Pavlova

Lawn grass - before sowing seeds, add top dressing to the selected area, 300 gr. per 1 m². It is not recommended to sprinkle already sprouted seeds.

Oksana

Spraying or watering plants with a concentrated solution and / or infusion prepared from ordinary water and ashes.

Marina Filippova

Peat - 20–50%.

C@argument

Wood:
Herbaceous raw material:
You can also use peas for beans.
All onions, cabbage, nightshade group ...

[I Am Your Legend]™

All plants love ash. The main component in it is potassium. I bring in ash when planting potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, etc.

Harpy

Yes, it's very good.

love

If we talk about how to fertilize cucumbers with ashes, then there are several options. You can work the soil with dry ash just before watering. And you can prepare a special infusion of ash in advance and fertilize the earth with it. This infusion is very easy to prepare. For 1 liter of water you need to put 2 tablespoons

Any gardener knows that the soil needs fertilizer from time to time, otherwise you won’t have to count on a good harvest. However, the use inorganic substances can lead to the fact that so lovingly grown tomatoes or strawberries will pose a threat to life and health due to the increased content of "chemistry". The way out of this situation is simple - you need to use organic matter to fertilize the garden, which contains a lot of useful substances and is absolutely safe. Such substances include wood ash.

Her beneficial features known since time immemorial. It is not surprising that when laying out a personal plot, our ancestors often did not uproot, but burned the vegetation, which made it possible to significantly increase soil fertility. And today, many zealous owners do not throw away furnace ash, but they collect it in order to process the garden with it in the spring.

The composition and useful properties of wood ash

Ash is rich in phosphorus and potassium, it belongs to the category of mineral alkaline fertilizers, which have a very favorable effect on the composition and structure of the fertile soil layer. This fertilizer is ideal for land with increased level acidity, as it acts as a neutralizer. In addition to enrichment with useful substances, including zinc, magnesium, phosphorus, iron and molybdenum, ash helps to accelerate the process of humus formation. This means that after harvesting, the fertile soil layer will not thin out, and by the next season it will be ready to give an excellent harvest.

Since ash is an alkaline fertilizer, in parallel with feeding the soil, it perfectly repels pests and helps to preserve the crop. It has been proven that this substance is not tolerated by snails and wood lice, as well as bears and moles. In addition, lime can be replaced with ash when processing compost to reduce its acidity. This natural substance allows you to make the soil looser and softer, so that it is enriched with oxygen, which plants need so much.

It should be borne in mind that even on a site with humus in the spring it is difficult to avoid the process of washing out useful substances from the ground. melt waters. For this reason, the soil should be fertilized every year, and wood ash is the best option in this regard.

What types of trees are best for getting ash?

It is no secret that the wood of various trees differs not only in density and structure, but also in chemical composition. Naturally, this is also reflected in the quality of the ash, which must be selected depending on the type of soil. So, if it needs to be replenished with potassium, then it is best to use hardwood ash. In turn, the ash obtained from the needles contains quite a lot of phosphorus.

In practice, ash obtained from any tree species can be successfully used to fertilize a personal plot. The effect is especially pronounced on sandy soil, allowing you to increase the yield of fruits and vegetables several times.

How to properly apply ash to the soil?

There are several options for fertilizing the soil with ash. If you are just preparing a personal plot for planting, then in the fall it is advisable to sprinkle the soil with fertilizer, and then dig up the garden. For loams, ash is taken at the rate of 100 g per 1 sq. meter, and for sandstone - 70-80 g for the same area. If the land is fertile and "fat" enough, then it will be enough to use 30-40 g of ash per "square" for feeding.

When disembarking garden trees and bushes, it is very good to add ashes to freshly dug holes - this will allow young plants to take root faster and will be an excellent recharge. For fruit trees, it is enough to pour 2 tablespoons of this organic fertilizer into the hole, for bushes - 1 tablespoon.

On the basis of ash, you can also prepare a fairly effective liquid fertilizer if you dilute 150 g of this substance in 10 liters of cold water. It is recommended to water the plants with this mixture several times per season at the rate of 0.5 l of solution for bushes, 1.5 l for trees and 0.2 l for vegetable crops.

There is another option for applying this fertilizer to the soil, which is used when you need to urgently reanimate root system. In this case, the ashes are poured around the stem of the envelope plant, abundantly moisten the soil, and then sprinkled with dry earth.

Which plants are suitable for ash?

The scope of this fertilizer is personal plot pretty wide. It is excellent for all types of fruit trees, including exotic peaches and Walnut. In addition, with the help of ash, you can significantly increase the yield of raspberries, currants, gooseberries and strawberries. This organic fertilizer is also indispensable in cases where potatoes, capricious tomatoes, radishes, onions and garlic, cucumbers and peppers need to be fed. But with garden flowers, you should be careful, since ash can easily destroy entire flower beds with luxurious azaleas or rhododendrons. Quite susceptible to such fertilizer and garden blueberries, which lose their excellent taste.

What you need to know when using ash on a personal plot?

First of all, it is necessary to follow basic safety rules and work in a respirator, since ash microparticles easily penetrate the respiratory tract and can provoke various diseases including oncology. In addition, you should not get carried away with this fertilizer, as too low soil acidity can lead to the death of a number of crops.

Despite the fact that ash perfectly coexists with other types of fertilizers, you should not apply it in parallel with top dressing containing nitrogen. The point is that as a result chemical reaction ammonia is formed, which is able to completely destroy the root system of plants. For the same reason, it is worth refraining from parallel application of wood ash and manure to the soil - these fertilizers can be used with a run-up of about 2-3 weeks.

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 independently. The availability and benefits of ash are undeniable! Although it should be noted that the quality characteristics and mass fraction of certain trace elements may vary depending on the raw materials used to produce the ashes.

Important! When using ashes as a fertilizer, it should be remembered that when raw materials are burned, nitrogen escapes, so its shortage must be compensated for by any nitrogen-containing additives.

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

Potassium

  1. Wood:
    • conifers - about 8%;
    • deciduous - 14%;
    • grape vine - 40%.
  2. Herbaceous Raw Material:
    • straw - about 20%;
    • potato tops - 40%;
    • sunflower (stem, leaves and head) - 40%;
    • dried grass (nettle, quinoa, sow 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. Shales - about 70%.

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

Use of ash on different types of soil

  • Agrotechnicians do not recommend using 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 - the addition of only 300–500 g/m² of ash significantly improves the fertility and structure of the soil. Even after a single application of fertilizer, the positive effect can last up to 4 years.
  • Acidic soils - when wood ash is applied as a fertilizer, a certain balance is created between the natural reaction of the earth (acid) and the 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 ashes very carefully, after weighing the possible benefits and possible harm.

Ways to use ash as a fertilizer

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

  1. Dry scattering in near-stem circles of trees, 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 prepared from ordinary water and ashes.
  3. Bookmark in the compost heap (2 kg / m³). Subsequently, the compost is used traditionally.

How to use ashes as fertilizer?

How much ash is needed for a particular crop?

How to prepare an ash solution for irrigation and spraying?

Familiar questions? Well, experienced gardeners and agronomists recommend:

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

  • Before planting, and, it is necessary to add 5 dessert spoons of ash to each hole and mix it slightly with the ground or add it when 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. per 1 m². Sprinkling already germinated seeds is not recommended.
  • 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 spill them evenly.
  • For a good cabbage harvest, it is recommended to fertilize repeatedly, but every 10–12 days. The procedure should be carried out during the entire period of growth.
  • For trees, it is useful to fertilize at least 1 time in 3 years:
    • adults - 2 kg for each tree, bring it into the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe near-stem circle in its pure form, you can make a special groove (deepening 10 cm) 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 it is mixed with the ground, then planting is carried out traditionally.
  • Fertilizer with ash of indoor plants is also widely used. To do this, the product is poured into a flower pot (1 tablespoon per 5 liters of land) or an infusion is prepared (2 tablespoons per 6 liters of water), which is used for irrigation.

Advice! You can fertilize 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 comes down not only to fertilizing the soil, it is also an excellent remedy against many pests and diseases:

  • Processing from cruciferous flea - mix ash and tobacco dust in equal proportions and pollinate with the resulting composition of the plant.
  • Ash infusion is very effective when used in the fight against powdery mildew, as well as aphids. It is prepared very simply, for this they are mixed: 12 liters. cold water, 110 g each of laundry soap and ash, 20 g. All ingredients are thoroughly mixed and infused for 2 days.
  • It is believed that the regular addition of ashes to the ground of the garden contributes to the extermination of the wireworm.
  • As a preventive measure 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 for. The best results are obtained by pollination in the early hours, when the dew has not yet subsided.

Wood ash as a fertilizer - video

Since ancient times, people have been using wood ash as a fertilizer. Ash not only fertilizes, but also structures the soil. The use of ash in horticulture simultaneously improves both the mechanical and chemical composition of the soil. Ash has the ability to reduce acidity, accelerate the ripening of compost and loosen the soil. Fertilized and alkalized with ash, the soil is a favorable environment for the vital activity of soil microorganisms, especially nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

Important! Ash should be stored in a dry place. Moisture harms this fertilizer - it loses trace elements, potassium. If you pack the ashes in plastic bags, which do not allow the penetration of moisture, it can be stored for up to several years. At the same time, the ash retains its properties.

What is useful in ash

Wood ash as a fertilizer is used due to its beneficial chemical composition. It contains calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium and other substances that are necessary for the development and growth of plants.

The chemical composition of the ash is different, as it depends on the burned plant from which it is obtained. potato tops, vine, meadow grass their ash contains 40% potassium. Hardwood ash has a different composition, in which the calcium content is in the lead. Coniferous trees rich in phosphorus - up to 7% in the composition.


Ash contains more than 70 elements and 30 trace elements. At the same time, it does not contain chlorine, which allows you to fertilize crops that do not tolerate it. The only element that plants need that is not found in ash is nitrogen. All elements in this natural fertilizer are contained in a form that is most suitable for absorption by plants.

What soils can ash be used on?

Ash can be used on different soils. Due to its properties, it improves its quality, subject to proper use.


Ash has the ability to loosen, which can be used for heavy clay soil. By introducing ash into such soil in the fall, you can make it looser. The calculation of the amount is based on the acidity of the soil and the plants that are expected to be grown on it. From 100 to 800 g of ash can be applied per 1 m².

It is customary to fertilize light sandy soils with ash in the spring. This is done so that useful substances do not go deep into the ground with melt water. The introduction of ash into sandy soils has a particularly good effect on their quality.

Ash is used to neutralize acidic soils, enrich marsh, marsh-podzolic and gray forest soils with its help. Only in alkaline soil is not recommended to make ash.

Did you know? Different plants after combustion give a different chemical composition of ash. Potassium contains the most ash of herbaceous plants: sunflower stalksup to 40%, buckwheatup to 35%, nettle - 32%, cereals20%. Peat ash contains little potassium and phosphorus, but a lot of calcium. There is also a lot of calcium in the ashes from willow and poplar - up to 43%, and in birch - 30%.

What plants can be fertilized with ash

For many plants, ash is a storehouse of necessary for proper growth substances.

The ash is used to fertilize trees, vegetables, and flowers.

What vegetables are wood ash good for:

  • potato;
  • tomatoes, peppers, eggplant;
  • cucumbers, squash, zucchini;
  • onions, winter garlic;
  • cabbage different types;
  • carrots, parsley, beets, radishes;
  • peas, beans, dill, lettuce.
In addition to fertilizing vegetables, ash for flowers is also a great benefit. Indoor flowers often need to be enriched with minerals, of which there is a sufficient amount in the ashes. Garden flowers can also be fertilized with ashes - gladioli, asters, begonias, balsam.

For trees, the elements of ash also bring many benefits. To fertilize trees, both dry ash and solutions containing it are used.

Did you know? The introduction of ash into the trunk poles and landing pits cherries and plums favorably affect these plants. Such top dressing is enough to do every 3-4 years. To bring ash under the trees, grooves are made along the perimeter of the crown, into which the ash solution is poured or ash is poured. After that, the groove, the depth of which is about 10 cm, is covered with earth.

Ash is very effective fertilizer, but if you use it together with humus, compost, manure and peat, you can further increase its productivity. The benefits of this fertilizer can be extracted at different stages of a plant's life - when preparing the soil for planting, preparing seeds, planting plants, feeding them.


Soil preparation

Before planting many plants, it is useful to add ashes to the ground. During digging, before planting potatoes, 1 glass of ash per 1 m² is added. The same amount is required for cucumbers, squash, zucchini. To prepare the soil for tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, add 3 cups of ash per 1 m².

Before planting cabbage for different varieties you may need 1-2 cups of ash per 1 m². Carrots, parsley, beets and radishes require 1 glass of ash for such an area, as do peas, beans, radishes, lettuce and dill.

During winter digging before planting onions and winter garlic 2 cups of ash are added per 1 m².

Seed preparation

Before sowing seeds different plants, they can initially be treated with trace elements. Such enrichment with seed substances is carried out before sowing peas, tomatoes, sweet peppers, and carrots. This manipulation accelerates the ripening of the crop, increases it.

Before sowing, the seeds are treated with ash for 12-24 hours. It is diluted in an amount of 20 g in 1 liter warm water, insist 1-2 days, then soak the seeds in this solution for 6 hours.


When planting plants, you can also use ashes. Exist different methods how to sprinkle seedlings with ashes. Ash is poured into the holes before planting in the amount of 1-3 tbsp. spoons. When planting shrubs, you can use a glass of this fertilizer, and for trees and large bushes, 1-2 kg of ash is used in one hole.

When planting plants, it is recommended to mix the ash with the soil, as this makes it possible to more spread its effect on the future root system. Also, mixing the ash and soil will prevent the plant from getting burned, which is possible with direct contact.

Plant nutrition

It is customary to feed growing and already developed plants so that they bear fruit better. Top dressing can be done with ash in different forms.

To feed strawberries with ash, it is necessary to sprinkle loosened soil with ash at the rate of 2 cups of ash per 1 m². In the second year of the life of this plant, such top dressing will be very helpful. Strawberry feeding solutions are also popular, which are used in different seasons.


Potatoes are also fed with ash - at the first hilling, 1-2 tbsp is added under each bush. spoons of ash. When the budding stage begins, a second hilling is performed, during which half a glass of ash can be added under each bush.

For spring feeding garlic and onions with embedding in the soil, apply 1 glass of fertilizer per 1 m².

Ash is a good top dressing for berries, vegetables, trees. For the latter, the effect of the applied fertilizer lasts up to 4 years.

Important! When using ash for plant nutrition, do not forget about own health. It is necessary to follow the safety regulations requiring the protection of the eyes and respiratory organs from dust particles that can easily penetrate there.

When Ash Can't Be Used

Even organic fertilizers have contraindications for use. Ash for the soil should not be used in conjunction with bird droppings, manure (promotes nitrogen volatilization), superphosphate, nitrogen mineral fertilizers(provokes the release of ammonia and harms plants). Ash in alkaline soils with a PH of 7 is also not used.