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Plants in your garden and garden love care: watering, fertilizing, protecting against pests. And even the use of improvised means, such as a solution of ash, can give an impressive result.
What is the use of ash
Fertilizing the soil with wood ash, you can solve several pressing problems at once. First, it is useful for improving the mechanical characteristics of the soil. Secondly, it is rich in minerals, moreover, substances in a form that is easily digestible for plants. In the first place among the useful substances is potassium, as well as phosphorus, calcium, boron, copper, manganese, and so on, depending on the type of wood or plant residues from which the fertilizer was obtained. Thirdly, unlike synthetic mineral fertilizers, this substance does not contain chlorine. Fourthly, ash can be considered a long-acting fertilizer, since useful substances are released from it and a year after top dressing, if ash is applied in the fall, it will saturate the soil with phosphorus and potassium. Fifth, in addition to the function of top dressing, fertilizer helps fight pests, protecting both seedlings and adult plants.
What types of soil is combined with
First of all, it is correct to use this fertilizer on acidified soils to give them neutral properties due to the content of alkaline elements in the ash. Especially useful in this sense will be peat or shale ash. However, gardeners and summer residents mainly use wood and straw ash. This is not surprising, since it is well suited for soddy, forest, clay soils. Traditionally, on clay and loamy soils, ash is applied in the fall, and on sandy and sandy loamy soils, in the spring. Ash cannot be used on salt marshes, applied to soil with an acidity of 7 or higher, or under plants that are afraid of an alkaline environment.
In addition to compatibility with various soils, combinations with other types of fertilizers must be considered. An excess of this substance will negatively affect the absorption of nitrogen by plants, therefore it will be correct to introduce any nitrogen-containing substances into the soil no earlier than a month after feeding with ash. Another note – when applying this fertilizer, it must be taken into account that concentrated alkali is dangerous for beneficial soil organisms, so it is important not to exceed the required concentration.
Feeding trees and shrubs
Feeding garden trees, you can apply up to 100-150 grams of dry fertilizer per square meter, digging the soil to a depth of 10 centimeters or more. Similarly, you can use ashes for currants, raspberries, and even garden strawberries. Such a function of this substance as pest control has already been mentioned – it protects well from gray rot, powdery mildew, and cherry sawfly.
You can variably use ashes by digging fruit trees around. The depth of the groove in this case should be about fifteen centimeters, dry ash is poured into the groove. You can also water the trees with an ash solution – 2 cups per bucket of water.
It is advisable to fertilize plants and shrubs with ash once every two to four years. However, it is important to remember that blueberries and cranberries do not like ash, these plants prefer slightly acidic soil.
Video “What is foliar feeding”
Informative video what is top dressing outside the roots.
How to use in the garden
In the garden, the ashes can be used at any time, when digging the soil in autumn or spring, planting seedlings, pest control or for top dressing. Almost all garden crops are supportive of feeding with wood ash – these are pumpkin, and nightshade, root crops, cabbage, greens. Applying ash correctly means not exceeding the concentration so as not to harm soil microorganisms and plant roots, and spreading over time with the application of nitrogenous fertilizers. You can apply dry fertilizer when planting tubers or seedlings, but be sure to mix it with the ground so as not to damage the planting material. The norm for tomatoes and potatoes is up to three tablespoons. It is also suitable for seedlings of peppers and eggplants.
Under cucumbers, zucchini, carrots and parsley, you can apply up to two hundred grams of this fertilizer per square meter of beds. A little less of it will be required for onions and garlic, and its application must be alternated with an infusion of bird droppings. For watering plants, you can use the ash infusion. It is especially useful to do this ten to twelve days after planting seedlings. To do this, 75 grams of ash is dissolved in a bucket of water and cucumbers and tomatoes are watered half a liter per plant. Thus, you can protect seedlings from pests.
As a foliar top dressing, combined with pest protection, this fertilizer can be used in the form of a solution or decoction. To prepare a decoction, you need to take 300 grams of ash, sift it and boil for 25 minutes in two liters of water. Next, dilute the broth to a volume of 10 liters. Water the plants during cool times of the day. If it is intended to be used against pests, then 50 grams of soap can be added.
You can water cabbage and grapes with this solution using a special sprayer. When using an ash solution or decoction, it is important to ensure that all solid particles are completely dissolved so that they do not damage the seedlings. You can use this fertilizer for flower beds, for example, it is applied under roses in advance, in the fall. It is also allowed and even recommended to add ash to the compost, for example, when turning it over in the fall.
Ready ash
For cooking, you can use wood or plant residues. It is forbidden to burn for fertilizer any plastic waste, printing paper, painted wood, wood or leaves with traces of fungus or diseases. The optimal time for harvesting material for burning is in autumn or early winter, when the main agricultural work has already been completed, but there is almost no snow. Burning of the material can be done immediately – this will allow you to prepare a sufficient amount of ash in advance. It should be borne in mind that it gets cold for a long time and even the next day can cause a burn. Ash containers must be hermetically sealed and stored in a dry place. The benefits of this fertilizer are undeniable, no matter how it gets to the plants.
Video “Features of the use of ash”
An informative video about the use of ashes in a vegetable garden or garden.
