Wood Ash

Never Throw Away Wood Ash if You Have a Garden 361,564 views 6.4K 156 SHARE Natural Ways Published on Aug 8, 2017 SUBSCRIBED 765K Each cord of firewood that you burn leaves you with 20 pounds of ashes or more, depending on your fuel source, heating appliance, and wood-burning skill. Wood ash is primarily composed of calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium, but also contains trace amounts of iron, sodium and zinc. Because it’s created through the combustion of plant materials, it holds many of the elements needed to support new growth and has long been used by gardeners and farmers as a natural soil amendment. Here are top 5 uses of wood ash in your yard. 1.Neutralize Acidic Soil. Unless you are growing acid-loving plants like blueberries, peppers, and azaleas, you will want to maintain a soil pH of between 6 to 7.5 in your garden beds. This range is considered ideal because nutrients in fertilizers will be readily dissolved in water and better absorbed by the plant’s roots. Acidic soil (a pH below 6) means plants won’t receive enough nitrogen, phosphorus, or potassium. Wood ash contains up to 70% calcium carbonate and can be used as a substitute for lime. As a general rule, never exceed 25 pounds of wood ash per 1,000 square feet of soil and always re-test your soil after applying wood ash. 2.Add it to Your Compost Pile. Wood ash added to your compost will help boost the heap’s potassium levels, a key nutrient for flowering and fruiting. But including wood ash in the compost should be done in moderation – at a rate of every six inches of compost pile – because wood ash is alkaline. Too much of the stuff will raise the pH value of your compost pile. 3.Make Ash Tea. Just as compost tea is an awesome organic, all-purpose fertilizer, ash tea can likewise be brewed to prevent or correct potassium deficiencies. Brown spots, curling leaf tips, yellowing between leaf veins, slower plant growth and reduced crop yield are some of the telltale signs your plants are not receiving enough potassium. To make tea from wood ash, place five pounds of ash in a cloth bag (like an old pillowcase) and tie it closed. Place the ash bag in a 50-gallon garbage bin filled with water and allow it to steep for several days. Once the ash tea has brewed, pour about a cup’s worth around your plants weekly. 4.Fertilize Your Lawn A light dusting of wood ash on the lawn can help promote greener pastures. After applying ashes to your yard, water it well to prevent the beneficial nutrients from blowing away. 5.Melt Ice & Snow One safe and natural alternative to create traction, de-ice, and melt snow is wood ashes. Because wood ash contains potash – or potassium carbonate – a type of salt that is much eco-friendlier than chloride-based salts, it can help break up ice and melt snow when scattered on driveways and walkways. Unlike rock salt, it won’t corrode surfaces like concrete and metal, harm the paws of your four-legged friends, or damage your plants come spring. NOTE: The materials and the information contained on Natural ways channel are provided for general and educational purposes only and do not constitute any legal, medical or other professional advice on any subject matter. None of the information on our videos is a substitute for a diagnosis and treatment by your health professional. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new diet or treatment and with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, promptly contact your health care provide. google plus: https://plus.google.com/b/11337960100... Images licensed under Creative Commons: www.wikihow.com canstockphoto.com www.pixabay.com Pinterest Category Howto & Style License Standard YouTube License SHOW LESS 115 Comments SORT BY Oscar del Rosario Add a public comment... Candace Mcghee Candace Mcghee 8 months ago Great to put in chicken coop so chickens can fluff & dust their feathers to get rid of lice! Just dump in pile and chickens will know what to do. 24 REPLY View all 2 replies Karl Sapp Karl Sapp 8 months ago Wood ash must be used very sparingly and only on certain soil types 14 REPLY View all 3 replies tvbox 69 tvbox 69 7 months ago These videos are like death by powerpoint in college lectures! 8 REPLY View all 2 replies cliberg cliberg 8 months ago Is the ash from BBQ charcoal briquettes OK too? Thanks... 8 REPLY View all 14 replies JOE Z JOE Z 2 months ago Good information I did not know all these facts and ratios. A few years back an old timer couldn’t believe that I was wasting my wood ash to melt snow. I heard of using ash in the garden but never put it directly into the garden only mixed some into my mulch bin, to me it was just some more organic matter. Well after this old time gardener “schooled” me about the benefits of using the ash I agreed to do it. I did get a nice crop the following year & I still use it. I since then started raising chickens & use a deep bedding method in the coop & add ash into that also. It works great in there. Besides getting some of the best mulch I ever produced the chickens really like to dust themselves with it especially in the winter when the ground in their run is too hard or frozen. Thanks you for sharing. Stay well, Joe Z. Read more 1 REPLY YoshiTheShiba YoshiTheShiba 8 months ago Ash for melting snow and ice works very well, I've been doing it for years, although I didn't know there was more scientific explanation for the melting process. 2 REPLY View reply rodney adams rodney adams 4 months ago make sure it 100 cold before add compost pile. if even one spark you could have huge fire. and wast sometimes years work. 2 REPLY View reply Brazos Forager Brazos Forager 7 months ago Keep those ashes off the leaves in your garden 1 REPLY Gray Wolf Gray Wolf 7 months ago (edited) Wood ash..good for soil plus burn your leaves and trash use around bushes..plus to fast grow of bushes trees-put the grass you catch in the lawnmower bagger around your trees..bushes-flowers as it rots releases nutrients plus draws worms that are great for your soil they eat they poop..your things love poop🤔😊 1 REPLY View reply Xpi Yrw Xpi Yrw 1 month ago NO. ! Wood ash is BAD for soil.it easily makes the soil alkaline. I did this to my garden and it took two years and lots of work to get the PH back where plants grow right. LOTS of toxic salts in wood ash. That are hard on microbes. 1 REPLY View reply Astro Gremlin Astro Gremlin 2 months ago You can put it on your forehead for Ash Wednesday. 1 REPLY View all 2 replies David Mandziuk David Mandziuk 1 month ago Also, apply around perimeter of house to keep out bugs and spiders, ants. They hate wood ash 1 REPLY kleineroteHex kleineroteHex 8 months ago Wood ash on walkways makes for a real mess when you walk in the house 😊 17 REPLY View all 2 replies alan30189 alan30189 7 months ago Melt snow on your walkways and driveways. Right. Then track all that muck inside your house or car. No thanks. 3 REPLY John Kugelfischer John Kugelfischer 3 months ago You can boil CORN in it and complete a process called nixtamalization. It makes corn kernels EDIBLE for humans, and you can then grind them and make MASA, and then TORTILLAS. The ancient Indians figured this out. And you thought they were just savages! 1 REPLY SJVChE SJVChE 7 months ago Most western soils are made from granite, not limestone, and are alkaline already, be careful. 1 REPLY Master Shannon Master Shannon 8 months ago Ash tea? That can be caustic and burn your skin off if not dilute enough. That is what they used to use instead of lye to make soap with. Especially if it is hard wood ash. 13 REPLY View all 3 replies Jim Marcum Jim Marcum 1 week ago use it sparingly. REPLY F Huber F Huber 1 month ago No garden? Spread it on your lawn and sprinkle the lawn to water it in. REPLY Mr Ferris Mr Ferris 7 months ago spot on video, thanks. REPLY View reply Kate Wizer Kate Wizer 2 weeks ago If we did that here, in New Mexico, we would kill all chance of growing anything! We have such alkaline soil, we are only able to grow a garden by doing acid enhancing things,like adding raw compost . REPLY فاروق سعد محمود فاروق سعد محمود 8 months ago cool REPLY Oxtoa Wolf Oxtoa Wolf 7 months ago Great advice! REPLY Fort Bumper Fort Bumper 7 months ago (edited) Wood ashes have many great uses! Fertilizer, insect deterrent, soap, paint, cast iron and stove repair, even medicinal purposes! REPLY Jeans Roses Jeans Roses 8 months ago thank you! I always appreciate recipes and ratios of these amendments! I also sprinkle wood ashes over moss growing in the driveway, as it kills it. REPLY View reply Smugface Smugface 8 months ago you have a beautiful voice REPLY kickin' chicken kickin' chicken 7 months ago ash tea aka KOH REPLY Patricia mckinney Patricia mckinney 2 months ago My sifted wood ash also stops my feet from itching. I have Happy Feet now. Not a cure but stops my feet from itching, and sweating. Reapply as needed. Free for me. REPLY T.M. Squirrel T.M. Squirrel 8 months ago can ash from wood pellets used in wood pellet stove be acceptable? REPLY View reply MH MH MH MH 8 months ago hi. can i add veniger and woodash together to my citrus tree REPLY Mårten Thornberg Mårten Thornberg 8 months ago This is common practice but a bad idea, at least for vegetables and herbs. Wood ash can also contain high amounts of heavy metals, such as cadmium, which is not something you want to put into your kitchen garden. The amount of cadmium will vary but there is no easy way to check if your ash is safe unless you test it, which is probably more hassle than it's worth. Just because something is natural doesn't mean it is healthy or safe! REPLY View all 2 replies Dreamsound Productions Dreamsound Productions 3 weeks ago Love that ash is organic and can be repurposed in the earth! The circle of life. Ash is such a pain to dispose of so this is perfect! REPLY Ranimal Farms Ranimal Farms 2 days ago We Enjoyed Your Video, Thank You & Keep Up The Good Work! REPLY Markus Y Markus Y 3 weeks ago will ash from charcoal work also? REPLY ramone79 ramone79 7 months ago A bit too much and everything stops to grow ;o) REPLY Teddy Wawwrzyniak Teddy Wawwrzyniak 7 months ago Really wood ash. I've been using it for decades. Everywhere on anything . I have carried it in my car and trucks. Really better than sons and salt if you get stuck in snow. Iced driveways, sidewalks, excellent! A little dirty but can be cleaned and doesn't wreak floors or carpets. About time people knew the advantages. Us older guys know some stuff but we don't think twice about it.;) 1 REPLY View reply Teddy Wawwrzyniak Teddy Wawwrzyniak 7 months ago P. S. I think bar b que ash is good too REPLY az0970449 az0970449 2 months ago use it on my lawn helps a lot grass is very green REPLY Tom Sanders Tom Sanders 1 day ago I use it on my rash and have done for years... REPLY WILLIAM SHAW WILLIAM SHAW 1 day ago (edited) I find that a galvanized bin is quickly corroded by wood ash but a plasic bin is all right for storing wood ash until ready to use in the garden. REPLY deadend51000 deadend51000 2 months ago Alot videos are about never throwing stuff away, The owner of the channel must be a hoarder. REPLY Robbie Gregory Robbie Gregory 7 months ago Has anyone used it on the lawn? If so,did it make any difference?-Thanks REPLY View reply Fleugar OutDoors Fleugar OutDoors 7 months ago wood ash also is very caustic when mixed with water, lye. REPLY View reply Ole Larsen Ole Larsen 7 months ago I have heard that heavy metals accumulate in wood ash, I dont use it in the garden, but maybe ash tea is a good idea if you leave the sediment on the bottom. Ash is good to throw on snow and ice. REPLY Sam McCormack Sam McCormack 1 month ago I use wood ash in my mushroom substrate and it also makes a great foundation layer for patio brick because it packs down and gets hard. REPLY Fghj GHJjjy Fghj GHJjjy 1 month ago i toss everything on my garden. My hair after i cut it, left over beers, bleach, soap and corn oil , keeps my garden green . Anything that i'm too lazy to toss in the trash gets pour onto my plants... REPLY Heather Murray Heather Murray 1 month ago Thanks for this...I’ll try it REPLY cat whatever cat whatever 8 months ago How about coal ash? From a coal stove? REPLY View all 2 replies Lisa Mieth Lisa Mieth 8 months ago Is the ash from a pellet stove ok to use? REPLY View reply Ken Bellchambers Ken Bellchambers 8 months ago When using wood ash on the compost pile use only a light dusting every foot or so of other materials. Too much wood ash breeds bad odours, and can cause a slimy area if too much is applied. One bucket is enough for three tonnes of compost. Briquettes may contain diesoline or kerosene, definitely not for the compost pile. REPLY View reply lxmzhg lxmzhg 8 months ago How about ashes from a coal burning stove... are they toxic? REPLY View all 2 replies Joe Rowland Joe Rowland 7 months ago I put a lot of wood ash on my garden, but you can over do it 1 REPLY View all 2 replies Tracy Burton Tracy Burton 6 months ago I will try ash on driveway this winter. thanks your great. REPLY View reply Dave Strachan Dave Strachan 7 months ago Very good way to kill your garden. This is ABSOLUTE garbage. Totally non water soulable, and is well known to create non viable soils, in every environment. REPLY View all 4 replies J & B Homeliving J & B Homeliving 8 months ago I used wood ashes before and I will never use it again. It killed my plants. I only burn natural hard wood. Are you kidding me? REPLY View all 3 replies denise mcc denise mcc 7 months ago True. 90 nutrients. Cancer came along AFTER electricity. REPLY View reply giulia Italy giulia Italy 8 months ago The ash is very good to do wash The house and the to do laundry REPLY