Wood and straw ash is an effective natural fertilizer containing potassium, phosphorus, calcium and other mineral substances necessary for plants. The ash composition is different depending on the plants used. Most potassium (up to 35%) is found in the ashes of sunflower stems and buckwheat straw, the least (up to 2%) - in ash from peat and oil shale. Keep the ash in a dry place, since moisture contributes to the loss of potassium. Gardeners use ash as a fertilizer and as a means to combat pests and diseases.
Application of ash as a fertilizer
How is the ash for plants useful? Ashes fertilize and make the soil more alkaline, its use in the garden improves resistance to diseases and plant survival.
There are two ways how to fertilize with ashes:
- Pour dry ash into the groove along the perimeter of the crown with a depth of 10-15 cm and immediately fill it with earth. For an adult tree use about 2 kg of ash, and under a black currant bush - 3 cups of ash.
- Make a solution of ash and, continuously mixing, pour into grooves and also immediately fill up the soil. For watering ashes on a bucket of water you need 100-150 g. For tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, topping with ash is 0.5 liters of solution per plant.
When and how to use ash as a fertilizer?
For ease of use, you need to know: 1 tbsp. The spoon contains 6 g of ash, a faceted glass - 100 g, a liter jar - 500 g.
When planting seedlings of cucumbers, squash, patissons, it is enough to add 1-2 st. spoons of ashes, and for sprouts of sweet pepper, cabbage, aubergines and tomatoes mix with soil 3 tbsp. spoon ash in the hole.
To improve the structure and fertilization of the soil in autumn during digging it is useful to make ash on clay and loamy soils for 100-200 g per 1 m2. The use of ash positively affects the yield for 4 years.
Wood ash is well poured under plants that react poorly to chlorine: strawberries, raspberries, currants, potatoes, application rate - 100-150 g per 1 m2. The application of 800 g of ash per 10 m2 with the planting of potatoes, increases the yield by 15-30 kg from a hundred.
When transplanting indoor plants, add 2 tbsp. Spoons of ashes per 1 liter of soil for cyclamens, geraniums and fuchsias.
The ash should not be used:
- as fertilizer on alkaline soils;
- under azaleas, camellias, rhododendrons, blueberries, cranberries, heathers, etc .;
- simultaneously with nitrogen fertilizers (manure, ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, urea);
- from debris, painted wood, newspapers and magazines, as it contains chemicals and heavy metals.
Ashes for pest and disease control
There are two methods of using ash for these purposes:
- dusting;
- spraying.
The plants are powdered with dry ash early in the morning, by dew, or by sprinkling them with clean water. It is useful to dust the ash for plants, since it:
- discourages slugs and snails;
- protects during the ripening period strawberry berries from gray rot ;
- leads to the death of larvae of the Colorado beetle for two days;
- discourages cruciferous fleas and protects cabbage from diseases of the keel and black leg.
An ashes solution for spraying helps from aphids, powdery currant dew, cucumbers, gooseberries, cherry mucous sawfly and other pests and diseases. Also used for spraying the infusion of ash.
Preparation of ash solution: Pour boiled water over 300 g of sifted ash and boil for 20-30 minutes. Then let the broth stand, drain, dilute with water to 10 liters and add 40-50 g of soap. Processing with such a solution of the plant can be 2 times a month.
When working with ash, one should remember about eye and respiratory protection. Due to the fact that ash is a universal and harmless fertilizer, gardeners very often use it on their sites.