Farmers have long used ash as fertilizer. Probably, they intuitively knew about its benefits. Later, science proved that the products of burning plant wastes are rich in trace elements such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, zinc, sulfur and phosphorus that are needed by plants and the earth. But most of all in the ash of potassium. All these trace elements are necessary for the plant at all stages of growth. Therefore, timely feeding with ash strengthens the plant, helps to resist pests. And, of course, the chemical and physical properties of the soil are improved. Soil fertility depends on the structure, composition and acidity, which means obtaining good germination and yield of crops grown.
Ash application
Being a good potash and phosphorus fertilizer, ash is useful for vegetables and fruit trees during their flowering and fruit formation. It does not have chlorine compounds, so it is used in top dressing of berry plants: strawberries, raspberries, red and black currants. Potatoes and cabbage will be protected from fungal diseases. Before planting vegetables - peppers, tomatoes and eggplants - ash is added to the digging of beds. It is also used to protect plants from pests in the form of spraying or sprinkling plants. Ash is used to improve seed germination by soaking them in a one-day ash solution (solutions will be discussed below).
What happens when this eco-friendly fertilizer is applied to the soil? The alkaline properties of humus are improved, the pH is increased, favorable conditions are created for the vital activity of soil microflora. This, in turn, increases the yield and frost resistance of plants. But gardeners should not forget that ash is a caustic alkali, and it not only compensates for the excess acidity of the soil, but when consumed in large quantities it destroys soil bacteria and earthworms that cannot tolerate it. For them, ash in large quantities is fatal, and restoration of the population is slow.
When top dressing is applied to the soil
Light sandy and sandy soils are fed with ashes in spring, in contrast to heavy soils, which are fertilized twice a year - in autumn and spring. Moreover, the ash should be introduced into the soil either in late spring, when the rains are already becoming rare and not so plentiful, or immediately before planting. The fact is that this combustion product is well washed out of the soil by precipitation. In such soil, plants during transplantation take root more quickly and do not get sick.
For greater efficiency, ash is mixed with humus or peat. It is impossible to simultaneously introduce the combustion product and nitrogen fertilizers into the soil. Nitrogen is introduced about a month or later after application of the ash fertilizer. The "fed" land for three years gives good harvests. Long-term practice of gardeners verified that a better tool than ash simply does not exist.
Which ash is more beneficial
Ash is considered useful with the highest content of potassium and phosphorus. Burning dry grass, buckwheat and sunflower stalks gives up to 36% of potassium oxide - K 2 O. The largest percentage of potassium content is in ash from burned wood of deciduous trees. Useful ash can be prepared for the garden at home.
This requires a special tall metal box. When burning wood, the high walls of the box will not let fly ash. Only wood and dry stems and grass need to be burned in this box. There should be no impurities in the raw materials burned. Only this ashes will be considered useful. The resulting ash is best stored in a sealed wooden or ceramic container. Storage in plastic bags is not allowed, since a concentrate is formed in them, which is not necessary for ash. There is also industrial production of ash. It is sold in special waterproof bags.
Root feeding of plants
Wood ash is used both in dry and in liquid form. Dry is most often embedded in the soil, the liquid option is infusions for top dressing or a simple dilution of ash in water to water the plant under the root. Usually a glass of ash is taken on a ten-liter bucket and the plant is watered with a well-mixed solution. Such an ash solution may well replace industrial fertilizers.
The infusion is done for top dressing garden plants or spraying them with the root method. For this, 1/3 of a bucket of ash is taken and poured with hot water, infused for two days. The infused solution is filtered and used for root watering of plants.
Foliar feeding method
It is very good to spray plants with ash. Spraying is usually carried out in the evening. Such procedures can be done up to three within a month. Still for foliar top dressing with ash solution, a decoction is suitable. How to cook it: 300 g of ash is poured with boiling water, the mixture is boiled for another half hour, then it is diluted in 10 liters of water with the addition of 50 grams of shavings of laundry soap. Thanks to the soap solution, dressing is held on the leaves of vegetable crops. Such spraying is effective in the fight against aphids, wireworms, black legs, keels and cruciferous fleas. Plant leaves sprayed with such a solution are protected from nematodes and slugs with snails.
Feeding ash trees and flowers
It is useful to plant soil before planting trees or shrubs. To do this, 150 grams of ash is embedded in one square meter of a hole to a depth of 10 cm. Such feeding will help seedlings to better adapt in a new place and develop a better root system. Garden trees, like vegetables, need to be protected from pests and diseases. Infusion on ash saves the garden from numerous pests and diseases.
Top dressing with ash is useful for roses, peonies, clematis and gladiolus. When planting these flowers, you can put 10 g of ash in each well. Flowers are also threatened by pests. To protect leaves and buds from insects, plants are sprayed with ash infusion, after spraying them with water. It is advisable to carry out this procedure in calm weather in the evening.
Application Rate
No matter what feeding the plants with ashes, it must be remembered that the principle “the more the better” is not suitable here. Ash is an organic fertilizer, and an excess of organic matter can adversely affect crops. There are such application rates: for 1 hundredth of the garden you need to make 1.5 kg of ash in the soil in the autumn digging. When planting vegetable crops, usually feeding goes into the pits at the rate of a handful per hole. You can use aqueous solutions of ash, pouring a glass of solution into each well. At the same time, the roots of the plant better absorb nutrients.
Individual approach
Vegetable crops are fed with ashes both before planting and during plant growth. Each plant in its own way responds to such a feed. That is, each vegetable has its own attitude to fertilizer. For example, in wells with seedlings of squash, cucumbers, zucchini, it is enough to add 1-2 tablespoons of ash, and 3 tablespoons are poured into the holes for seedlings of tomatoes, eggplant and sweet pepper.
This suggests that more potassium and phosphorus are needed for these crops. Many gardeners recommend soaking the seeds before planting in a daily ash solution at the rate of 20 g of substance per 1 liter of water. Ashy "font" like seeds of tomatoes, cucumbers and eggplant.
Thus, feeding seedlings with ash will strengthen the young plant, the seeds will provide good germination, as a result, the productivity of these crops will increase significantly.
Strawberry dressing
The very first berry ripening in the garden is strawberries. Each gardener wants to collect a large crop of this tasty and healthy berry. This perennial plant needs to be rejuvenated and transplanted every four years. And, of course, the soil into which it will be transplanted must be fertile for further growth and fruiting. Very often, wood ash is used to feed strawberries as a natural complex mineral fertilizer, which includes potassium and phosphorus. Organic matter is introduced into the aisles twice - in early spring when the soil is mulched, in August-September, after fruiting and pruning of bushes. Many gardeners prefer to fertilize strawberries with an ash solution. The application rate is 1 liter per 1 square meter of beds. You can make additional feeding strawberries with ash in the spring before flowering. This will be foliar top dressing that protects the plant from diseases and pests. The composition of this therapeutic cocktail is boric acid (2 g), potassium permanganate (2 g), sifted ash (1 glass), iodine (1 tablespoon), a bucket of hot water (10 l). Stir, warm to a temperature of 65 ° C, spray in the evening or early morning plants.
Feeding cucumbers
Probably, there will not be a single summer gardener who would not grow cucumbers on his plot. So, the topic of proper care for this vegetable is always relevant. To get a good crop of even green cucumbers, they need to be fed both in the greenhouse and in the open area. The ideal fertilizer for cucumbers is wood ash. For the entire vegetative period, it is enough to carry out from 2 to 4 introductions of organics, this is especially true before flowering and during the formation of ovaries. And a couple of top dressings during the fruiting period.
There are several ways to feed cucumbers with ash. Each gardener himself, based on experience, selects the form of fertilizer application - root or extra root. It all depends on what summer. If the weather is warm, and the cucumber has a well-developed root system, root dressing should be done, after having abundantly irrigated the beds. And foliar top dressing is best done in the cool summer. Experience shows that the cold time of the day does not contribute to the good development of the root system, which means that the roots will not absorb food during root application.
Foliar application suggests that the nutrient ash solution is sprayed evenly over the leaves. This should be done in calm weather, so that drops of fertilizer stay on the plant for as long as possible.
Feeding pepper with ash
People say: "If in the summer the garden is hungry, in the fall and winter there will be a hungry gardener." So, in order not to starve, you need to “feed” the garden so that you can harvest an excellent crop from it. In the continuation of the conversation about ash feeding, it is worth talking about salad pepper. They love to grow it in cottages and gardens to eat raw and make twists for the winter. It should be noted right away that, unlike cucumbers, strawberries and berry bushes, foliar top dressing for salad pepper is not used. Experienced gardeners make feeding seedlings with ash during the formation of this leaf, and two weeks before planting in the ground. When seedlings are planted in holes, they throw a handful of ash into each hole, which contributes to the rapid acclimatization of the plant. Sweet pepper is also fertilized during flowering and fruiting. The infusion of ash for feeding (0.5 liters per 1 sq. M.) Is embedded in the soil. During the fruiting period, pepper can be fertilized by scattering ½ tablespoon of dry ash around the bushes every 2 weeks. This will give sweetness to the fruit.
Some recommendations
- Do not mix humus (nitrogen fertilizer) and ash.
- Ash does not mix with superphosphate.
- Only wood ash is used to fertilize the garden.
- Burning products should not be applied to soils where the pH is 7 or more.
- Camellia, azaleas, rhododendrons, blueberries, cranberries do not fertilize with ash - these plants love acidic soil.
- Ash after combustion of branches of young trees contains more potassium and phosphorus than after combustion of old and large trees.
If you adhere to the recommendations of experienced gardeners, correctly and on time to apply organic fertilizers in the required quantity, then a good harvest is guaranteed.