Sasha CampbellWood ash is helpful in the garden. Commonly used as a soil amendment, it is a good source of calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium.
Wood ash is the powdery substance that remains after burning wood [1]. If you don’t have a fireplace, burning an outdoor pile of dry wood is all it takes to make wood ash.
Benefits of Using Wood Ashes in the Garden
1. Natural Fertilizer
Plants need a variety of essential nutrients to thrive. Some of these can be found in wood ashes.
To effectively use wood ash as fertilizer, apply 10 to 15 pounds per 1,000 square feet of soil. It is suitable for asparagus, leeks, beets, tomatoes, roses, and fruit trees.
2. Add to Compost
Gardeners hope for a healthy compost pile. Adding small amounts of ashes from the wood fire will help keep it healthy by maintaining the compost’s neutral condition.
The smell of ashes also deters wildlife, such as bears, who would otherwise consider the compost a free buffet.
Also, check the middle of the compost before adding ashes and again a month later. You will find that it contains a significantly larger number of composting worms.
3. Garden Lime Substitute
You can use fireplace ash as a substitute for agricultural lime.
Garden lime is used agriculturally to raise soil pH. Therefore, use your fireplace ashes instead of paying for garden lime at the farm store.
4. Slug Repellent
Slugs and snails move more efficiently when the soil is wet, whereas on dry surfaces they are hindered in free movement.
When applied to a damp surface, ashes soak up moisture. Thus, the theory is that slugs and snails will avoid plants and soil treated with wood ash.
5. Raise Soil pH Levels
Another benefit of using wood ash for plants is that it raises soil pH.
This happens because the calcium in wood ash raises soil pH [2]. However, you will need to replenish it after heavy rain.
6. May Prevent Blossom End Rot
Plants with visible signs of blossom end rot require higher calcium levels to prevent recurring problems. Therefore, mixing some fire pit ashes into the soil after testing could be beneficial, as they contain calcium.
7. Helps Prevent Frost Damage
To protect your plants from frost damage, apply a light dusting of wood ash. The mineral salts in wood ash can lower the freezing point of water without damaging plant tissues.
8. Keep Chicken Feathers Clean
Anyone with chickens knows just how much they enjoy bathing in the dust. It is their primary way of keeping their feathers clean.
Therefore, make a bathing box for your chickens and put it inside the coop. Use either sand or soil and mix in some ash.
Wood ash will also deter parasites like lice, fleas, and mites.
9. Freshen Up the Chicken Coop
Since wood ash is alkaline, it can help neutralize poop odors when sprinkled throughout a chicken coop. The same principle applies to baking soda when used around the home or to keep odors out of refrigerators.
Fire ashes also help prevent parasites that could otherwise be a nuisance in the chicken coop and on the farm.
10. Ant Repellent
Many people are seeking non-toxic methods to control ants in their gardens and homes. Hardwood ash can help.
Therefore, place a thick layer over the ant hills in your yard and garden, as well as over the cracks they use to enter the house. Check daily to make sure the holes are still covered. If not, reapply.
The ants will get tired of digging their hole every day and move on to more manageable quarters. The ash will also suffocate them as they try to crawl through it.
11. Chicken Feed Supplement
Adding wood ash to their food is a free, natural way to boost your chickens’ calcium and potassium intake. You’ll only need a small amount—less than a 1% ratio.
This may also reduce manure smells and extend a hen’s laying capabilities longer than usual.
You can also add small amounts of charcoal to chicken waterers. It will filter the water, reduce odors, and absorb toxins.
12. Repels Cucumber Beetles
Make a spray by combining a handful of fire ash with a gallon of water. Spray your cucumbers and other cucurbits to keep cucumber beetles away.
Essential Nutrients That Wood Ash Contains
Most people would be surprised to learn how many nutrients are in wood stove ash. Far from being a waste product that needs to be disposed of, it has real value in the garden.
Wood ashes contain four essential minerals that plants need.
- Phosphorous
- Calcium
- Potassium
- Magnesium
Some soils naturally lack these minerals in abundance, while others need fortification.
Minerals like sodium and magnesium are also found in ashes. You will also find much smaller amounts of copper, boron, sulfur, zinc, and molybdenum.
However, while wood ash has a bit of everything, it lacks nitrogen. So, use a specialty supplement or fertilizer that has nitrogen in areas where the soil is low in nitrogen.
Plants That Grow Well in Soil Containing Wood Ash
Vegetables like artichokes, cauliflower, chives, arugula, spinach, lettuce, and collards do well in garden soil that contains ash.
Wood ash is also suitable for flower gardens. Flowering plants that like wood ashes include lavender, hydrangeas, peonies, and roses.
However, please do not use it on crops like tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, radishes, carrots, cucumbers, raspberries, and blueberries.
Firewood ash is also not good for rhododendrons, marigolds, nasturtiums, and azaleas, as these plants prefer acidic soil.
Therefore, before adding wood ash to plants or the surrounding soil, purchase a soil test kit and test your soil’s pH.
Takeaway
Now that you know what to do with wood ash, find a dry spot to store it during the winter. By spring, you should have a decent supply set aside for the garden and lawn.
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