On a third of an acre in a village, living alongside his wife and trusty hound, Tim works towards living life within nature instead of at odds with it. Chickens, gardening, mushrooms and much more occupies Tim's mind as new projects appear and old projects complete. Tim is currently working towards renovating his 1850's home while turning lawn into edible space.
Wood ash is the residual material left over from the combustion process of burning wood. Wood ash is a fine black/grey powdery substance. Wood ash is primarily made up of calcium carbonate (Around 20%-50%) but also contains a variety of other mineral compounds. The combustion of wood creates roughly 10% ash as an end result. Hardwoods are reported to create more ash than softwood species. Branches and leaves produce more ash than heartwood. Wood ash is reported to increase the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of soils when applied.
As a general rule of thumb, most applications of wood ash for soil are recommended at an interval of once a year.
Uses
Liming Agent - Wood Ash is caustic (PH of around 10 to 12) and can be utilized to adjust soil PH.
Mineralization - Wood ash is a notable source of calcium and potassium. Wood ash contains many other minerals as well.
Wood ash is a caustic material and can cause harm if not handled with respect. Consider using both skin and breathing protection when handling wood ash.
Wood ash mixed with high nitrogen materials can encourage volatilization of the nitrogen into the air.
Ensure the source of your wood ash is free of contaminates that could persist into the ash. Burning only firewood and natural materials is recommended to ensure good quality wood ash.
Wood ash can introduce salts to soil so care should be had to avoid overapplication.
Applying too much wood ash at once (especially in the rain) can lead to potassium runoff issues.
Similar to cleaning glass, wood ash makes a decent polish for tarnished metals such as silverware, pewter, and copper. Add enough water to form a paste and then utilize a rag to apply.
I used to consider wood ash to be waste but now it is a welcome component to my homestead.
I try my best to apply it to the ground in the winter season. This gives moisture time to mellow out the salts and buffer the soil before the growing season sets in. I'm especially pleased this year with the growth of my brassicas in the areas that have been treated with wood ash.
Historically, wood ash could be turned into potash to use as a fertilizer. This was accomplished by soaking the ash in water to settle out the solids and then boiling the lye rich liquid down into a white powder (potash). In other cases, 'raw' ash was applied for its soil benefits. Interestingly enough, some documents from the early 1900's indicated that some ash being sold as fertilizer was "heated and sweated" prior to sale in order to concentrate the ash into something that weighed less than raw ash. Another nugget of wisdom was to layer bones destined to be bonemeal with layers of ash. This is then moistened to soften the bones prior to be broken up and spread.
Advertisement found in 'Wood Ashes and Their Use' by T. Greiner circa 1895
Wood ash is the residual material left over from the combustion process of burning wood. Wood ash is a fine black/grey powdery substance. Wood ash is primarily made up of calcium carbonate (Around 20%-50%) but also contains a variety of other mineral compounds. The combustion of wood creates roughly 10% ash as an end result. Hardwoods are reported to create more ash than softwood species. Branches and leaves produce more ash than heartwood. Wood ash is reported to increase the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of soils when applied.
As a general rule of thumb, most applications of wood ash for soil are recommended at an interval of once a year.
Uses
Liming Agent - Wood Ash is caustic (PH of around 10 to 12) and can be utilized to adjust soil PH.
Mineralization - Wood ash is a notable source of calcium and potassium. Wood ash contains many other minerals as well.
Wood ash is a caustic material and can cause harm if not handled with respect. Consider using both skin and breathing protection when handling wood ash.
Wood ash mixed with high nitrogen materials can encourage volatilization of the nitrogen into the air.
Ensure the source of your wood ash is free of contaminates that could persist into the ash. Burning only firewood and natural materials is recommended to ensure good quality wood ash.
Wood ash can introduce salts to soil so care should be had to avoid overapplication.
Applying too much wood ash at once (especially in the rain) can lead to potassium runoff issues.
Do you have a standard size of cardboard you are using as feedstock or just an assortment of sizes?
I wonder if the extra effort to cut the cardboard into uniform strips might be useful to reduce the amount of stuck ashy embers if you didn't have a bundle of twigs handy in similar supply to the cardboard.
