uses for wood ash

So I was recently filling an email with info about wood ash and before smacking "send" I thought a bit of copy and paste was in order ....

Wood ash should never be stored inside.  It could have hot embers in it that could survive for days and cause all sorts of problems.

Never let a bucket of wood ash get wet.  This is how lye is made.  If you have seen "fight club" - that kiss on the hand was done with lye.  Extremely high toxicity and dangerous to boot. 

Once wood ash is cooled, it is loaded with great stuff for a farm.  When sifted, it usually gives up lots of goodies: chunks of coal for burning;  nails, screws and other interesting bits of hardware;  the sifted ash can be used in some gardens to raise the pH (make sure it is dusted thin enough so that you don't get that lye thing).

Anybody know of more uses for wood ash?

Don't collect ashes in plastic buckets. This story came from a friend who is an insurance claims adjuster.

The family had had a fire in the fireplace. Mom decided to clean out the fireplace. She stuck her hand in the ashes and couldn't feel any heat, so she scooped them up and dumped them into a plastic bucket.  Some hot embers melted a couple of holes in the bucket and dumped the ashes on the carpet. She got the vacuum (rushing air, paper bag... you know where this is going, right?) and vacuumed them up. Almost instantly, the vacuum bag was smoking and then caught fire. Afraid to grab the handle, she yanked the cord out of the wall and tried to drag the vacuum to the door. The flaming vacuum swerved against the drapes and set them on fire. At that moment the UPS man knocked on the door and heard her call for help. He grabbed the vacuum and threw it out the door onto the wet lawn, then yanked the draped down and threw them outside, too.  Burned carpet, burned drapes, burned vacuum, scorched wall...

BUY A METAL BUCKET AND DEDICATE IT TO FIREPLACE/WOOD STOVE DUTY.  It's a lot cheaper than an increase in your insurance premiums.

When you're sifting ashes, get one of those cheap magnets that are build into a one-piece plastic handle. [They look like this: http://www.teachersource.com/ElectricityAndMagnetism/Magnets/MagneticWands.aspx]

Stir your ashes with it and it will pick out all the nails, screws, staples, etc.

Collect all the charcoal bits and add to your compost pile or soil.  Charcoal has the ability to absorb and hold soil nutrients. Google 'terra preta' for more info on this Amazonian Dark Earth.

Hardwood ashes are a good source of potassium (aka potash) if your soil needs it, but use it carefully if your soil is acidic, and probably not at all if your soil is alkaline (it will make it worse).  A commercial soil test will tell you if you need it.  Find your local Cooperative Extension Service here http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/ and give them a call or send an email asking for info. If they don't do it themselves, they will know who does. A basic soil test should be about $8-10.

Sue

They are supposed to effectively repel carrot maggots. I think Kelda has a thread about a maggot free garden that likely ended up being so do to ashes.

I wouldn't be a bit surprised that they repel the maggots.

I read that it's a good idea to dust your carrot plantings with a thin film of ashes as they grow.  And I've also read of pelletizing carrot seeds with ashes.

I wonder what other crops have this affinity for ashes?

Sue

I think I read somewhere about using it for insulation? 

And I I read somewhere else about it being used for something cement-like? 

researching ...

Using it for a polishing solution:  "polishing plow bottoms"

tanning hides.

rubbing on your face for camouflage (it takes the shine off).

Making lye:  and with lye you can make soap and lots of other things.

to unclog drains

I read something about dipping the cut part of a potato in ash before planting the potato.

preserving fish?

a dust bath for chickens - killing lice and mites

traction on ice.

apparently, when used right, it can act a bit like a bleach with clothes.

Here is an article that talks about ash vs. lime on soils: http://www.tbars.net/lime.pdf

Some people put wood ash on fresh wood when pruning trees - to help the tree heal.

The University of Illinois Extension had an article about using wood ash in the garden at http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/regions/newsletters/archive/tgt/pdf/tgt-02-07.pdf.

Also, I've heard that applications of wood ash can help improve flowering of ornamentals and, presumably, fruit trees as well.

Dave

From all of my reading about using wood ash in the garden or on fruit trees - for every two or three people that experienced happiness, there was one person where things went bad. 

So, as with many things, it would be wise to first have some idea of whether wood ash would be good for your growies. 

Sepp doesn't test his soil anymore, but that's just because he has done so many soil tests that he can now figure out what the soil test would say just by looking at what is growing there now.

But for me:  I'm not that far yet.  I think I have another few dozen soil tests to do.

Wood ash contains (or can contain) Calcium, Magnesium, Sulphur, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sodium, Zinc, Manganese, Iron, Copper, Cobalt, Molybdenum

If a soil test shows that you already have toxic or near toxic levels of one of these, wood ash is probably not going to be your friend.  Plus, if your soil is already over 7.0, you probably don't want to use ash.

I just want to say that where I am (coast range, yamhill county OR the soil tends acidic) I put all my wood ash on my garden, it does wonders for my soil,  seems like it can't get enough. I do it all winter long, gets a good soaking. I scratch it in around plants, careful not to touch. It's clean fir and oak ash, from the land, back to the land.

a thin spreading of wood ash is good for a lot of garden soils and lawns..but avoid it for your acid lovers as it will kill them..and never allow it to pile as it will burn the soil..trust me with a husband with a head injury and we have always heated with wood..we get a lot of stuff killed

Wood ash is rich in potassium(K).  Great for blossoms.

The sulfur content gives rise to healthy alliums-onions, garlic, chives, shallots

The Indore compost method makes full use of ash as a compost ingredient.  The method helps to neutralize the pH.

Wood ash spread around plants/beds/gardens serves as a barrier to slugs.

This stuff is a resource not a waste product.

One of the most common questions I hear (as a soil & compost instructor for OSU Extension) is "should I add ashes to my compost"?
The answer is both yes and no.
First, do NOT put wood ash into raw compost feedstock.  It will react chemically with organic nitrogen, converting it to ammonia gas, and you will lose your nitrogen into the atmosphere.  The effect is amplified if the material goes anaerobic (no oxygen).  Add the ash only to finished (mature) compost.
Add ash only if you want to raise the pH, since it displaces hydrogen (the main soil acidifier).  Get a good quality pH tester (from LaMotte) and research to find what pH is ideal for specific plants.  Add the ash gradually, like once/week, so as not to over-amend or "shock" the soil.
If you happen to over-amend, the best you can do is dilute with more soil or compost.  Trying to lower the pH with sulfur or alum is usually not effective, at least not in the short term.  You can end up with a very toxic soil.  Good luck.

The Indore composting method developed by Albert Howard has wood ash added to the heap as one of the alternating layers.  The entire heap is covered with an inch of soil.  I think this method would limit the interaction of the ash with the nitrates, at least until the heap is turned, and the cap of soil would serve as a barrier for ammonia vapors to escape.

I don't generate much ash here at all.  Once a year I burn a pile of woody brush.  Adding small amounts gradually sounds reasonable, the stuff can be pretty strong.

I tend to gather far more browns than greens.  Over with the hens I have a pile of just leaves.  Greens go into the main heap.  If the brown pile was amended with the ash dumped out all at once so I can get my bucket back, would there be an advantage?  Being low in N, I would not expect much NH3 production. 

Well... the old Indore method is really considered out-dated.  More modern methods focus on trying to obtain peak efficiency.  While layering is a good way to begin the process, all the material needs to be mixed together in order to achieve any real efficiency.  Layering isn't going to decrease nitrogen losses because the moisture in the pile is going to melt the ash and raw nitrogen together anyway, and without moisture there's virtually no decomposition taking place.  We've refined this now to where we add various supplements at specific stages of the composting process, just like a good chef adds various ingredients to the recipe at the correct times.
In some ecosystems the nitrogen issue isn't such a big deal.  But in regions where nitrogen management is a problem, we do have to conserve as much as we can -- it's expensive.

Seems like I've heard of ash being used as part of the process for making hominy?

Kathleen

Whoops, looks like we'll need to reassess our 'adding to the current compost heap' policy then.

It's very good insulation, as Paul already mentioned.

I've read that it encourages germination of legume seeds.

It is an ingredient in water glass: wood ash plus sand, or wood ash plus rice husk ash, or similar recipes. Must be heated in a kiln; the formula is Na2SiO3 or K2SiO3, so a little research and high-school chemistry calculations would be worth doing.

It is used in food preparation, sometimes as a matter of life or death. It can make niacin more available from hominy (quicklime works, too), which can help corn-fed livestock as much as corn-fed humans. It also features in some olive recipes, neutralizing the bitter acids. Same story for acorns.

Like other alkalis, it can slow the corrosion of steel in some circumstances. It can etch aluminum.

I think in the Indore method uses very light sprinklings of ash on browns, not greens, or on soil. In either case, it seems part of its important function is as a sink for nitrate, allowing the nitrate bacteria to work more quickly and probably keeping a greater proportion of the nitrogen mineralized for greater availability. I imagine charcoal would be better at this task.

I have heard of a lot of folks using it in compost or in outhouses, and I've heard from even more folks that it isn't good for the compost pile and does nothing in the outhouse. 

I've been conveying the latter even though I have no significant knowledge in this space.  Basically, the first group seems unaware of the second group and the second group seems aware of the first group - that makes me think that the second group is probably more knowledgeable.    I'll admit that that's not a lot to go on.

Ash on compost:

I think it might make sense to use very sparingly if you're in a huge hurry to mineralize your nitrogen. Most of this forum seems to be well beyond that, adding enough compost that we wouldn't mind if mineralization took, literally, years.

It is also part of a prescribed method that biodynamic growers have been known to follow, in which case it might have ritual significance, regardless of what chemistry might say.

In either case, it's probably a bad idea to use a compost pile to get rid of your wood ashes. The sources I've read are more in the spirit that some small portion of your ash production can go to a particular use in some of your compost piles.

Ash in outhouses:

It will definitely do something. If nothing else, it will kill fly larvae. Speaking from technical education and not from experience, it seems like it would be good as a minor addition to fill material, as a way to stretch it.

I never thought of ashes as good composting material. There is no nitrogen and altho some carbon chunks might be there, it's not in a form to help the compost. I add them to the soil in the fall and winter, then add compost in the spring and summer.

Thanks Joel. 

I think I'm gonna stick to not using ash on compost or in the outhouse.  But I now feel like I'm making a more informed choice.

Recently there have been several huge burns of slash piles in my neck of the woods. Lots of ash..... any suggestions for possible uses?

Owners had given me permission to cut firewood, I developed tendonitis in my arm and didn't finish cutting. I could have cried as I watched "my" winter fuel supply go up in flames!

I use wood ash to speed up the melting of snow in the spring. This opens our fields a month earlier than would otherwise happen. My own little private local warming. The ash darkens the snow which soaks up more solar energy and melts. I stand at the up wind side of the field and toss scoops of ash into the air. The wind carries the ash across the fields. Our winds are pretty steady so this works well. The ash also helps to raise the pH of the soil. Our soil tends to be too acidic from the acid rain.

Cheers

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
Pastured Pigs, Sheep & Kids
in the mountains of Vermont
Read about our on-farm butcher shop project:
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/butchershop
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/csa

It's a good source of potassium - add it to the soil, compost, etc.

Mixing it with water forms lye (potassium hydroxide) - can burn plants or skin if too concentrated.

Traditionally used to make lye for soap.

Wood ash is the best thing I can think of to insulate the spaces within a rocket stove that you don't want to get really hot.  Makes it possible to build the actual structure out of earthblocks or cob, which would simply melt over time if you used them without insulation from the intense heat of the rocket.

This has application in forge and foundery work as well.

Ash is also a good item to have around if you are a potter.  Some of the best hand made pottery I've ever seen were glazed with wood ash.  It's a surprise and a pleasure each time one of these comes out of the kiln because you don't know what you'll get.  Because of the diverse elements in slash ash, as you describe, this could be very exciting indeed.

Jonathan Byron wrote:
It's a good source of potassium - add it to the soil, compost, etc.

Mixing it with water forms lye (potassium hydroxide) - can burn plants or skin if too concentrated.

Traditionally used to make lye for soap.

I wouldn't recommend making lye out of this ash, unless you know EXACTLY what kind of trees were burned to make the ash.  According to what I've been told, ash from soft wood is used to make soft soap, while ash from hard wood is used to make hard soap.  The reason is that the softer woods have higher levels of potassium -- potassium hydroxide is used to make soft or liquid soap; while hard wood has higher levels of sodium -- sodium hydroxide is used to make firm or hard soap.  Generally, the colonists used whatever ash was on hand, which produced a yellowish soap that you scooped out with a dipper.

All great suggestions ..

As you get older .. use smaller chain saws and keep them sharp as noted. At 73, I just trimmed my six 6x6 pressure treated posts .. 1/2 inch below where my roof line will run. If you think some of those cuts didn't require some awkward stances .. they did .. with one foot on the ladder which was on ice .. one on a 2x8 siding support .. watching my T-square marks and eyeballing 1/2 inch below that and keeping the saw out of the ring shank nails that were an inch away but always a worry .. and then there was Mr. Tom Cat Manx .. darting around above and below me .. neighbor's driving by and honking (like I could stop and wave back). I use a Stihl 180c Mini Boss .. crap for big logs .. so I don't gather any.

Uses for wood ash? Try elm ash for a rich light to dark brown in Pottery. Also, try exercising before any work activity and afterwards .. like for several days .. to get into shape and not over do what your muscles can take. Before I get under a horse to trim feet .. I have a whole routine that mother nature has taught me .. mainly my legs, arms and back muscles.

Where ever you screw up on exercising .. will be pointed out to you the day after you do a job.

My chemist friend told me that I can use lye water (soak some ashes in water) to clean out milk buckets.  The fat in the milk and the lye form their own soap, he says.  And the lye is so alkaline that it kills all worrisome microbes.  I'll let you know how it works when I get to try it.  (cow's gonna calve here in a few weeks) 

Any feedback about this from other chemistry minded folks? 

Just remember to wear rubber gloves and eye protection if you're doing that.  Lye water is what was used to disinfect before the ready availability of Clorox.

Well, of course I'm not going to expose my skin to it.  I was asking him what I could use instead of bleach, because that is the gold standard of dairy cleanliness nowadays. 

What about lye water in a grey water system?  Just as bad as bleach?