How to use ash in a summer cottage: benefits, when and under which plants to apply

Adherents of organic farming do not use chemicals on their plots to improve soil fertility and protect cultivated plants, but prefer natural substances. They do not act as quickly as herbicides and fungicides, but do not harm the environment and human he alth. Before using ash in a summer cottage, you need to figure out how to do it correctly in order to get the expected effect.

Types and composition

Ash is obtained by burning various natural substances, wood is the most popular.In addition to it, ash obtained from straw, sunflower stalks, peat, slate and dung is used in summer cottages. The composition of the future fertilizer directly depends on the product from which it is obtained. In addition, the age of the plant and its variety affect the presence of useful components in the ash.

Before applying top dressing, it is worth considering that it deoxidizes the soil, therefore, if the garden has alkaline soil, you should not add a lot of ash.

The main elements in the composition of ash are:

• magnesium and calcium sulfate - necessary for cruciferous plants, has a prolonged action;
• magnesium and calcium carbonate - activates metabolic processes in the tissues of cultivated plants, promotes the entry of nutrients into cells, accelerates fruit ripening and increases yield;
• potassium and sodium orthophosphate - helps in the regulation of fluid in the tissues of cultures and takes part in the synthesis of such a macronutrient as nitrogen;
• magnesium and calcium silicate - especially necessary when growing onions, as it gives the heads a presentation and extends the shelf life in the winter;
• sodium and calcium chloride - has bactericidal properties and allows plants to accumulate moisture, making them easier to tolerate extreme heat.

How is ash obtained?

There are several ways to obtain natural fertilizer, everyone chooses the method that suits him best. If the house has a fireplace, and the owners use firewood to kindle it, you can gradually collect the amount of ash necessary to feed the soil over the winter.

They also collect straw and branches from their backyard and burn them at the stake. It must be remembered that plastic bottles, bags, and rubber cannot be used to obtain organic fertilizer. When exposed to high temperatures, dangerous chemical compounds are released from them, which subsequently penetrate into the fruits, and from there into the human body.

Wood

In addition to the main macronutrients, wood ash contains components such as boron, silicon, manganese and iron. If spruce branches are burned, the gardener will receive a fertilizer with a high content of calcium, and hardwoods will give a top dressing rich in potassium.

As a rule, wood ash is harvested in spring or autumn, when there is a free site for making a fire on the site, and sanitary pruning of trees has been carried out. If a potato field is chosen as a place, it is worth placing a metal sheet under the branches so as not to overheat the soil. The ashes can be collected and used 2 days after the fire has completely cooled down.

From fallen leaves, tops and straw

In fallen leaves, the concentration of useful components is minimal, so the ashes from this material are rarely used. It is more expedient to use for fertilizer the ash left over from the burning of sunflower tops and nightshade crops, which is rich in potassium.Straw from grain plants, which contains a large amount of phosphorus and potassium, is also suitable for obtaining useful top dressing.

After harvesting, plant residues are raked to a separate area and allowed to dry for several days in the sun. After that, a fire is made, observing safety requirements, and burned to ash.

From coal

Ash obtained from coal is rarely used as a fertilizer, since useful components are in it in a form that is difficult for cultivated plants. Coal ash is obtained by grinding burnt raw materials. If the house does not have a stove that is heated with this component, they buy ready-made ash, which is sold in gardening stores.

Peat

To obtain fertilizer from peat, briquettes are purchased in the store and burned in a fireplace and stove. The resulting ash is used to improve the composition of the soil and feed cultivated plants.Such ashes contain phosphorus and potassium, as well as a small amount of lime. According to its characteristics, it loses to wood ash, but can also be used in gardening.

How to apply as fertilizer

The use of ash in the garden is carried out in different ways, which depend on the goals pursued by the gardener.

The most commonly used ashes are as follows:

1. After harvesting in autumn, wood ash is scattered over the entire area and dug up along with the soil. During the winter, the earth will be saturated with useful substances.
2. When sowing seeds or planting seedlings of vegetable crops, a handful of ashes is poured into each hole. It contributes to the fastest germination of the material and the adaptation of seedlings in open ground.
3. Make an aqueous solution and add plants to replenish useful components.

Another way to use wood ash is to dip potato slices in it before planting.

A nutritious infusion is also prepared for feeding crops:

1. A glass of wood ash is poured into 10 liters of clean water.
2. The liquid is kept under a closed lid for a day, after which it is used for watering plants. Melons and cucumbers respond favorably to this fertilizer.

Use as pest and disease control

The application of wood ash helps to fight insect pests that destroy plantings of fruit crops. In addition, organic top dressing serves as a prevention of fungal plant diseases.

If there are a lot of snails and slugs on the plot, prepare a remedy from the same parts of tobacco and wood ash and scatter it around the garden at the rate of 300 grams per square meter.

When signs of a fungal infection appear on the leaves of young plants, an infusion of 10 liters of water and 3 kg of ash is prepared, which is infused for 3 days, and then used to irrigate crops. If grated laundry soap is added to the infusion, its effectiveness will increase.

In autumn, a thin layer of ash is scattered over the surface of the soil and the earth is dug up shallowly. Such a procedure not only increases fertility, but also produces a disinfecting effect.

Benefits for plants and soil

The following points are distinguished as useful properties of ash:

• possibility of soil deoxidation;
• feeding plants with essential macronutrients;
• strengthening the immunity of fruit crops;
• improving soil fertility;
• repel pests.

Common mistakes

When planning to use ash in your garden, you must remember that it is not suitable as a top dressing on alkaline soils. It is also important that the ash contains no foreign chemical impurities that can harm human he alth.

For which plants can not be used

You can not use ashes in the beds where radishes, blueberries, sorrel grow, as these plants prefer acidic soil.

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