Feeding plants with ash to increase yield

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-02 13:48

Farmers have used ashes as fertilizer for a long time. Perhaps they intuitively knew about its benefits. It was only later that science proved that the combustion products of plant waste are rich in microelements necessary for the plant and the earth, such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, zinc, sulfur and phosphorus. But most of all in the ashes 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. It is on the structure, composition and acidity that soil fertility depends, and hence obtaining good germination and yield of cultivated crops.

Ash use

Being a good potash and phosphorus fertilizer, ash is useful for vegetables and fruit trees during their flowering and fruit formation. It does not contain chlorine compounds, so it is used in feeding berries: strawberries, raspberries, red and black currants. Potatoes and cabbage will be protected from fungal diseases. Before planting vegetable crops - peppers, tomatoes and eggplants - the ash is brought into the digging of the beds. It is also used to protectplants 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 you apply this sustainable fertilizer to the soil? The alkaline properties of humus improve, pH increases, 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 used in large quantities, it destroys soil bacteria and earthworms that cannot tolerate it. For them, ash in large quantities is destructive, and the restoration of the population is slow.

When top dressing is applied to the soil

Light sandy and sandy soils are fertilized with ash in spring, unlike heavy soils, which are fertilized twice a year - in autumn and spring. Moreover, ash must be applied to 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, transplanted plants take root faster and do not get sick.

For greater efficiency, the ash is mixed with humus or peat. It is impossible to simultaneously introduce a combustion product and nitrogenous fertilizers into the soil. Nitrogen is applied about a month or later after the application of ash fertilizer."Fed" land gives good yields for three years. Many years of practice of gardeners have proven that there is simply no better remedy than ash.

Which ash is he althier

Useful is the ash with the highest content of potassium and phosphorus. Burning dry grass, buckwheat stalks and sunflower gives up to 36% potassium oxide - K_{2O. The highest percentage of potassium content is in the ash from the burnt wood of hardwood trees. Useful ashes can be prepared for the garden at home.}

This requires a special high metal box. When wood is burned, the high walls of the box will not allow ash to scatter. Only wood and dry stems and grass need to be burned in this box. There should not be any impurities in the burned raw materials. Only this ashes will be considered useful. The resulting ash is best stored in an airtight wooden or ceramic container. Storage in plastic bags is not allowed, as they form a concentrate, which is not necessary for ash. There is also an industrial production of ash. It is sold in special waterproof bags.

Root plant nutrition

Wood ash is used in both dry and liquid form. Dry is most often embedded in the soil, the liquid version is infusions for feeding or simple dilution of ash in water to water the plant under the root. Usually a glass of ash is taken in a ten-liter bucket and the plant is watered with a well-mixed solution. Such an ash solution may well replace industrialfertilizer.

The infusion is made for root feeding of garden plants or spraying them. 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 plants.

Foliar feeding method

It is very good to spray the plants with ash infusion. Spraying is usually carried out in the evening. Such procedures can be done up to three within a month. A decoction is also suitable for foliar top dressing with a solution of ash. How to cook it: 300 g of ash is poured with boiling water, the mixture is boiled for another half an hour, then diluted in 10 liters of water with the addition of 50 grams of laundry soap shavings. Thanks to the soapy solution, top dressing is kept on the leaves of vegetable crops. Such spraying is effective in the fight against aphids, wireworms, blackleg, keel and cruciferous fleas. Plant leaves sprayed with this solution are protected from nematodes and slugs with snails.

Feeding trees and flowers with ashes

It is useful to feed the soil before planting trees or shrubs. To do this, 150 grams of ash is planted per square meter of the hole to a depth of 10 cm. Such top dressing will allow seedlings to better adapt to a new place and better develop the root system. Garden trees, like vegetable crops, need to be protected from pests and diseases. An infusion of ashes saves the garden from numerous pests and diseases.

Ashes are good for roses, peony, clematis and gladiolus. When planting these flowers can be put ineach well 10 g of ash. 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 Rates

Whatever the feeding of plants with ash is, it must be remembered that the principle "the more the better" does not apply here. Ash is an organic fertilizer, and organics applied in excess can adversely affect the crops grown. There are such application rates: for 1 acre of a garden, 1.5 kg of ash must be applied to the soil in autumn digging. When planting vegetable crops, usually top dressing goes into the pits at the rate of a handful per hole. You can also use aqueous solutions of ash, pouring a glass of solution into each well. At the same time, the roots of the plant absorb nutrients better.

Custom approach

Feeding vegetable crops with ashes is done both before planting and during the growth period of the plant. Each plant reacts differently to such feeding. That is, each vegetable has its own attitude to fertilizer. For example, in the holes 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, eggplants and sweet peppers.

This suggests that these crops need more potassium and phosphorus. Many gardeners recommend soaking the seeds before planting in a daily ash solution at the rate of 20 g of the substance per 1 liter of water. ash"Kupel" likes seeds of tomatoes, cucumbers and eggplants.

Thus, feeding the seedlings with ashes will strengthen the young plant, the seeds will provide good germination, as a result, the yield of these crops will significantly increase.

Feeding strawberries

The very first berry that ripens in the garden is the strawberry. Every gardener wants to harvest a large crop of this tasty and he althy berry. This perennial plant needs to be rejuvenated and replanted 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. Organics are introduced into the aisles twice - in early spring when mulching the soil, in August-September, after fruiting and pruning the bushes. Many gardeners prefer to fertilize strawberries with an ash solution. Application rate - 1 liter per 1 square meter of beds. You can make additional top dressing of strawberries with ash in the spring before flowering. This will be a 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 cup), iodine (1 tablespoon), a bucket of hot water (10 l). Stir, heat to 65°C, spray plants in the evening or early in the morning.

Feeding cucumbers

Probably, there is not a single gardener-gardener who would not grow cucumbers on his plot. Means,The topic of proper care for this vegetable is always relevant. To get a good harvest 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 organic applications, this is especially true before flowering and during the formation of ovaries. And a couple more top dressings during the fruiting period.

There are several ways to feed cucumbers with ashes. Each gardener himself, based on experience, selects the form of fertilizer application - root or foliar. It all depends on what summer. If the weather is warm, and the cucumber has a well-developed root system, root dressing should be carried out, having previously carried out abundant watering of the beds. And foliar top dressing is best done in cool summers. 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 nutrition during root application.

Foliar application means that the nutrient ash solution is sprayed evenly over the leaves. This should be done in calm weather so that the drops of fertilizer stay on the plant for as long as possible.

Feeding pepper with ash

People say: "If the garden is hungry in summer, there will be a hungry gardener in autumn and winter." So, in order not to starve, you need to “feed” the garden in such a way that you can harvest an excellent harvest from it. In continuation of the conversation about ash dressings, it is worth talking aboutlettuce pepper. They like to grow it in cottages and vegetable gardens to eat it raw and make twists for the winter. It should be noted right away that, unlike cucumbers, strawberries and berry bushes, foliar dressings for salad peppers are not used. Experienced gardeners fertilize seedlings with ash during the formation of a true leaf, and two weeks before planting in the ground. When seedlings are planted in holes, a handful of ash is thrown into each hole, which contributes to the rapid acclimatization of the plant. Sweet pepper fertilizer is also carried out during flowering and fruiting. An infusion of ash for top dressing (0.5 liters per 1 sq. M.) Is embedded in the soil. During the fruiting period, pepper can be fertilized by scattering every 2 weeks around the bushes ½ tablespoon of dry ash. This will add sweetness to the fruit.

A few recommendations

• You can not mix humus (nitrogen fertilizer) and ash.
• Ash does not mix with superphosphate.
• Only wood ash is used to fertilize the garden.
• Do not apply combustion products to soils where the pH is 7 or more.
• Camellias, azaleas, rhododendrons, blueberries, cranberries do not fertilize with ash - these plants love acidic soil.
• Ashes from the combustion of branches of young trees contain more potassium and phosphorus than from the combustion of old and large trees.

If you follow the recommendations of experienced gardeners, apply organic fertilizers correctly and on time in the required amount, then a good harvest is guaranteed.