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Why We Incorrectly Add Ash to the Garden: 3 Mistakes 90% of Gardeners Make
03.07.2024 14:15
Unfortunately, many gardeners and vegetable growers do not always correctly use one of the most valuable fertilizers – ash.
The result of this may not be beneficial to plants and soil, but, on the contrary, may cause some harm.
Next, we will tell you about the three most typical mistakes of those who like to grow crops on their plots using ash.
First mistake
People do not think about the composition of ash, as well as the type of soil on their land plot. But not every soil needs ash.
As for the composition, ash varies. For example, spruce, buckwheat and sunflower ash is rich in potassium, while pine ash is rich in calcium. These are, as is well known, different fertilizers.
If you use ash as a potassium fertilizer, you should consider its composition, since not every one is suitable.
Same for ash for alkalization purposes. Not every soil needs it.
Ash on alkaline soil will reduce the availability of nutrients to plants, and diseases will also appear.
Thus, potatoes do not like ash feeding, as they lose their taste from this, but acquire scab and fungal disease.
Tomatoes, strawberries, zucchini, eggplant, watermelon, melon, pumpkin, radish and horseradish also do not like alkaline soil.
Second mistake
The amount of ash for plants. To each his own, as they say. Depends on the crop's resistance to mineral salts in the soil.
For example, peppers require a low concentration, as does eggplant, and tomatoes do not like alkalization.
But cucumbers and cabbage are very happy with the ash and later “thank” for the “treat” with a good harvest.
However, you don’t need to overdo it – on average, 100 to 200 grams of ash per square meter.
It is even better if we add it as a solution: the same 100-200 grams per 10 liters of water.
It is worth remembering: since ash is an alkali, excessive amounts of it can burn the roots.
It also cannot be mixed with acidic fertilizers, such as manure or humus.
Professionals do not recommend adding ash in general with phosphorus fertilizers, since it will become calcium phosphate, which is inaccessible to the roots.
And you should not mix it with nitrogen fertilizers, in particular, with nitrophoska, ammofoska, ammonium sulfate, as well as with ammonium nitrate.
The third mistake
Calcium deficiency.
Ash can be neutralized if we want to convert calcium carbonate into soluble and available calcium acetate.
This will also help to avoid alkalization of the soil (if there is no need for this).
Preparation: dilute a glass of ash in 5 liters of water, add vinegar (from 2-3 tablespoons to a glass). Mix and wait until foam appears.
We will bring the solution up to 10 liters and use it as intended.
The bad thing here is that the quickly dissolving elements are also quickly washed out. And for light soils this is not good.
Previously, an answer was given to the question: is it true that mineral fertilizers increase soil acidity?
