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What I'm doing here is adding ash from the wood stove to the garden bed. In the spring I'll spread it out and till it in
It's my primary source of heat. This stove burns cleaner as it has a 2nd combustion chamber. There is fresh secondary air injection into the top of the primary combustion chamber allowing ignition of the unburned HCs.
Using wood ash in home gardens can increase soil fertility and raise soil pH.
" What are the potential benefits of using wood ash? Wood ash contains nutrients that can be beneficial for plant growth. Calcium is the plant nutrient most commonly found in wood ash and may comprise 20% or more of its content. Potassium (also called potash) is another common component of wood ash, occurring at concentrations of up to 5%. Magnesium, phosphorus and sulfur are also typically found in wood ash at concentrations of up to 2%. Finally, wood ash can contain trace amounts of iron, aluminum, manganese, zinc, boron and other nutrients needed by plants."
Wow really intrigued that you heat this way. What kind of wood do you use? Do you have duct work?
No ducts, just good old convection heat with a blower and a fan pushing the heat to the other rooms.
I get arborists to drop off logs for free. Win Win because they get charged to dump it at the dump
A lot of Maples, Oaks, Cherry, Hickory around here. Cherry is the best for super cold days
I will have to do some soil tests ... I am back to using a pellet insert (installed in my living room fireplace) as my main source of heat and I am loving it! And now I may be able to use the ashes too. I'd totally forgotten about that.
Cambium, how long does it take to get your soil test results? And you can also test that on your own, right? I seem to remember something about that ...
In order to get a better soil test results it is recommended to dig several spots where you want to test - 5-6 samples from the front lawn - then combine them by mixing -then take just 1 cup of soil from that mix: let it dry out in the open on paper for a day or 2.
Get another soil test by repeating for another part of your yard.
For example: a shady spot where nothing grows
Separate test for fruit garden
Vegetables garden - the same way - dig in 5-6 different spots, combine them by mixing together.
Take 1 cup of that mix- return the rest to your garden. Dry out on paper. Place the cup of soil in a labeled “vegetable garden” plastic bag-mail to your testing authority..
Forgot to add: when taking soil from the ground make it as a slice - from the top of the soil line to the depth of what you are testing for:
- to 6”-8” deep for vegetables
-to 4-6” for lawn
- to 16-18” for fruit garden
You get the idea…- into the root zone..
I think my soil is pretty neutral, that being said I would not want it to get too alkaline. I did use a bit of wood ash from the fireplace to the garden. That being said, my preference would be too mix it into the compost pile, as I believe the organisms in there can help neutralize it?
Do you have a sense of how much wood ash you generate in a given season?
Our soil is pretty alkaline, so no wood ash for us.
What about Calcium and Potash? You can always add some then add something to lower the PH? Come to think of it, my BER issues stopped maybe because I been adding ash? Hmm. I don't add too much anyway. Rest goes in my compost pile which I didn't do this year.
Quote:
Originally Posted by karen_in_nh_2012
I will have to do some soil tests ... I am back to using a pellet insert (installed in my living room fireplace) as my main source of heat and I am loving it! And now I may be able to use the ashes too. I'd totally forgotten about that.
Cambium, how long does it take to get your soil test results? And you can also test that on your own, right? I seem to remember something about that ...
I forgot what they said but I think at least 1-2 weeks? but yes you can do your own, just not too accurate IMO. Best to buy a kit or send it to your local extension office.
Quote:
Originally Posted by L00k4ward
In order to get a better soil test results it is recommended to dig several spots where you want to test
Yup, depends how big the yard is though. I took 3 samples from 3 locations, mixed in the bucket and sent that sample to 2 different sources. Curious if the results are different.
Quote:
Originally Posted by memph
Do you have a sense of how much wood ash you generate in a given season?
Great interesting question! All these years I been burning wood I never kept track of how much ash I produced. I typically spread it around the property through the season and mostly dump in a wooded area (when completely cooled off of course)
I burn about 5 cords which comes to only 2-3 mature trees but I'm cleaning the ash tray every 1-3 days depending on the weather. Trees grow like weeds around here. Which reminds me I have 2 trees on my property I need to take down.
What about Calcium and Potash? You can always add some then add something to lower the PH? Come to think of it, my BER issues stopped maybe because I been adding ash? Hmm. I don't add too much anyway. Rest goes in my compost pile which I didn't do this year.
According to our second soil analysis we don't need any. The only large amendment needed on 2 of the beds was phosphorus- so bone meal. We did side dress the corn with nitrogen (Urea) and some of the tomatoes with an all purpose fertilizer, but that's it.
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