Feeding of plant ash to increase yield

Farmers have long used ash as a fertilizer. Perhaps they intuitively knew about its benefits. It was then science has proved that the products of combustion of plant waste are rich in microelements such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, zinc, sulfur and phosphorus. But most of all in the ash of potassium. All these microelements are necessary for the plant at all stages of growth. Therefore, timely feeding with ashes strengthens the plant, helps to resist pests. And, of course, the chemical and physical properties of the soil improve. It is the structure, composition and acidity that determines the fertility of the soil, and hence the production of good germination and crop yield.

Application of ash

Being a good potassium and phosphorus fertilizer, ash is useful to vegetables and fruit trees during their flowering and fruit formation. There are no chlorine compounds in it, that's why it is used in top dressing of berry fruits: strawberries, raspberries, red and black currants. Potatoes and cabbage will be protected from fungal diseases. Before planting vegetables - peppers, tomatoes and eggplants - ash is introduced into the digging of beds. It is also used to protect plants from pests in the form of spraying or sprinkling plants. Ash is used to improve the germination of seeds, soaking them in a one-day solution of ash (solutions will be discussed below).

What happens when this organic fertilizer is applied to the soil? The alkaline properties of humus are improved, the pH is increased, favorable conditions are created for the vital activity of the soil microflora. This, in turn, increases the yield and frost resistance of plants. But do not forget the truck farmers that ash is a caustic alkali, and it not only compensates for the excess acidity of the soil, but when consumed in large quantities it destroys soil bacteria and earthworms that do not tolerate it. For them, ash in large quantities is disastrous, and population recovery is slow.

When fertilizing is applied to the soil

Light sandy loamy and sandy soils receive top dressing with fly ash in spring, unlike heavy soils that are fertilized twice a year - in the fall and in spring. And the ash should be introduced into the soil either in late spring, when the rains already become rare and not so abundant, or just before planting the plant. The fact is that this combustion product is well washed from the soil by precipitation. In such soil, plants transplant more quickly and do not get sick.

For greater efficiency, the ash is mixed with humus or peat. It is impossible to simultaneously introduce into the soil a combustion product and nitrogenous fertilizers. Nitrogen is introduced about a month or later after the application of the ash fertilizer. "Fodder" land for three years yields good harvests. Many years of practice gardeners checked that the means of better than ash, simply does not exist.

Which ash is more useful

Useful is the ash with the largest content of potassium and phosphorus. Combustion of dry grass, buckwheat and sunflower stems yields up to 36% of potassium oxide - K ₂ O. The highest percentage of potassium is found in ashes from burnt wood of hardwood trees. Useful ash can be prepared for a garden-garden at home.

This requires a special high metal box. When the wood is burned, the high walls of the box will not let ash fly apart. Burn in this box you need only wood and dry stems and grass. There should not be any impurities in the raw materials burnt. Only this ash will be considered useful. The resulting ash is best stored in a sealed wooden or ceramic container. Storage in polyethylene bags is not allowed, since they form a concentrate, which is not necessary for ash. There is also an industrial release of ash. It is sold in special waterproof bags.

Root feeding of plants

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

Infusion is done to feed the root crop of garden plants or spray them. To do this, take 1/3 bucket of ash and pour hot water, insist two days. The fixed solution is filtered and used for root watering of plants.

Foliar dressing method

It is very good to spray the ash infusion of the plant. Spraying is usually done 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 hour, then it is bred in 10 liters of water with the addition of 50 grams of shavings of laundry soap. Thanks to the soap solution, top dressing is held on the leaves of vegetable crops. Such spraying is effective in combating aphids, wireworms, black legs, keel and cruciferous fleas. Spattered with such a solution, plant leaves are protected from nematodes and slugs with snails.

Top dressing of trees and flowers

It is useful before planting trees or bushes to feed the soil. For this, 150 grams of ash is poured into a square meter of a hole to a depth of up to 10 cm. For the saplings, such a feed allow for better adaptation in a new place and better development of the root system. Garden trees, like vegetable crops, need to be protected from pests and diseases. Infusion on ash saves the garden from numerous pests and diseases.

Fertilizers with ash are useful for roses, peonies, clematis and gladiolus. When planting these flowers, you can put 10 grams of ash into each well. The flowers are also threatened by pests. To protect leaves and buds from insects, plants are sprayed with ash infusion, pre-sprayed with water. It is desirable to conduct this procedure in quiet weather in the evening.

Application rates

Whatever fertilizing the plants with ashes, it is necessary to remember that the principle "the more, the better" does not fit here. Ashes are an organic fertilizer, and the organics added in excess can have a detrimental effect on the crops grown. There are such rates of application: for 1 hundred garden needs to make 1.5 kg of ash in the soil in the autumn digging. When planting vegetables, usually feeding goes into the holes from the calculation - a handful in the hole. You can also use aqueous solutions of ash, pouring a glass of solution into each well. In this case, the roots of the plant better absorb useful substances.

Individual approach

The fertilization of the ashes of vegetable crops is carried out before planting, and during the growth of the plant. Each plant reacts in its own way to such a feed. That is, every vegetable has its own attitude towards fertilizer. For example, in the wells with seedlings of scallops, cucumbers, zucchini it is enough to add 1-2 tablespoons of ash, and 3 tablespoons are poured into tomato, eggplant and sweet pepper sprouts. This indicates that more potassium and phosphorus are needed for these crops. Many gardeners recommend to soak seeds before planting in a daily solution of ash at the rate of 20 g of substance per 1 liter of water. An ashes "font" like seeds of tomatoes, cucumbers and eggplant.

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

Feeding of strawberries

The very first berry, ripening in the garden, is a strawberry. Each trucker wants to collect a large harvest of this tasty and healthy berries. This perennial plant needs to be rejuvenated and transplanted 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 ashes are used to feed strawberries as a natural complex mineral fertilizer, which includes potassium and phosphorus. In the inter-row, the organic is applied twice, early in the spring, when the soil is mulched, in August-September, after fruiting and pruning the bushes. Many gardeners prefer to fertilize the strawberries with an ash solution. The rate of application is 1 liter per 1 square meter of the bed. You can make additional strawberry fertilizing with fly ash before the flowering begins. This will be a foliar top dressing, protecting the plant from diseases and pests. The composition of this therapeutic cocktail is boric acid (2 g), manganese (2 g), sifted ashes (1 glass), iodine (1 tablespoon), a bucket of hot water (10 l). Stir, warm to 65 ° C, in the evening or early in the morning, spray plants.

Top dressing of cucumbers

Probably, there is not one gardener, who would not grow cucumbers on his plot. Hence, the topic of proper care of this vegetable is always relevant. To get a good harvest of smooth green cucumbers, they need to be fed in both the greenhouse and the open area. The ideal fertilizer for cucumbers is wood ash. For the whole vegetative period, it is sufficient to carry out from 2 to 4 applications of organic matter, especially this is important before flowering and during the formation of ovaries. And a couple of additional fertilizing during the fruiting season.

There are several ways of feeding cucumbers with ashes. Each gardener himself, based on experience, selects the form of fertilization - root or foliar. It all depends on what summer. If the weather is warm, and the cucumber is well developed root system, it is necessary to make root top dressing, having pre-drilled abundant watering beds. A foliar top dressing is better to spend in a cool summer. Experience shows that the cold time of the day does not contribute to a good development of the root system, which means that the roots will not absorb food when rooting.

Foliar insertion assumes that the nutritious ash solution is sprayed evenly over the leaves. It should be done in windless weather, so that the drops of fertilizer stay on the plant as long as possible.

Pepper topping with ashes

People say: "If in the summer the vegetable garden is hungry, in autumn and winter there will be a hungry gardener." So, in order not to starve, you need to "feed" the garden so that you can collect an excellent harvest from it. In the continuation of the conversation about ash fertilizing is worth talking about salad pepper. He is loved to grow in cottages and orchards to eat raw and make twists for the winter. At once it is necessary to notice, that unlike cucumbers, strawberries and berry bushes, foliar top dressings for salad pepper are not applied. Experienced truck farmers make fertilizing seedlings with ashes during the formation of this leaf, and two weeks before landing in the ground. When the seedlings are planted in the holes, they throw a handful of ashes into each hole, which facilitates rapid acclimatization of the plant. Fertilizer sweet pepper is also carried out during flowering and fruiting. Infusion of ashes for top dressing (0.5 liters per 1 sq. M.) Is embedded in the soil. During the fruiting period, pepper can be fertilized by spreading every 2 weeks around the bushes with ½ tablespoons of dry ash. This will give sweetness to the fruits.

A few recommendations

• Do not mix humus (nitrogen fertilizer) and ash.
• Ashes do 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.
• Ashes do not fertilize camellias, azaleas, rhododendrons, blueberries, cranberries - these plants love acid soil.
• Ash after the combustion of branches of young trees contains more potassium and phosphorus than after the combustion of old and large trees.

If you follow the recommendations of experienced truck farmers, it is right and right to bring in organic fertilizers in the required quantity, then a good harvest is guaranteed.