Mo Bowman - Page 2

 

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Forest soils are usually acidic, due to the action of decomposing
organic material and fungi. I would think that adding wood ashes to a
compost pile, where you are trying to achie.localve the same results,
would be counter indicated.

 The base (alkalin) part of wood ash is cabonate (CO3)--. The
decomposition of organic material and cation exchange (H+) by the roots
of plants will counter the pH effects of wood ash, but in the meantime
there is the possibility that the minerals that you want in the garden
soil (Ca, Mg, K) will be leached out.

My advice would be to apply the wood ash over the winter, but cease
adding it a couple of months before you plant.

You may want to apply coffee grounds to your garden during this same
time. Last year I put fresh coffee grounds on a couple of squash, and
they immediately headed south. Conversely, coffee grounds added to my
potatoes and blueberries was followed by an marked improvement in
growth.

Hope this helps.

My point being that coffee grounds (at least from dark roast coffee)
seem to be acidic, and may be able to take the edge off any small rise
in pH caused by the wood ash.
--
³When you give food to the poor, they call you a saint. When you ask why the
poor have no food, they call you a communist.²
-Archbishop Helder Camara

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