Content
- Ash on the compost - is that possible?
- Wood ash in natural fertilizer is not uncritical to see
- What are the implications?
- Less is more
- Tips
A little ash on the compost has a positive effect on this
Ash on the compost - is that possible?
Who heats in the winter months with wood and / or coal, not only can enjoy the cozy warmth, but must also dispose of a lot of combustion residues. Even our grandparents used ash directly as fertilizer and gave the fine powder to the compost. But is this still up-to-date today and does ash really have a fertilizing benefit?
Wood ash in natural fertilizer is not uncritical to see
According to experts, the disposal of larger amounts of wood ash in compost is not without problems. This is due to the composition of the gray powder.
Wood ash consists of:
Therefore ash should be applied as fertilizer in the garden only very sparingly. Compost the entire ash in your household and the valuable fertilizer inevitably becomes one-sidedly enriched with the above-mentioned substances.
What are the implications?
Due to the high pH, this fertilizer would no longer be optimal for the garden. The application of the compost then resembles a liming of the soil. In agriculture, such fertilizers are only used to improve uncultivated, very loamy soils.
In addition, without analysis you know neither the exact proportions of trace elements, nor how high the heavy metal content is. This can cause you to unintentionally enrich the garden soil with toxic substances.
Less is more
As so often in this case, some ashes in compost can improve quality. However, too much must be avoided. The following applies:
Tips
Ashes from the charcoal grill should be disposed of with household waste in any case. This ash contains fat residues, such as the discredited acrylamide. These substances have nothing to do in the garden floor.