[rowlandwells]

having a wood burner and burning only wood I save the wood ash then broadcast  it on my onion bed in the spring as I believe wood ash contains  potash

 can anyone tell me if wood ash would be beneficial for any other plants I usually use a NPK fertilizer and notro fert for my brassicas with no problems

I've never used coal ash on the ground as I understand it has no benefits for the grounds

 

[booklady]

I have put wood ash on the base of my fig tree for the last 15 years.  It's now enormous, with at least two harvests a year. I put it around berry and currant bushes too, all giving me great fruit. I mulch with rabbit droppings and straw too. I just followed what my French neighbours did to be honest, and these old country folk don't miss a trick!

[JayG]

The chemical composition of wood ash varies somewhat with the type of wood it was produced from, but generally it's high in calcium, fairly high in potassium, and also contains useful amounts of magnesium and other trace elements.

Most of these salts are either oxides, carbonates or hydroxides, so as such it's quite alkaline, and shouldn't be used on lime-hating plants or where your soil pH is already higher than it should be (which is around neutral for most plants.)

Most of the elements in wood ash are in a quite soluble form, so it should be stored dry before use to prevent leaching away of the valuable nutrients.

Coal ash is much more likely to be contaminated with heavy metals such as mercury, and other unwelcome elements like arsenic -  best avoided in the garden.

[solway cropper]

Several years ago a professional grower told me it was good for soft fruit and I now give all my bushes/canes a top dressing in early spring with excellent results. As JayG says, it is alkaline so don't overdo it as most soft fruit prefers a soil slightly on the acid side of neutral.

[booklady]

Several years ago a professional grower told me it was good for soft fruit and I now give all my bushes/canes a top dressing in early spring with excellent results. As JayG says, it is alkaline so don't overdo it as most soft fruit prefers a soil slightly on the acid side of neutral.

Yes, our soil is slightly acidic, hence the wood ash is beneficial, especially for the soft fruit.

[rowlandwells]

thanks all for that advise much appreciated RW