wood ash

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jambop

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wood ash
« on: April 14, 2017, 15:45 »
So I am going to be adding manure to my raised beds which I have been warned is likely to lower the pH and make the soil more acidic. So rather than adding lime to balance the manures acidity would adding wood ash do the same job ? I think wood ash should be basic so to some extent this would make sense but would the ash be enough?

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AussieInFrance

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Re: wood ash
« Reply #1 on: April 14, 2017, 16:46 »
Jambop

From my reading, it seems that manure messing with PH levels on a significant basis is a gardening myth. That said, wood ash is an acceptable additive to any soil/growing medium if applied in small doses  ie sprinkled across and gently raked in rather than applying copious amounts which can then from a crust and repel water. Sometimes it's better to add it to the compost bin where it's incorporated by the decomposition process.

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jambop

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Re: wood ash
« Reply #2 on: April 14, 2017, 17:20 »
Interesting Aussie I was told this by the farmer too but it could be that he adds his stuff straight from the byre without the rotting process ? I will be adding quite a lot so I will add a bit of the wood ash I have to the beds. My soil is quite fertile but is very close and silty even though it has been well worked for over a hundred years!  So when it gets a bit of moisture it is very claggy, when dry like concrete. What I want to do is give it a bit of texture so am adding a good dollop of manure in the hope that the beds will become nice, organic and friable even when wet or dry. Time will tell its an experiment I have lots of time , I hope  :)  , and as the years go by maybe this system will work out well.
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JayG

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Re: wood ash
« Reply #3 on: April 14, 2017, 18:32 »
It's true that most fully composted manures are more or less neutral - the organic acids produced during composting are in turn broken down towards the end of the process. (Acidic organic materials like sphagnum peat moss are only partly decomposed.)

It's just possible that the alkaline salts in the wood ash could react with the nitrogen in the manure to produce ammonia which could escape to the air, but that's unlikely to be significant, especially if you dig either the manure or ash (or both) into the soil.
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Gellideg

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Re: wood ash
« Reply #4 on: April 14, 2017, 19:09 »
Hi Jambop.I have farmed for most of my life and grown a good few acres of potatoes for sale ,and we ,every year would wallop a HUGE amount of manure onto the field before ploughing ,and never had any issues with it being too fresh.Infact a townie would never have eaten our crop if they had seen the fields before ploughing!.We were always praised for good tasty potatoes.You're idea will be just fine,I am sure!  Happy Easter  John.

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sunshineband

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Re: wood ash
« Reply #5 on: April 15, 2017, 09:27 »
Yes, "neat" manure is fine for potatoes, but the roots of more sensitive plants can easily be damaged during the decomposition process. Our newest stuff is in the ground with the spuds and runner beans don't seem to mind either, but other plants have the crumblier lot.

It does seem to help reduce scab on the potatoes. our soil is very limy, thanks to some uninformed actions by a previous plot holder so this can be a big problem. It does snot however, give us acidic soil overall

Woodash I save for the fruit bushes and trees tbh
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