[Eblana]

Hi all,

A couple of weeks back my husband did a big job of cutting back our much overgrown shrubbery.  Tonight he is burning all the cut wood.  Just wondering what I can use the ash on?

[Steveharford]

Onions and garlic

[gavinjconway]

and Broad beans love it - it reduces black spot..

Tomatoes and potatoes..

This is from Johns article on fertilizers..

Potassium the K in NPK

Potassium has the chemical symbol K from its Latin name kalium. It promotes flower and fruit production and is vital for maintaining growth and helping plants resist disease. It's used in the process of building starches and sugars so is needed in vegetables and fruits. Carrots, parsnips, potatoes, tomatoes and apples all need plenty of potassium to crop well.

Potassium is naturally found in wood ash which is where it its name potash is derived from To recap potash is potassium and vice versa when discussing fertilisers.

Shortage of Potassium in Plants - Symptoms

Plants that are short of potash will have low resistance to disease, scorching of leaves and poor fruit yield. Tomatoes will really show the effects of a shortage of potassium

Application of Potassium

Potash usually last for two or three years in the soil but for vegetable production (tomatoes, potatoes especially) additional will be required. This can be applied as a liquid feed, either commercial or made from comfrey as comfrey tea, for tomatoes or a specially prepared fertiliser, high in potassium for potatoes.

[solway cropper]

Soft fruit also benefits from it but, because of its alkalinity, it shouldn't really be given to anything that requires acid soil.

[Paul Plots]

This is quite interesting: wood ash uses

[Eblana]

Thanks a million folks looks like it will come in handy.

[Snoop]

I've been told wood ash on potatoes encourages scab.

[gavinjconway]

I've been told wood ash on potatoes encourages scab.

I would go with John Harrisons advice as I posted above..

[solway cropper]

Personally wouldn't use wood ash on spuds as I have a slightly alkaline soil and it's alkalinity would only increase the likelihood of scab. There are plenty of alternative sources of potassium for spuds if you think they need it.