Comments for Can I use wood ashes in my garden?

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by: Anonymous

Wood ash should be used in place of lime. If you want to raise the alkalinity of the soil, then you can and should use something that you don't have to buy that is natural.

I use wood ash to tan deer hides. It is all science. I can use lime or lye to tan the hides, if I want to buy something, but I prefer to keep it natural.

Don't believe everything you hear from the so-called "experts"--most people think they know it all. If you do some research and you will find that wood ash will raise the alkalinity of the soil if you need it. If the ph is correct, then you're golden. Happy gardening :-)
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starstarstarstarstar 		Wood Ashes Making Soil Alkaline
by: Anonymous

I beg to differ on the idea that wood ashes make the soil more alkaline. I have read many posts on the internet that claim ashes make the soil more alkaline in the same manner as lime, but I think this information may be misleading.

I often talk gardening with an avid self-taught and very proficient gardener in our local area. She adds wood ashes to the soil when planting and cultivating.

The soil in our area is already alkaline so it would seem counter-intuitive to add something that would raise the PH of the soil.

I decided to do some soil testing for myself. I filled up a wheelbarrow with well-mixed soil from my garden. I prepared three soil samples. One was the control with no amendments. The second sample had lime added. The third sample had wood ashes added.

The control sample had a PH of 6.8 The second sample with the lime had a PH of 7.0. The third sample with wood ashes added had a PH of 6.4.

I repeated the process and came up with the same measurements the second time in a row.

Since then I have been adding wood ashes whenever I work my soil and have noticed improved yields with plants that like a more acidic soil.

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