Does ash from firewood make good fertilizer?

Question

I have some ash from a recent bonfire and was wondering if it would be good fertilizer for growing grass or flowers?

Answer 1

Hello,

I have always use it in my garden at the end of the season or very early spring and I have always gotten super results !!!

Answer 2

By itself, no. Ash can contain all sorts of things depending on what was burned.
The only way to know what your soil needs is to have it tested. Call your local county agent, (you can find the number in the phone book,) and he or she will tell you how you can get the soil tested in your area. Or a large nursery may be able to have the soil tested. It's worth a few phone calls.
In the meantime, try some of gardening web sites and type "ash" into their search tabs.

Answer 3

Ash can be acid, and if anything was burned in the bonfire, say creosote posts or paper with inks or dyes, I do not use it in edible garden beds. It helps me to keep out snails and roses love it, however. Just be sure what is in the ashe befor eyou use it. Simply spread on the lawn make a good addition to the soil.

Answer 4

Firewood ash is highly alkaline and can actually do more harm than good if your soil doesn't need a pH adjustment. So, unless you have a way to analyze the chemical composition of your soil, I wouldn't use it.

Answer 5

smallbizperson has the only right answer here.. know what your soil is in need of before you add to it.

If you have acid soil, ashes can be beneficial, if you have alkaline soil, they're detrimental. pH balance affects how plants uptake nutrients. if it's too acid or too basic, plants are ill-affected.

Answer 6

Definitely for growing grass. We use it all the time!

Answer 7

Absolutely. When mixed with your soil it will enhance your soils ability to retain oxygen

Answer 8

no but ash from mount st. helens sure does

Answer 9

Yes... High in potash