Black Gold

[sb47]

I finely put the box blade and spread my mulch pile that I have been collecting for the past year. I have been saving all my wood chips, saw dust and leaves along with all the ash from my wood stove and bark and I ended up with a huge pile of black gold. Now to put the disk on and disk it in.

 

[djg james]

I finely put the box blade and spread my mulch pile that I have been collecting for the past year. I have been saving all my wood chips, saw dust and leaves along with all the ash from my wood stove and bark and I ended up with a huge pile of black gold. Now to put the disk on and disk it in.

You add your wood ashes? Does that help it decompose faster?

 

[sb47]

You add your wood ashes? Does that help it decompose faster?

Not sure if it helps compensation but ashes are acetic and pot ash is supposed to be good stuff for building soil.

 

[djg james]

Not sure if it helps compensation but ashes are acetic and pot ash is supposed to be good stuff for building soil.

Did a quick search and it said wood ashes are basic (alkaline). Conflicting reports of whether or not good for gardens.

 

[sb47]

Did a quick search and it said wood ashes are basic (alkaline). Conflicting reports of whether or not good for gardens.

Yes but it is good for acetic soils. It all depends on your soil and what you are wanting to grow. Some plants like acetic soil and some like alkaline soil and still others prefer a more neutral soil.

 

[sb47]

Did a quick search and it said wood ashes are basic (alkaline). Conflicting reports of whether or not good for gardens.

It was a huge pile. Probably 4 or 5 dump truck loads. Ash ratio was probably 4 or 5% of the total pile.

 

[jolj]

It was a huge pile. Probably 4 or 5 dump truck loads. Ash ratio was probably 4 or 5% of the total pile.

Bad for Blueberries, good for tomatoes & peppers. I live in South Carolina, an ancient sea shore, is an pH of 5.5 or less.
So a lot of people use ash to raise the pH to 6.0-6.5 for annual vegetables, like tomatoes & peppers.
4% to 5% should not hurt any thing, but I never put any thing that will raise pH near my rabbiteye blue berries.
I use Gypsum pills/pellets, when I want to add calcium sulfate dihydrate, CaSO4.2H20 to my soil.
The pellet form is so the wind does not blow it away & I do not breath it.
But I do not fine a problem with wood ash.

 

[djg james]

Bad for Blueberries, good for tomatoes & peppers. I live in South Carolina, an ancient sea shore, is an pH of 5.5 or less.
So a lot of people use ash to raise the pH to 6.0-6.5 for annual vegetables, like tomatoes & peppers.
4% to 5% should not hurt any thing, but I never put any thing that will raise pH near my rabbiteye blue berries.
I use Gypsum pills/pellets, when I want to add calcium sulfate dihydrate, CaSO4.2H20 to my soil.
The pellet form is so the wind does not blow it away & I do not breath it.
But I do not fine a problem with wood ash.

You use Calcium Sulfate to raise your pH?

 

[jolj]

You use Calcium Sulfate to raise your pH?

No, it adds Calcium to the soil without raising my pH.
When I raise pH I would use lime, but I need calcium for vegetables, even if I do not raise the pH.
It is true that if pH is to low, the major & minor elements can not be taken up by the plants.
But have not had that problem yet. It may be because compost is a pH of 7 or neutral.
One myth is that pine tree needles or pine straw is acid, which it is, but after composting it is neutral, not high acid or low pH.
Coffee chaff compost is neutral too.