Such a cheap and accessible fertilizer as ash It has long been popular among summer residents and gardeners. Although today the range of ready-made complex fertilizers is very extensive, and their cost is quite reasonable; many, in the old fashioned way, use ordinary ash instead. It should be noted that they are doing absolutely the right thing, because wood ash contains a huge amount of potassium, phosphorus and calcium, which are also in a form that is easily digestible for plants. Tomatoes are especially sensitive to fertilizing with ash. Using it wisely natural fertilizer, every gardener can get abundant harvests of beautiful and tasty fruits.

Why do tomatoes love ash so much?

Ash can be considered an ideal fertilizer for tomatoes. This may be a secret to many, but tomatoes are fundamentally different from most traditional garden crops in that they absolutely do not tolerate high concentrations of nitrogen in the soil. Therefore, the usual and widely used fertilizers such as manure, bird droppings, mullein or their artificial analogues (urea, ammonium nitrate etc.) are not suitable for cultivating tomatoes. Their use leads to the fact that the plant grows excess green mass and does not start flowering in time. As a result, the fruits do not have time to ripen, their flesh is loose and watery, and the skin becomes thin and easily bursts.

Ash contains a minimal amount of nitrogen, since during combustion most of the nitrogenous compounds volatilize. At the same time, potassium, phosphorus and calcium, which ash is so rich in, are exactly what “ building material", from which the tomato grows abundant ovaries and subsequently forms large juicy fruits.

How to properly fertilize tomatoes with ash

Since it “respects” ash very much, fertilizing norms in in this case slightly higher than for other crops. Most often, ash is added to the soil in dry form, during digging or immediately before planting. In this case, the optimal dosage can be considered 0.5 kg of ash per. However, it is always better to focus on the PH of the soil at the planting site. The indicated dosage is applied if the soil pH is close to neutral. On acidic soils (PH=5-6) up to 1 kg of ash per square meter can be used. If the soils are alkaline (PH = 7.5-8.5), the norm can be reduced to 250-300 g of ash per m2.

You can also use an aqueous solution of ash. The optimal proportion for its preparation is 100 grams of ash per 10 liters of water. However, here everything also depends on the PH of the soil. For acidic soils, the amount of ash can be increased to 150 g, for alkaline soils - reduced to 50. Each plant should have approximately 0.5 liters of solution, which is applied directly under the root.

Necessary precautions when fertilizing tomatoes with ash

When fertilizing tomatoes with ash, it is very important not to exceed safe dosages, since then the natural balance of the soil will be disrupted, and various minerals and trace elements found in it can enter into a chemical reaction and turn into a form that is difficult for the plant to digest. Therefore, if it is not possible to measure the PH of the soil, it is better to use minimal dosages.

Typically, tomatoes react very strongly to feeding with ash, instantly growing fleshy stems and inflorescences, and their color becomes rich Green colour. If no visible changes have occurred within a week, fertilizing should be repeated, adding a larger amount of ash.

Wood ash has been used for fertilizer since ancient times, when it was not yet known useful composition. Even now it does not include a clear list of elements, because plants of different types and ages can be burned. You will learn more about what is fertilized with ash and what is included in its composition below.

What can be fertilized with ash?

The sulfur, zinc, iron, calcium and magnesium contained in wood ash are necessary for the normal growth of vegetables, ornamental or fruit trees And perennial plants. Due to the absence of chlorine, it is recommended to be used for crops that do not tolerate this substance. These include strawberries, currants, strawberries, raspberries, and potatoes. Ash protects seedlings of cabbage, zucchini, cucumbers and squash from diseases. You just need to add it to the hole when planting.

The top dressing is ash for plums or cherries, and you only need to add it every 3-4 years. With its help, you can also protect your garden from pests, for example, aphids or flies, which love to settle on carrots and onions. It is recommended to sprinkle the crops in the morning, when there is still dew, or you can do this after preliminary spraying with water. The solution for treatment is prepared from 300 g of ash raw materials and approximately 1 liter of boiling water. The resulting decoction is then diluted with 10 liters of water.

Majority ornamental shrubs and garden flowers such as roses, clematis, delphiniums, peonies, hyacinths and lilies, grow well in alkaline or slightly acidic soil. Ash gives it such properties. It can also be useful for the nightshade family. You just need to add it when digging up the planting site for tomato seedlings, eggplants, hot or sweet peppers.

Composition of ash as fertilizer

This type of fertilizer is a non-combustible mineral residue that is obtained after burning organic materials - plants or wood. The quantitative and qualitative composition of the resulting powder is determined based on the raw materials used. If sunflower stems, grapevines or potato tops are used as it, then the ash will consist of 40% potassium. Other main organic elements are:

• calcium;
• phosphorus;
• manganese;
• molybdenum;
• iron;
• sulfur;
• zinc;
• copper.

Thanks to this composition, wood ash is considered a good phosphorus and potassium fertilizer for neutral or acidic soils. It compensates for the lack of microelements in them. Due to the absence of potassium chloride, ash as a fertilizer is useful for crops such as potatoes, tomatoes, strawberries and raspberries. It also does not contain nitrogen salts, which are necessary for plant growth. This can be considered a disadvantage.

The effect of such fertilizer lasts for 2-4 years after its application to the soil. Chemical composition wood ash as a fertilizer is more valuable if it is obtained by burning buckwheat or sunflower. Rich in potassium are deciduous trees, especially birch. There is a lot of calcium in peat ash, but there is little phosphorus in it. The composition of wood ash is also beneficial from burning wood in a stove. It is not recommended to use residue from burning plastic, newspapers and household waste.

How to fertilize plants with ash - methods

Wood ash as fertilizer for indoor plants, seedlings and others garden crops used in different types. The first way is to scatter it near tree trunks, between rows of plantings, under bushes or in holes. It is not recommended to use fertilizer only for very small sprouts that do not yet have 3 leaves. To prevent the plant from getting burned, it is better to replace pure ash with a mixture of ash and soil. One adult crop will require about 2 kg of this component. The feeding method itself looks like this:

1. Prepare grooves around the perimeter of the trunk. Their depth should be approximately 10 cm.
2. Pour fertilizer into the resulting trenches.
3. Immediately cover the grooves from above with a layer of soil.

Before planting seedlings of tomatoes, eggplants or peppers, you just need to pour 4 teaspoons of dry ash into the hole and mix with the ground. The second feeding option is an infusion of ash as a fertilizer. It is used for spraying or watering plants in the garden. You can treat tomatoes, cucumbers, and cabbage with the solution. To prepare similar remedy, required:

• wood ash – 100-150 g;
• water - 1 bucket.

Both components are combined and infused for a couple of hours. Then you can water the plants after mixing the product. In this way it is recommended to feed flowers, currant and raspberry bushes and vegetables. The optimal frequency of use is once every 2 weeks, for both methods. Liquid fertilizer is good because the garden soil is additionally saturated with moisture.

You can increase the effectiveness of fertilizer by adding humus or peat. The ideal ratio with ash is 1:4 or 1:3. It is better to use coal ash. It is simply poured into a compost heap, which is an organic product formed under the influence of bacteria and earthworms. Subsequently, such fertilizer is used traditional way, i.e. placed in holes or added when digging beds.

Video: how to use ash as fertilizer

In late spring and early summer, most people spend time at the dacha, in their garden or vegetable garden. Caring for plants is very important, because the quality of the future harvest and its availability throughout the cold season of the year depend on it. Among fertilizers there are many natural substances that contain microelements nutritious for soil and plants. If you are also interested in an effective natural composition, then watch the useful videos below about ways to use wood ash.

How to dilute ash for feeding

How to fertilize cucumbers with ash

How to fertilize tomatoes with ash

Cucumbers are a plant that came to Europe and Russia from tropical countries. Growing such plants requires careful care. They love to be fed with organic and mineral fertilizers. For cucumbers, it is possible to use ash, iodine, brilliant green, whey and other organic matter.

In addition to cucumbers, sprinkle ash in open ground or the greenhouse can also include peppers and tomato bushes, so if it remains after the cucumbers, then there will be another vegetable that can be fed to it.

Over time, the soil depletes its reserves minerals. After all, gardeners grow them within the same plot. To restore soil reserves, various fertilizers are used. Cucumbers need to be fed for the first time when they give two strong leaves.

Benefits of feeding:

• cucumbers grow faster and bear fruit earlier;
• I increase the period of fruiting;
• improve taste qualities and the number of fruits;
• create a kind of “immunity” for plants, protecting them from harmful insects and diseases.

Use of ash and iodine as fertilizer

Ash is a processed organic matter that contains a large number of minerals.

Used wood ash. It is the most accessible, especially in dachas, where houses are heated using a stove. It looks like gray dust.

According to its composition, ash not inferior to potash fertilizers. Sprinkle it into the ground in any quantity before watering. However, you should not overdo it, as this may have a bad effect on the future harvest. Everything should be in moderation.

Iodine is a trace element that is necessary for all animals and plants. Plants need it in small quantities. It is not sold separately for this purpose.

For feeding, regular iodine is used, which is sold in any pharmacy. They need to be sprayed to stimulate seed growth, prevention of infection with fungal diseases, formation of plant resistance to harmful insects and infections, increasing productivity.

Also, treating plants with iodine has a good effect on the health of the person who subsequently consumes such fruits. It helps strengthen the body's endocrine system.

Ash and iodine are used on average about 6 times per season. The seeds are treated with iodine before planting them in the ground. Then every 20 days throughout the season.

How to fertilize with ash

It contains about 28 mineral components. It is a mineral residue after burning organic matter. Contains large amounts of: potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, sulfur, iron and others. However, the composition is completely free of nitrogen and chlorine.

The composition of the ash depends on what was burned. The best ash for fertilizer is obtained when burning potato tops. It contains a lot of calcium and potassium.

When ash is added to the soil, the soil deoxidizes.

It also inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria for cucumbers. Harmful insects will not approach the treated soil; it has a detrimental effect on them. Ash suitable for acidic soil. Helps create the neutral or slightly acidic environment that cucumbers love.

It needs to be applied in the spring before planting seedlings in the soil. It is added dry. The amount of envy depends on how acidic the soil is and what result needs to be achieved.

An infusion of wood ash is used in gardening. To prepare such an infusion you just need to pour boiling water over the dry ash. About 1 tablespoon of ash is used per 1 liter of water purified from chlorine. The mixture is left to brew for 1-1.5 weeks.

You can use this infusion every two weeks. Simply watering the soil next to the plant is enough.

The ash is used to combat powdery mildew, an infection that inhibits the leaves of the plant. Because of this, the entire plant gradually dies.

Iodine treatment

Iodine is used at all stages of growing seedlings. In high concentrations, iodine can destroy the plant. Therefore, it is diluted with water. Just 1 drop per liter of chlorine-free water is enough. If the water is chlorinated, the substance will react with chlorine, and such a composition will not bring the expected result.

For the first time they are still processed seeds. The seeds are wrapped in rags with iodine and left for 6 hours. This is done for better germination. Use iodine in diluted form so as not to leave burns on them. If not handled correctly, the seeds may die.

Root feeding is carried out with a lower concentrated raster. To water the plant, add 1 drop of iodine to 3 liters of water.

Spraying iodine solution is used to combat powdery mildew. For 3 liters of water add 4 drops and 400 ml of milk.

The plant is treated with this solution during the growing season, after planting it in the ground. Plants are treated every 10 days. It not only helps to get rid of powdery mildew, but also improves the growth of the plant itself, rejuvenates the shoots, and improves the taste of cucumbers.

Milk for feeding cucumbers

I use milk as a fertilizer, not only in solution with iodine, but also in its pure form.

Milk has a rich composition: maltose, glucose, lactose and others. Microelements are no less than in mineral fertilizers. The composition contains: calcium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, copper and many others.

When spraying cucumbers with milk, it creates barrier to protect against harmful insects. Insects are not able to digest lactose, so they simply will not eat leaves treated with milk. A film is also formed on the leaves of the plant, which prevents infection.

It is best to use milk that is rich in naturally occurring bacteria, so UHT milk will not work, but it will do fresh cow and regular pasteurized. The fat content should not be low either. The higher the fat content, the more carbohydrates the milk contains.

Good for spraying milk solution with iodine and laundry soap. To do this, you need to add 1 liter of milk, 30 drops of iodine and half a piece of grated laundry soap to 10 liters of water.

There are many options for such solutions, the main thing is not to overdo it with iodine solution, this can leave burns on the leaves. Milk can also be used in its pure form, but it is quite expensive, so it is better to use solutions.

Thus, cucumber fertilizers surround us everywhere. The main thing is to know how to use the tools at hand correctly. Ash can always be recovered after burning unnecessary materials Location on. Iodine solution is available in pharmacies, and is also always available in all first aid kits as an antiseptic. Milk is easy to find in any store, and if you have your own farm, this simplifies the task even more.

Many gardeners use ordinary ash on their plots. Organic fertilizer suitable for tomatoes, since feeding tomatoes with ash is simple and economical. The fertilizer is easy to prepare yourself, and its benefits are greater than those from factory-made mineral fertilizers.

Many gardeners use ordinary ash on their plots

Only wood ash, a product of complete combustion of plants, is suitable for feeding garden crops. It is this kind of ash that can be called organic. Residues from the combustion of plastic, rubber, treated wood, household waste or construction waste are not natural products. Chemical substances remaining in the materials even after burning will only harm the plants.

Gardeners use wood ash to increase tomato yields. Wood ash successfully replaces phosphorus and potash fertilizers, as it contains a large amount of microelements such as calcium, potassium and magnesium. The ratio of nutrients in the composition varies depending on the type of plant. Ash coniferous plants rich in phosphorus, leaf ash contains a lot of calcium. Peat is a real treasure trove of limestone.

Only wood ash, a product of complete combustion of plants, is suitable for feeding garden crops.

Ash, being an organic fertilizer, is easily absorbed by plants; it is even added to seedlings. So capricious garden culture, like tomatoes, often react negatively to various chemical fertilizers. Soils with a high nitrogen content are not suitable for vegetables. Feeding tomatoes with organic combustion products is the optimal solution.

Ash is useful because:

• neutralizes soil acidity;
• increases the level of alkali in the soil;
• has a beneficial effect on the proliferation of beneficial bacteria in the soil;
• protects tomatoes from fungal diseases;
• can be used at the stage of sowing seeds for seedlings;
• is a long-acting fertilizer, maintaining its effect for several years.

Wood ash successfully replaces phosphate and potash fertilizers

Organic fertilizer is often used not only as a fertilizer for tomatoes, but also as a means of pest control. To do this, prepare a special solution from sifted ashes. It is poured with boiling water and left for 30 minutes. Strain and dilute with water in the proportion of 300 g of sifted ash per bucket of water. You can add 50 g to the solution laundry soap. Tomatoes are sprayed in the evening in dry weather. Pests are guaranteed to bypass vegetables.

Features of using ash (video)

Fertilizing

Ash as a fertilizer is used in different ways: it is applied in dry form directly to the soil, watered with an ash solution, or simply sprinkled on the beds.

Wood ash is used to disinfect seeds prepared for tomato seedlings. 1 tbsp. wood ash is dissolved in 1 liter of water and the seeds are left in the daily solution for 5-6 hours.

Ash as a fertilizer is used in different ways: it is applied in dry form directly to the soil, the plant is watered with an ash solution, or simply sprinkled on the beds

Ash solution During the growth period, vegetables also need fertilizer.

. It is useful to water the plant with an ash solution - 100 g of ash is diluted in a bucket of water. For one bush, 0.5 liters of solution is enough. In dry weather, tomatoes are periodically fertilized with wood powder.

After abundant watering, 50 g of ash is poured under each bush. During flowering, in order to improve the taste of future fruits, each bush is sprinkled with ash at the rate of ½ cup per 1 m².

Feeding tomatoes with ash helps to grow healthy vegetables and get bountiful harvest. However, a positive effect is achieved only by observing a certain norm. The first time it is better to feed the plant with a minimum amount of wood powder. The fertilizer begins to act quickly. The bush becomes stronger, the leaves fill with color. If no effect occurs, the fertilizer can be applied to the soil again.

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