Wood Ash

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SPJ

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I have installed an old 55 gallon wood heater in my shop and I am starting to get a lot of wood ashes. I would like to know if the ashes can be used for anything good? Thanks, Phil
 
SPJRanch":20840dvb said:
I have installed an old 55 gallon wood heater in my shop and I am starting to get a lot of wood ashes. I would like to know if the ashes can be used for anything good? Thanks, Phil
Works great when cold to spread on snow and ice to make it melt and give the ice a rougher surface while it's doing it Also work good in gardens
 
Dun - I am probably going to have a lot of ashes. My garden consists of two raised beds, 4 foot x 16 foot long. So how much would you recommend putting on the beds? Would it benefit my pasture by dumping the rest of the ashes out there?
 
Wouldn;t hurt as long as it isn;t treated lumber or walnut ash
We always kept a 55 gal drum of dry cold ash in the shop for the snow/ice time
 
SPJRanch":qcu66lei said:
I have installed an old 55 gallon wood heater in my shop and I am starting to get a lot of wood ashes. I would like to know if the ashes can be used for anything good? Thanks, Phil

We heat 100% with wood - from early Oct to as far along as May - in fact the stove is going right now and I am cutting wood this afternoon after tagging some calve that are taking a trip on Monday.

You want to talk ashes? LOL!

Put them around the water trough if it gets icy, put them in the garden - but not too much - and no I have no idea what is the right amount - we just dump and work them in during the Spring - seems to work and we have never had a problem - but we do not get too worked up about ash recipes in the gardens and the fields we just make sure the spread is thin.

Put them on an icy step, put them on an icy lane way, put them in the manure pile, put them in the worked fields, put them any where you can - heck - put them in the hay fields on top of the snow - put them in the pastures - just dump them all over - if you put them on top of the snow they will eventually get worked down - and as long as you spread them when you dump there is usually no harmful after effects.

You will have to remember - when you come Spring time - those ashes will be a bit of a pain - they will blow a bit in a breeze.

Just put them any where you want - you will have to live with it.

I know - here we call a cord of wood 4x4x8 - and we burn around 10 of them a year.

Just part of the process - your little heater will not give you so many that it is an inconvenience - just pull the ashes now and then and dump them.

Make sure they are cold! Sometimes ashes carry hot coals - have fun - and keep warm - nothing like wood heat on a cold day - you will be very happy with it in your shop - it is the best way to heat a place like that.

Good on ya'

Best to all

Bez
 
I broadcast ashes on the pasture. As a fertizlizer I call it a 0-1-2%

I guess I have 1000lbs of ash a year?
 
I spread mine on my manure pile, or right onto the fields. I buy wood ash from the mills, 30 ton loads at a time, so it sure can't hurt any.
 
Be careful of using ashes in large quantities on very alkaline soils. The have a pH of about 12-13. Lots of good micronutrients, though.
 
The very best and greenest parts of my pasture are the areas where I spread out the burn piles I had. Previously a forest, the soil had a ph of about 5-6--acidic. Lots of calcium carbonate in pure wood ash, but in my case, there was also lots of yet unburned wood and debris that was still breaking down.
 
Most wood ash can be used instead of lime you just need 2 ton of ash for every ton of lime recommended. As already said there is small amounts of fertilizer benifits also.
 

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