hi, everyone first i wan to you for the information as to what to do about my sick hibiscus. i,m very sorry i didn,t respond with a thankyou note. we had a family crisis, that took over everything at that time. but i do thank you very much, for the help. the hibiscus looked a lot better, after using the oil, that was recommended. but it died anyway. i tried, and will start over with another, this spring. now for the reason i,m here today is. First of all i have a fire place, and everybody keeps telling me i should be using the ahses to put in flower beds, garden, grass and etc. is that right or what ? if it is right exactly what do you do? Thanks Again Texas Lady

 

Wood ashes tend to be a tad harsh, as I recall. If you want to use them in the flowers, composting them first would tame them. Otherwise, use them sparingly and on top of whatever mulch is already there. Pouring water over wood ashes is how one makes lye water. This is similar to caustic soda in its ability to burn skin and eyes.

Hope this helps.

 

thanks again for you response,first how would you go about composting the ashes? 2nd it looks like it could cause problems, is that correct if you aren,t carefull with them. just to be on the safe side i don,t think i will use them. thanks again for your help. Texas Lady

 

I always just threw them into the woods.

 

Hi texas lady


Mites, Aphids or white fly. Go to your local nursery & get Brand name Green Light Neem oil & follow the directions. Repete every 5 to 7 days for 2 months.

I'm glad the neem oil worked & verry sorry the Hibiscus died
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I have a much different experience with Wood Ashes. We burn huge wood piles over where we grow both Vegetables & flowers every year. Now understand, this ash if used around the base of established plantings should be used lightly and worked into the soil. Many ready nurtrients plants need are in wood ash.

We have seen a reduction in some nematodes that could be a result of the ashes, but the Lye content is not enough to be a concern to plants. Ashes could have gotton a bad rap by some wood stove owners dumping, and not spreading the ash around their plants. This will harm plants by forming a hard water proof cover like cement over the root area.

On a side note, we all can recognize is slash & burn farming in the Rain forest. Cut & burn farmers grow until all the nutrients are gone & move on.

I know this bothers us, but we did the same thing here on a grander scale, when we opened up Americas Farm land. In the early 1800s the night sky was turned to day with all the Huge fires from the Old growth trees piled high, as the Farmers burned the giant trees in the Ohio Valley.


Besides Potash, ash contains many minerals & hormones growing plants need to thrive. This give the farmers the needed food to grow food crops for a few years in the Amazon. Most jungle soils that will grow plants are less than 1 foot thick, so without the ash they would not grow for verry long. Without their Slash & burn that we ourselves did, In order to make America the bread basket of the World.

Please search this further yourselves, I got my info for using wood ash from Natives & long dead now, Farmers of the great Northern Farmlands of Ohio & NY. They could be wrong, yet I have been using ash from burning brush & trees + collecting the ash from City folks who gave me ashes from their wood stoves every Winter. My plants are happy & healthy every season unless it rains buckfuls like last Spring & early Summer LOL.

 

maturrro, thanks again for your reply, ok to use the ashes would i need to work them into soil around the plants, or just work them into the soil after i plant or what? i remember when i was a kid my grandfather using them. but i couldn,t remember exactly how he did it. also can they be spread on your lawn , and if so would it be helpful to the grass or what. oh by the way our grass is st. augustine. if its safe to use on the yard would you mix it furtilizer and spread or what? thanks again texas lady

 

Hi texas lady


Potassium (K) sources: Plants need potassium to strengthen plant tissue, make vegetation more disease-resistant, and develop chlorophyll. Sources include wood ashes, cottonseed meal, granite dust, and greensand. Wood ashes will also "sweeten" your soil by raising the pH, making it less acidic. Avoid contact between freshly spread ashes and germinating seeds or new plant roots, as the ash may burn plant tissue. Potassium, like nitrogen, turns over quickly in the soil system and must be replenished often.

We till our large growing areas in to 9" inches & sprinkle a light coating of ash around the Perenials then take the small back scratcher hand tool & mix it with the soil. Most anywhere we live today we will get acid rain, it's even caused by natural volcanos. We use powdered limestone from a quary to put into the soil, now what we get, is slow release of lime & calcium as the acid raid does it's work.

You may want to save your extra ashes in 5 gallon plastic buckets for use all spring & Summer as the plants will use it up very quickly. I have just spread it lightly on our areas of grass in early summer & again in mid Summer just before a rain with good results.

Keep in mind like it takes volumes of matter to make a small pile of compost. Ashes come from a lot of burned wood so like Compost, use a little ashes a lot of times throughout the season.

 

maturo, thanks again so now i willuse the ashes, and will be very careful with them. this is just the greatest site to come to , everyone is so very helpful. thanks again texas lady

 

You are welcome texas lady, it's a little slow now but we have a great Garden forum when things warm up again.