Composting with fireplace ashes

[Grandpa]

Is there a compelling reason to use use or not use fireplace ashes in my compost pile?

[Mike Gilmore]

[Jim W]

Depends what you use as fuel.. Large chopped logs contain very little in the way of beneficial nutrient. SMALL woody clippings contain appreciable amounts of potash.. but it will leach if rained on.. SO keep covered and introduce into copmpost in a controlled manner..

Be aware alsothat bruning some woods (eg laburnum etc) releases toxic fumes.

Soot/Ashes and cinders from coalite/coal are best used for paths, slug barriers etc only in limited amounts as can be quite toxic.

Jim

[Phisherman]

Use them! They are also beneficial to use directly on shrubs, trees, and lawn. You can use them to encircle your plants to ward off slugs. Ashes are potash rich. They tend to make the soil alkaline, so avoid using ashes on acid-loving plants. Ashes can also be used on ice patches on steps, driveway--more kind to plants than using salt.

[animaux]

If they are ashes from wood, especially wood which was not treated with CCA (never use that for any reason, particularly don't ever burn it) you can put a very small smathering of ashes in the compost pile. It will add some potash, but is highly base and cannot be used in high amounts.

[Grandpa]

[Mary Shafer]

It depends on your soil. If it's alkaline, forget the ashes. If it's acid, go ahead.

As you've probably deduced, ashes are alkaline. We don't put them on our alkaline soil in the CA desert for that reason.

Mary

[Grandpa]

Thanks Mary, I'm in Albuquerque so I have plenty of alkalinity already.

[JNJ]

I doubt I'd ever put them in my compost pile, but I spread them about the beds of my lilacs. They absolutely love it -- seems like they grow higher and higher ever time I cook out. :)

An important item to note -- if we're talking about normal wood, i.e. the kind you collect in the forest and such, then you should be fine. If you're talking about processed stuff (like you would buy in a lumber yard for example) then you may wish to reconsider. If the wood has been treated in any way then definitely do NOT burn it. Same goes for woods like poison ivy and the like -- gives off noxious fumes (toxic in some cases).

We typically burn maple, walnut, and occasionally a few other junk trees in the yard that lose branches. We'll be burning even more if I ever get that firepit dug in. :)

James

[Tina Gibson]

I wouldn't put anymore than a little 1 gallon pail full into a large compost heap. It will slow down the composting process. If you put in too much you run the risk of killing off some of the little microbes and worms that you want to live there. Particularly here where the composting season is very short and takes longer in spring for microbes to repopulate again. May not have as bad of an effect on warm climate composting - quicker recovery if you have a very active compost. Still would add sparingly over time and see how it goes.Mix it well with some grass cuttings or other high nitro organic material.

I also have a woodstove. I have spread some sparingly in some flower beds - but only do it maybe every few yrs. We also have alkaline soil here. Before I moved into this house my husband lived here on his own and would dump ashes freely into the existing tulip and lettuce beds - it took a lot of amelioration to get these beds back into shape to be able to grow anything else decently (a lot of stunted plants).

Luckily I have other uses for the ashes.

1. 90 acres in the country where I can dump it in many places to discourage grass growth - gravel road, pathways, etc. or some back in the forest the trees came from.
2. An outhouse where we use it mixed with peat moss and dump it down the hole! Keeps the smell down. Note: our outhouse is not over any ground water reservoirs.
3. City friends who take it for their gardens.
4. When lacking any options, a very large city compost site that I can take it to.

Sure would like to here anyone elses uses for it!!

[Compostman]

I agree with this advice. I put ashes in my compost, but because it's pH is so high, I usually wait until my composting process has slowed down to avoid getting ammonia, and thus a bad smell and loss of nitrogen. Because my soil is naturally acid, I also put ashes around my liliacs which like alkaline conditions. I don't think ashes in reasonable amounts are going to make any significant effect on the compost pH, which tends to be neutral, no matter what you put in it (assuming normal type waste, not battery acid).

[Cheryl Isaak]

I am finding this all very interesting - here in NE, normal fireplace and woodstove ashes are highly recommended to spread over the soil or in the compost. (I think they included pellets and those new corn product pellets in this.) What I do know is don't use coal or manufactured charcoal ash. Cheryl

[Tina Gibson]

I have to disagree - I have done large scale R&D on composting and pH will change dependent on material. A reasonable amount will not affect - but as I said I have a woodstove and one winter of constant burning can certainly result in an unreasonable amount. Also due to the low porosity value of ash - it will lead to anaerobicity if added in too high a volume.

[Grandpa]

Having a dozen lilac bushes around the yard I may give this a shot on one or two. They love the soil they are in now and grow pretty quick too, although it is quite alkaline. I'll add a shovel full to a couple and watch what happens. Worst it can do is probably nothing, or I can dump manure on them to counteract.

Yup, cut it myself for burning, me and my trusty Husqvarna Rancher 55 chainsaw.

The only lumberyard stuff I use is the tiny bit for kindling, then its split logs.

[Grandpa]

Speaking of composting, my pile (I'm new to composting) is on a side of the house that gets sun for maybe 3 hours a day at best. In order to keep it warm I covered it lightly with a hunk of old solar blanket from our pool (which is now a beautiful garden). This of course keeps the rain (like we have any in Albuquerque) out and most of the moisture fom frost, like we have much of that either. Any recommendations re: if I should remove the cover for the winter and let nature take its course or keep it covered. The enclosure is of oak pallets so it has lots of air flow around it,

[Tina Gibson]

[Bob]

ashes in my

trees,

slugs.

avoid

I spread them on the mossy areas of my lawn - It seems to slow the moss down pretty well.

Bob

[Grandpa]

[SAS567]

I'm getting ready to throw ours away and I would offer it to you for free, but the shipping would be outrages! Sue in Mi. (zone 5)

[SAS567]

I've been putting my fireplace ashes in my garden for 13yrs. We only burn red & white oak and maple. When this question came up on this message board last year, someone advised me that I should not be telling people this because their soil might not be the same as mine and it might not be a good thing for them to do. I have a beautiful veggie garden every year. I had enough cukes to can 95 jars of pickles this year. Sue in Mi. (zone 5) and COLD tonight!!!!