Quote:
Originally Posted by bower
I know that ash is popularly used just by sprinkling around your plants to deter slugs and snails. I'm not sure if it works but haven't heard of it causing harm to the plants - obviously in small amounts. Ashes in compost are also purported to deter rats - maybe it masks the smell of the things that attract them. 
Coincidentally I was reading about the use of ashes in natural dyeing, as a means of raising pH, where it was reported that the pH dropped steadily over several days and sometimes unexpectedly when (ash water) was left in a container for several days.
To my mind it confirms that the pH effects are fairly unstable (certainly to heat, maybe also to ?? oxygen? re pH declining in a container of 'lye water'. ) but of course in soil the interactions are different. I do think that rain and watering can change those pH effects pretty quickly.
The recipe given was 1 kilo of birch ashes to which 8-10 liters of boiling water is added, then left to stand for 24 hours - the liquid becomes yellow and was measured to have pH 10 after one day. So it can certainly be a strong alkali in the short term. |
Thank you very much for your reply.
The truth is that I have enough wood ash, and I love to recycle.
Every year I add a bit of ash in one part of my garden and I do not notice the difference with regard to the side of the garden that has no ash.
Nico