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latinageologist t1_iws3q79 wrote

Reply to comment by Ambitious_Ask_1569 in What do you do with significant amounts of wood ash? by peachboot828

If it's acidic, my whole MS thesis is a sham lol. It provides critical nutrients to a soil profile that actually buffers acidity.

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-_Stove_- t1_iwumwjj wrote

Silly science, what did you ever do for us? /s

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Ambitious_Ask_1569 t1_iww8pic wrote

Its either acidic or base. My grandmother was french Canadian in Northern Maine and they would save their wood ashes and leech water through them and combine the liquid with tallow to make soap.

All I know is having helped her it is caustic.Burned the shit out of my hands. Fine in small quantities but if you live in New England and run 2 stoves all winter you really don't want all that ash in your garden. Better to use as ice melt.

But Im no expert-I bet in some cases it would work great. I used ashes in my raised beds and nothing would grow. Not even weeds, but I didn't write my ms thesis on the affect of wood ash in gardens. Was your minor interpretive dance?

Researched: you are right. 5-10 pounds is good for soil amendment. The hell with you do with the 4-5 hundred pounds that burning a few cords produce unless you have a farm. Anything over 5-10 lbs in a 100 square feet is not good and will kill what you are putting it on. I've got 2 Defiant stoves and burn 5-8 cords a winter living in Jeff's. That's a bit of ash.

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latinageologist t1_iwwmiis wrote

My minor was not interpretive dance (shocking I know). There are no minors in graduate education, but you probably wouldn’t know about that bud. You likely have enough information to find out who I am, just keyword my research above. Hope you learn a thing or two upon reading my work!

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latinageologist t1_iwwn151 wrote

P.s. it’s never acidic ;)

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Ambitious_Ask_1569 t1_iwy7evd wrote

I edited it. I just know it burned making soap with my great grandmother on the dairy farm they owned. You are definitely right though.

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