Wood Ash Super Grass

In the Spring, my partner-in-crime burned a small pile of brush in the middle of our “dirt circle”.  Since then, we’ve been trying to turn our dirt circle into a drought-tolerant lawn.  As soon as the grass started to come in, we noticed a distinct lush green spot in the middle right where we had the burn.  The wood ash-fed grass is much longer, thicker, and greener than everywhere else.

the super grass circle

the super grass circle

In the past, I’d read mixed reviews about using wood ash as a fertilizer (because it tends to raise the PH of the soil making it more alkaline).  And different plants have different PH requirements, etc., etc.  But, if you’re trying to grow a new lawn (or any alkaline-loving vegetation), and you use a wood stove or fireplace, save your ash.  Grasses, and many other plants & veggies prefer a slightly alkaline environment (6.5-7), and a handful of free ash goes a long way.  For more detailed info on using wood ash, check out this Purdue U. article.

P.S. I wouldn’t recommend burning brush in your yard.  It’s not enviro-friendly, could start a fire, and I wasn’t happy about it when I found the burn pile in progress.  But, if you are using a wood stove or fireplace already, why not recycle your ash in the garden?

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This entry was posted on Thursday, June 25th, 2009 at 10:17 amand is filed under In the Garden. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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