Mike Prager §kill-spam§mprager@§alum.§mit.§edu wrote in message . ..
We live in an area where we burn leaves and other yard waste.
Would the resulting ash be high in trace elements and be good
to sprinkle around plants?

Also, I have heard ash is alkaline. Should I mix in some
powdered sulfur before sprinkling? Most of our plants are
acid loving (viburnums, azaleas, camellias).

Ash is quite alkaline. Just as a rough guesstimate, about half as
alkaline as the same quantity of lime. Using a substantial amount of
it can raise soil pH more than two points. There's a discussion in
Gulf Coast Gardening at
http://www.gulfcoast-gardening.com/N...Jan_2_2002.htm

If your soil and plants can tolerate an alkaline amendment, ash is an
especially good source of potash and phosphate, hardwood ash in
particular.

Acidophiles do not sound like a good choice for mulching with ash.
Azaleas are especially sensitive to anything alkaline and will go
chlorotic.

--
Chris Green