In article ,
songbird wrote:
what i have read so far says to not
overdo it keeping the application rate
for one time shot at 1/4 to 1/2 inch.
they won't be in direct contact with
plants at all, i'm mixing them in some
shredded bark/wood and then putting
several inches of heavy soil over them.


In many cases 1/2 inch might be overdoing it, I think. I usually just
stand on the upwind side of the garden and toss ashes into the air for a
thin broadcast layer (often on top of the snow in heating season - as
opposed to storing the ashes...) and that will get mixed in in spring.
In the orchard they are just spread around the trees and left on top of
the soil to gradually soak in.

They can actually be useful right on the surface of the soil - just give
a small buffer zone to plants, or use paper collars if you can stand
that or need to for cutworms anyway. They can be offputting to some
sorts of pesty bugs (not remembering exactly which at the moment.)

They are alkali (like lime) and therefore should not be put on or mixed
with things intended for application to an acid bed, such as
blueberries. It's also one reason not to overdo them. Presumably folks
with alkaline soils might want to avoid them, I don't really know, our
soils are generally acidic without treatment and do better for most
plants with some lime or ashes added.

They are a good source of potassium (the alkaline factor is primarily
KOH, IIRC) and trace minerals. If they happen to have some charcoal, all
to the good.

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