AusBonsai

Ash,not the tree, the product.
Does anyone know of any benefits of using ash in soil mixtures?

Nurseries seem to use it a lot in their plants. It is small , light ,jagged and tough.
Its cheap and available in bulk!
Does it affect the ph?

What do you think?

cheers

are you talking about ash, as in ash from a fire? I use it around trees in the garden, and in the compost. has benificial properties (I could look it up for you ) but you can google as well as I can, It's alkaline.

I have started using charcoal it is meant to keep the soil Sweeeet!

Boon recommends horticultural charcoal in the pot to keeps the soil sweet as bretts says.
I ususally chuck a handful in the bucket when i mix up my mix too.
As for ash from a fire I have no idea

Ken

Thanks
I will look into it.
My local soil and landscape supplier has tons of it. They sell it as drainage ash for lawns .
I guess it is the same a ash from a fire.

cheers

The ash from a home fire is generally burnt to a fine particle, often called pot ash. The stuff your looking at buying will have been burnt at far higher temps with more oxygen (I think??) and remains a larger particle. It is therefor good for drinage as the water can move around and through the particles.

Hi Gumnuts,

I think the stuff you are referring to is known as clinker-ash. You often find some in cheap potting mixes as it is used as a filler. I have been looking to purchase this stuff for quite some time. Try it out and let us know how it goes!

JayC