If you are a gardening enthusiast, you may be looking for some new ways to make your plants healthier and grow better.
Using charcoal ashes from your charcoal BBQ or fire pit, might be something you have never thought about, but you can.
Charcoal ashes are not only safe for your plants, but there are many benefits and ways that it can enhance your plant health.
Today we will go over how you can use this material in your garden and what benefits it has for your plants.
Is Charcoal Ash Good for Plants?
Indeed! Charcoal ash is beneficial for plants by providing nutrients, attracting beneficial organisms, and promoting the soil’s pH right quality. Also, charcoal ash may help dislodge different pest species in your garden that feed on your plants.
If you would like to use charcoal ash, first, ensure used charcoal is completely extinguished (most will require you to close your charcoal grill lid and vents).
This allows the ash to cool down enough before you remove it so you do harm to yourself.
Remember that the right pH level for your garden soil is between a six and a seven (consult a local nursery before testing for charcoal to add to the garden, as charcoal and ash will raise the pH of the soil).
If the soil sample is seven or higher than you will not want to use charcoal ash or your soil pH will be more alkaline than it’s desired levels and not get the benefits of using ash.
How to Use Charcoal Ash for Plants Correctly?
The following are some of the most effective ways you can use charcoal ash in your garden.
Use to Control Pests
When faced with a pest issue in your garden, you can apply charcoal ash as a remedy.
Simply sprinkle a nice coating of ash around your plants to make the pests leave. You can also create a pest-removing spray composed of charcoal ash—if you prefer.
Mix one ounce of hydrated lime, one ounce of charcoal ash, and one gallon of water in a container and put that solution in a spray bottle.
Then you can spray that solution around the perimeter of the garden and the plants you want to protect from harmful insects.
Always a Good Idea – If you have outdoor bird cages and chicken coops in your backyard, think about using wood charcoal ash around them as well. This will keep the mites and lice that bother chickens and other small birds away.
Add to Compost Pile
Since carbon is the largest component of charcoal ash, it makes an excellent addition to a compost pile.
There will be a plethora of little insects, bacteria, and fungi in your compost pile that will use the carbon in the ash to convert it all into nutrient-rich humus.
The wood ash will also serve as food for the beneficial organisms in your compost pile, hastening the decomposition.
Alternatively, you can simply toss some unused charcoal into your compost heap for the same purposes.
Improve Garden Soil’s Acidity
Due to the trace amounts of potassium and lime, charcoal ash is considered alkaline.
This means it can be an all-natural amendment, and you can use it to combat acidic garden soils.
Every time you add it to the soil, it will work to eventually draw up the pH level to combat the acidity in the soil.
The potassium in the ash changes the chemical reactions within the soil, and also works effectively deep in the soil against acidity.
It enables the roots of plants and trees to take full advantage of the change.
Similarly, lime in charcoal ash changes the chemical composition of your soil to increase pH. Lime contains both magnesium and calcium, to make soil more alkaline.
Again, it is suggested you use this method when your garden soil is acidic.
And, you need to avoid using charcoal ash altogether on acidic soils if you are growing gardenia, azaleas, rhododendron, and blueberries.
Because these plant types live on acidic soils and can be damaged with the high level of alkalinity of the ash.
Use as a Fertilizer
The nutrients within charcoal ash promote the growth and health of your plant. It is pure and natural and can be used directly as a fertilizer.
You must add it to the soil like you would normal fertilizer and incorporate it.
Remember to keep your wood char ash additive-free and use it sparingly.
Using too much briquette charcoal ash can change how your plants access nitrogen.
Moreover, it can make your plants nitrogen deficient over time, causing yellowing as well as stunted growth.
As a general rule – Two pounds of charcoal ash is plenty for normal usage in a garden of 100 square feet.
Protect Plants Against Cold
Among the most aggravating situations your garden can experience during the wintertime is that frost can damage your plants.
You may experience a freeze when a cold wind gets up unexpectedly. You can preserve your garden with charcoal ash.
Charcoal ash contains mineral salts which lower the freezing point of the water in the soil in your garden.
You can sprinkle some lump charcoal ash around your plants and then put some of the ash on the leaves of the plants to help prevent frost damage.
On another note, it’s important to know that charcoal ash can’t prevent your plants from a severe cold. But it will help protect plants during frost when temp drops to sub-freezing conditions.
Does Content of Charcoal Briquettes Matter?
Of course, the type of charcoal briquettes that you are using matters.
But your main concern is that you want to make sure you are only using the ash from briquettes made of pure wood charcoal. Otherwise, you may adversely affect your garden soil and plants.
And in fact, you will almost certainly want to throw out the ash from the charcoal briquettes made with additives, too!
So, make sure you wrap the used charcoal briquettes in aluminum foil, and throw the whole thing in the garbage.
Final Words
Charcoal ash can be beneficial for your plants in many ways.
Be sure to check your pH level in your garden soil using your local nursery and apply the charcoal ash if it’s acidic.
Also, do not use ash from charcoal briquettes that have additives, these additives can protect your plants.