North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["tanis cuff" <tanistanis@hotmail.com>]

Sorry for delay in reply.  I bet you've sent in your article by now.  I heat 
w/ wood, and depending on the winter that means more or fewer buckets of 
ashes.  (Cold-- heating-degree days, and ice-- use ashes on driveway [rural 
area, doesn't enter a storm-sewer])   I try to spread left-over ashes onto 
as large an area as possible, so no patch of soil gets over loaded and so 
much of the soil gets at least a little.  That means all fruit trees get a 
"powdered sugar dusting" every 2-3 years, this average changing as orchards 
expend!  I doubt I apply enough to have much/any effect on the soil pH.


----Original Message Follows----
From: "Doreen Howard" <>
To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <>
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Hardwood Ash
Date: Fri, 3 Dec 2004 10:20:05 -0600

Thanks everyone for this exchange on using hardwood ash on fruit trees. Your 
experiences dispell an urban legend or old wives tale that they are good for 
fruiting trees.

The ash fix often pops up on gardening lists and some "experts" swear by it. 
But, I had wondered if they really had the results they claimed.  It all 
comes back to "know your soil" and do a soil test.  If you have acid ground, 
I can see where the ash would do some good.  Otherwise, ash seems to create 
more problems than it solves.
Doreen Howard