Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

permaculture - Re: [permaculture] Wood Ashes

permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: permaculture

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Brook Le Van <brook@sustainablesettings.org>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] Wood Ashes
  • Date: Thu, 14 Dec 2006 15:06:49 -0700

Scott,


Good to hear from you. Look forward to hearing about your work their.

I have used wood ash to detour ants from places I didn't want them. Apply as you would use diatomaceous earth circling the tree and or walkway or across a threshold of a dwelling.

In Ghana and Burkina when I was with the Gurunsi I saw them use wood ash in several ritual libations. One was painted on the walls during various phases of construction as a specific icon to ward off "evil tree spirits" which to their understanding would come and steal a new born's sense of sight or hearing. This wall application and ritual treatment of their dwellings may have a practical reason buried deep in their cosmology.

The Gurunsi had difficulty with ants or termites undermining the structural integrity of their massive earthen walls that make their compounds. The insects were mining the millet straw deep in the wall structure for any edibles in the earthen mixture. This caused deep channels and increased the wall's porosity and wall failure far ahead of regular structural expectations.

So our Gurunisi hosts combined wood ash into one of their layers of plaster, more like a wash before and or between final plaster coats. This seemed to help.

While I was there I began to work with them experimenting with the plethora of shredded plastic bags that had recently been introduced to their markets and had since begun to decorate their landscape as a fiber in their wet ball earthen mixture. I left, of course with some wall samples built and do not know if it was successful and or if they utilized any of that thinking.

Anyway, Hope you are well.

Best,

Brook



On Dec 14, 2006, at 2:19 PM, Norris Thomlinson wrote:

Hi Scott-

Anyone know of any uses for wood ashes?? Besides lye soap and used to
sweeten or alkalinize the soil.

I've come across references to use of wood ash lye in preparing corn, to
prevent the vitamin deficiencies caused by a diet high in corn. It's the
same idea as using lime with the corn--but wood ash (especially or maybe
only? from hard woods) is another way to process it. The wood ash lye is
created by leaching water through the ashes. I don't know whether or not
the process is identical to that for preparing lye for soap.

Hope that helps!

Norris Thomlinson
_______________________________________________
permaculture mailing list
permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/permaculture






Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page