permaculture

[Keith Johnson <keithdj@mindspring.com>]

Alan, and all,
Go easy with that stuff. Even where soils are on the acid side I NEVER 
do more than a light dusting with wood ash. It's VERY alkaline. Clients 
in San Francisco indiscriminately dumped it in piles in their landscape 
and nearly killed their rhododendrons and azaleas before I discouraged 
the practice. They had a tiny landscape and were generating more ash 
than the space could absorb. If you have a wooded area, you can return 
it to the trees but broadcast it widely and thinly. Even when I add it 
to compost I apply it only in very thin layers. It can kill worms, too, 
if applied too heavily. Who knows the effect on microflora and fauna?
Keith

Allan Balliett wrote:
> Anyone have any idea of a rule of thumb for what rate (in inches) 
> (oak) wood ashes can be added to a raised bed? I'm thinking at about 
> 20% of the top 6 inches which would be, what, about 1 inch(?) and is 
> probably the maximum application rate Any suggestions for a rate of 
> sulphur incorporation (in inches) to restrict pH change when that 
> much ash is added?
>
> Allan in Shepherdstown
> (Whose pH runs around 8.5)
>   
--
Keith Johnson
"Be fruitful and mulch apply."
Permaculture Activist Magazine
PO Box 5516, Bloomington, IN 47408
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