Coal Ash as soil additive

trb157 said:

Is it advisable to use small amounts of coal ash as a soil additive in gardens or other planting areas? Does anyone know the relative range of Ph levels in coal ash?

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It can vary.
Why wouldn't you test those ashes with litmus?
It is a simple thing to do.

trb157 said:

Is it advisable to use small amounts of coal ash as a soil additive in gardens or other planting areas? Does anyone know the relative range of Ph levels in coal ash?

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NO, NEVER use coal ash for this purpose.

Coal ash is not beneficial to a garden because its potassium and phosphorus content are very low compared to wood ash. Coal ash also contains a great deal of other elements, such as cobalt, boron, and arsenic among others, which are toxic to plants, animals, and people. After a period of time when you feel that there are no longer any potentially "live" coals, you should bag and dispose of coal ashes as garbage (to the landfill).

Honey, these roses are SOOOO much more radiant looking with all that new mercury in the soil! And the tomatoes... they taste like nickels!

-- Mike

Now THAT's funny. I prefer tomacco myself (tomato and tobacco seeds mixed together and fertilized w/ plutonium)

The sulfuric acid and other nasties in coal ash will kill most vegetation. Acid mine drainage is a huge issue here in PA and in WV and other places now. You just have to see some of the strip mines around here that haven't been touched in 50 years and are just poplar trees that are 10 feet tall as far as the eye can see, nothing else will grow.

I have several patches behind my house where coal ash was thrown long ago. It is bare rocks and soil, nothing will grow. Evil stuff, one of the reasons I switched to burning wood instead of coal.

"I have several patches behind my house where coal ash was thrown long ago. It is bare rocks and soil, nothing will grow. Evil stuff, one of the reasons I switched to burning wood instead of coal."

perhaps someone was throwing used motor oil there. plants have no problem growing in coal ash.

while coal ash is not very beneficial to the garden like wood ash is, it also will not hurt it at all, especially in the amounts a homeowner would generate. while coal ash does contain the elements that have been listed, it does not contain them in much greater extent than does the soil in general. you should check out the content of wood ash as listed by the epa, while the concentrations of certian minerals are higher in coal ash, they both contain the same things. as far as acid mine drainage goes, that is a separate issue and does not impart anything usefull to this discussion.

trb157 said:

Thanks for the advice. I have read some articles on the subject but for now I just spread them on my gravel township road for traction and pothole filler.

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Because of the trace metals involved, you might want to avoid that practice as well and take everything straight to the landfill. Runoff from the road goes into ditches, streams, the local watershed, etc.

Not so much the cinders, but the flyash from coal is considered hazardous waste. Get caught dumping it, and at best you'll pay for a cleanup at top dollar. Nosy neighbors are good for turning you in. In PA, you can't even burn an old house anymore without hauling away every bit of ash as hazardous waste. Same people that think if they smell cigarette smoke once outdoors, they'll get lung cancer.

And no, no one dumped used motor oil on the cinders. As I said, there are hundreds of square miles of strip mines and dumps of cinders and flyash around here (anthracite country), nothing but tiny poplar trees will grow, and they die after a few years. It's not heavy metals that kill plants, although they do pick them up- so no dumping them on the garden. You wouldn't dump lead paint chips on your garden, would you? The sulfuric acid is what kills the plants, it destroys organic matter. It doesn't have to be very concentrated either. Maybe you could argue with all of the state scientists that work upstairs from me who work on these problems all day, and tell them that maybe somebody dumped motor oil there?

Burning 4 to 5 tons of rice coal a year, I produce roughly 8 cubic yards of cinders and flyash, which would kill all vegetation in a good-sized yard.

trb157 said:

I had some put in and mixed into my garden soil last year. Everything did well, all came up and produced well. I was mainly asking because I want to do some planting around an old strip mine that I hunt ducks out of. The soil is very acidic and wondered if more coal would help or hurt. I know wood ash can raise the PH. Maybe it's a stupid question.

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Wood ashes can be used to raise the soil pH. They contain small amounts of potassium, phosphate, boron and other elements. They are not as effective as limestone but with repeated use, they can drastically raise the pH value of a soil, especially if the soil is sandy in texture. Ashes should not come in contact with germinating seedlings or plant roots as they may cause damage. Spread a thin layer during the winter and incorporate into the soil in the spring. Check the soil pH annually especially if you use wood ashes. Avoid using large amounts of wood ashes because excessively high pH values and subsequent nutrient deficiencies may result. Coal ashes do not have any lime value and may actually be acidic dependent on the source.