how to make use of the wood ashes

[lmei007]

I accumulated some wood ashes. Just wondering if I can use them as lime on my garden and grass yard. I have a yard with pine trees on one side. There are lots of moss. I was told to add lime and use moss killer to control them.

How do you use your wood ashes instead of just dump them somewhere?

Happy holiday!

 

[Stella]

I use some to clean the door of the stove as wood ash is nonabrasive and the remainder is spread as fertilizer around the base of my olive trees. Nothing is wasted!

 

[charly]

I spread them on my driveway for traction,, as our drive has a pretty good incline. Works great and they're free..

 

[Pavesa]

Hi

I have 2 bags of ashes in 2 combustible bags so I can ram them into the fire in case I get a chimney fire. I figure that would at least put out the fire in the stove. I've read you can use sand, but ashes seem more logical. Anyone have any thoughts on whether I'm deluding myself here?

Thanks

Pavesa

 

[Prof]

I use them on the garden, lawn, and if needed--the driveway. I burned coal for years, and disposing of the ashes was always a pain, but with wood, you can toss them just about anywhere--provided of course that they are well cooled. I usually wait until rain or snow before spreading them, just to be sure not to start a fire.

 

[corey21]

I dump them in my compost pile once they have cooled well.

 

[MnDave]

Hi

I have 2 bags of ashes in 2 combustible bags so I can ram them into the fire in case I get a chimney fire. I figure that would at least put out the fire in the stove. I've read you can use sand, but ashes seem more logical. Anyone have any thoughts on whether I'm deluding myself here?

Thanks

Pavesa

Interesting idea. Sounds like it would work to put the fire out in the box but I am not sure that it would put out a raging chimney fire unless you could arrange it so that it blocks the air going up the flue. I would say that you would have a better shot at this if the bag was noncombustable. Maybe fiberglass matt. You might have an invention there.

Depending on the stove design you could pack several "fiberglass tubes" above the baffle plate. I am not sure of the burning point of fiberglass but I know that if a fiberglass boat catches fire, all that will be left is the fiberglass.

I keep a Chimfex "fire extinguisher" handy. Never had to use one. It is like a flare and consumes all the O2.

Come to think of it, maybe these Chimfex's would not work well with the EPA stove designs with all the free air.

MnDave

 

[colin.p]

I spread them on my driveway for traction,, as our drive has a pretty good incline. Works great and they're free..

Ditto. The past few winters we have had alot of ice and the ashes certainly work wonders. A little messy, but better than spending a fortune on salt.

 

[begreen]

I just spread a can full around our lilac bushes and on the lavender bed.

 

[charly]

I also spread a very light layer of ash around my 55 plus apple trees around the base out towards the tips of the crown where the ends of the roots are.

 

[firefighterjake]

I mix the ash with cement and make life-like busts of Backwoods Savage.

Actually . . . I just spread the ash on my icy driveway in the Winter for its melting power and added traction.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Interesting idea. Sounds like it would work to put the fire out in the box but I am not sure that it would put out a raging chimney fire unless you could arrange it so that it blocks the air going up the flue. I would say that you would have a better shot at this if the bag was noncombustable. Maybe fiberglass matt. You might have an invention there.

Depending on the stove design you could pack several "fiberglass tubes" above the baffle plate. I am not sure of the burning point of fiberglass but I know that if a fiberglass boat catches fire, all that will be left is the fiberglass.

I keep a Chimfex "fire extinguisher" handy. Never had to use one. It is like a flare and consumes all the O2.

Come to think of it, maybe these Chimfex's would not work well with the EPA stove designs with all the free air.

MnDave

Throwing ashes or sand in the firebox will not stop a chimney fire, but they will put out the fire in the firebox so if there is a chimney fire it won't be feeding it with more hot flames. The way to stop a chimney fire is to cut off the air.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I accumulated some wood ashes. Just wondering if I can use them as lime on my garden and grass yard. I have a yard with pine trees on one side. There are lots of moss. I was told to add lime and use moss killer to control them.

How do you use your wood ashes instead of just dump them somewhere?

Happy holiday!

There have been many threads on this subject and they are all good. Wood ashes for years have been known as a poor man's lime. It will not last as long in the soil as lime so needs to be done annually.

The biggest thing you need to keep in mind when spreading ashes, especially on a vegetable garden is that it must be spread and never dumped. Dump wood ashes in a pile and nothing will grow there for a while. Spread it thin like you would lime and it is good.

One can also do a Google search on uses for wood ashes and it should bring up information. It will probably even tell you how to make soap. If one uses ashes in the driveways or sidewalks, one should be careful when going indoors because it might get messy. If you want to melt snow or ice. spreading ashes will help but so will spreading dirt. Dirty snow melts quicker than clean snow.

Happy New Year.