How to feed tomatoes with ash

What ash is made of and how does it affect plants

Even if you have recently become a summer resident, then in any case you should know that without applying fertilizers, it is difficult to get a good and healthy harvest. Thanks to the large selection of fertilizers in stores, it is not so difficult to find exactly what a particular crop needs. But there are still such summer residents who use ash as fertilizer. Let's take a closer look and consider what is so important and valuable for ash. Ash is a mixture of minerals. Such a mixture is obtained by burning various minerals, as well as wood. Feeding tomato ash is a popular way to enrich the soil. Moreover, the chemical composition of ash can vary depending on the type of organic element to be burned.

Top dressing with ashes of tomatoes

Ash has been used as a feed for tomatoes for many decades. In its composition, it has a huge amount of necessary elements, including phosphorus, potassium, calcium. If you pay attention to the composition of the ash, you will understand why it is so valuable for tomatoes. Ash contains: calcium carbonate, calcium silicate, calcium sulfate, calcium chloride, sodium chloride, magnesium sulfate, magnesium silicate, etc. If they are absent, this can negatively affect the development of culture, as well as fruiting. It should be borne in mind that only oven ash can be used for tomatoes. Only such ash is considered safe for tomatoes, since it does not contain harmful and heavy elements that can accumulate in tissues and harm the culture, and then you will eat tomatoes.

Top dressing with tomato ash: minerals

Ash contains a large amount of calcium. Calcium is responsible for the development of the culture at the time of flowering, and also directly depends on the quality and quantity of fruiting. Calcium carbonate is able to normalize biochemical processes that occur inside tissues. Calcium carbonate has a beneficial effect on the development of tomatoes, tomatoes begin to develop faster. Ash also contains calcium silicate. It carries a very important function - it is responsible for the correct and fast absorption of fertilizers, as well as other useful elements found in the soil. Thanks to him, tomatoes contain beneficial elements for health. Calcium sulfate is also equally useful. It influences the growth of the plant. Due to the fact that ash contains calcium chloride, it fights well against various diseases. Ash protects the soil from various rot, and also makes the soil healthier.

As for potassium and phosphorus, their amount is slightly less than calcium, but this will also be enough for the culture to develop correctly and well, the metabolic processes that occur inside the tissues of the culture return to normal and proceed in the correct and necessary channel. In particular, potassium orthophosphate, which regulates and improves the water balance of the tomato. If this substance is not available, then a substance such as ammonia will begin to accumulate in the roots and greens of the tomato, which is able to suppress vegetative crops. Potassium itself affects the fruiting and flowering process, phosphorus has a positive effect on the root system.

Equally important is the presence of magnesium in the ash. Magnesium directly affects the process of photosynthesis.Magnesium, when combined with potassium, takes on the responsibility of ensuring that plants produce a certain amount of energy. It also influences the formation of carbohydrates, which serve as the foundation for the formation of starch and cellulose. Without this important element, the culture will develop so slowly that ultimately the fruits may simply not ripen in time.

What are the types of ash and their composition

As we said earlier, the type and composition of ash depends on which organic materials were incinerated. If you want to get a composition that will contain a large amount of calcium, then buckwheat straw and sunflower stalks should be burned. Firewood will not work for this purpose. Here are some types of ash:

- Coniferous - contains 35% calcium, 6% potassium and 2.5% phosphorus.
- Deciduous - 30% calcium, 10% potassium and 3.5% phosphorus.
- Peat - 20% calcium, 1% potassium and 1.2% phosphorus.
- Ash, which will be obtained from buckwheat straw - 18.5% calcium, 30-35% potassium, 2.5% phosphorus.
- Ash, which was obtained from the stem of sunflower - 18-19% calcium, 36-40% potassium, 2.5% phosphorus.

Top dressing with tomato ash: popular recipes

Ash can be used for various purposes. For example, for seeds. An ash solution is prepared and the seed is soaked in it. Ash is also used as fertilizer for seedlings, against attacks of pests, as a top dressing for an adult plant.

Dry ash use

Most often, ash is used for a tomato in a dry form. Dry ash is also added to the holes when young bushes are planted in greenhouses. During flowering, dry ash can be added around the tomato. This procedure can be performed once every 2 weeks. If you lightly spray ash on the tomatoes, then you can save your crop from the attack of pests. You will be able to avoid meeting with the Colorado potato beetle, slugs, cabbage flea. Ash is best applied to slightly damp foliage when the weather is calm. When using dry ash as a top dressing, the soil is saturated with necessary and useful elements, and can also protect the plant from various fungal diseases and rot. It is best to carry out dry dressing in the spring months (for light soil), in the spring and autumn (for heavy soil).

Top dressing from ash solutions

If you want to feed an adult plant, then an ash solution is well suited for this purpose. To do this, add 100 g of ash to 10 liters of water. Insist for a couple of hours. After that, you can water the tomatoes at the very root with the solution. You can notice the effect of such feeding after 5-7 days. It can also be used to soak seeds. This will require 1 sl. ash, it must be sifted through a sieve, diluted in 2 liters of slightly warmed water and infused for 2 days, then strain the resulting mixture. Then you can use the same solution in which you place the seeds. This method will affect the germination of seeds, as well as the best way to reflect on the growth of tomatoes, and will speed up this process. You can also water the sprouts with such a solution when at least 2 real leaves appear on them.

There is also a good mixture recipe for foliar feeding. To do this, take sifted ash (1 glass), dilute it in 3 liters of water, then boil the resulting mass for 30 minutes. Then the mixture must be diluted with water so that you end up with 10 liters of the finished mixture. Then add about 50 g of soap, laundry soap is best suited and leave for several days. Such a solution is ideal if there is a nutritional deficiency and pests attack the tomatoes.

Top dressing with tomato ash for taste

In the event that you want to improve the taste of a tomato, you can use the following recipe: you need to take ash (2 glasses) and pour 2 liters of hot water, and leave for two days, then strain the resulting mixture.Then add iodine (10 g), boric acid (10 g) to the liquid. Then the resulting composition must be diluted 10 times and used as a spray on bushes when they bloom.

Ash-herbal tea is a good remedy. To do this, you can collect greens that grow in your summer cottage, for example, nettles, dandelions, plantains and others. Place the greens tightly in a container so that it takes up about ¾ of its volume. Then add water to the container and leave for a week. When you start to smell, add ash (300 g), then stir the mixture. In order to water the plants with such a solution, it must be diluted: pour 1 liter of the solution into a bucket of water and use this solution to feed the tomato root.

Finally

You were able to make sure that you can prepare a good and healthy feeding at home as well. In terms of its composition and quality, the ash will not differ in any way from the fertilizer that you purchase in the store. Why spend money on something that you can do yourself. And ash is a good example of this. It is very difficult to imagine the good development of many cultures without it. But most importantly, keep in mind that you should not overdo it with the dosage of ash. If you apply a large amount, it can affect the mineral and acid balance of the soil. You can immediately notice whether the ash has approached your plant or not, whether it is beneficial or not. The bushes take on a dense and fleshy shape, becoming bright green in color. If you have not noticed a reaction, then you can add ash after about one week.