How To Use Fireplace Ashes In The Garden
Add to Compost
1/15
Adding wood ash to your compost pile is a wonderful way to both recycle that waste and boost the potassium level of your compost. There's a reason gardeners call compost "black gold"—it's a gold mine of nutrition for your plants in the spring.
Related: 7 Times to Throw Garbage in Your Garden
istockphoto.com
Use as Ice Melt
2/15
It's not a bad idea to keep a container of recycled fireplace ashes in your trunk in the winter. They can give your car traction on an icy patch of road, and the potassium salts in ashes can help melt snow in moderately cold conditions.
Related: 7 Tricks Every Driver Needs to Know This Winter
istockphoto.com
Amend Your Soil
3/15
If you have acidic soil, you can amend it with wood ash to raise its pH. Because wood ash is about 70 percent calcium carbonate, it will do the same thing lime does, but even more quickly because its particle size is so much smaller.
Related: The Best Things You Can Do for Your Garden Soil
istockphoto.com
Absorb Odors
4/15
Wood ash is alkaline, just like baking soda, which means it will absorb moisture and odors from the air. Put a small bowl of it in your fridge or in a musty room, and it will absorb the odors, making things fresh again.
Related: Clear the Air: 10 Natural Ways to Cure Household Odors
istockphoto.com
Clean Up Stains on the Driveway
5/15
You can remove oil stains from your asphalt or concrete driveway with ashes from your fireplace. Sprinkle the ashes on top of a stain, let them sit for several hours to absorb the oil, then sweep it all away with a broom.
istockphoto.com
Control Slugs and Snails
6/15
Gardeners have long used ashes to deter slugs and snails from their veggie beds. Because wood ash is a natural desiccant, and the bodies of slugs and snails have such a high water content, the critters are loath to cross it. So, put a ring of wood ash around plants to keep these pests at bay.
Related: 8 Ways to Combat Garden Pests
istockphoto.com
Make Soap
7/15
When you mix wood ash with water, you get lye, which is a common ingredient in traditional soap-making. Throw in a form of fat and add a lot of boiling and stirring, and you've got homemade soap.
istockphoto.com
Polish Metal
8/15
Wood ash is a mild abrasive, so if you mix it with a little water to make a paste, you can polish up silver and other metals.
Related: 21 Time-Saving Tricks That May Change the Way You Clean
istockphoto.com
Slow Algae Growth
9/15
While wood ash won't actually kill algae, ashes can help to control it. Because wood ash is so high in potassium, sprinkling it into a pond will encourage the other plants to grow and compete with the algae, keeping it in check.
istockphoto.com
Remove Skunk Stink
10/15
If your pet has ever had a run-in with a skunk, you know how hard it is to get rid of the stench! Because fireplace ashes absorb odors, you can use them to get your pet smelling better, faster. Just rub ashes into your pet's fur to absorb the smell.
istockphoto.com
Clean Up Soot
11/15
In the same way that a wood-ash paste can remove tarnish, it can be used to removed soot from your fireplace doors. Simply mix ashes and a little water into a paste, then use it as a mild abrasive to get that glass shiny and clean again.
Related: 10 Steps to Readying Your Fireplace for Winter
istockphoto.com
Make Natural Bleach
12/15
When wood ash is mixed with water, the resulting substance is called lye water. Lye water is often used in soap, but it can also be used by itself as a bleaching agent. A cupful added to a load of wash should do the trick.
Related: 10 Classic Cleaners That've Stood the Test of Time
istockphoto.com
Control Humidity
13/15
Wood ash is a desiccant that you can put to use in humid spaces, like a damp basement or poorly ventilated bathroom. Just a small tray of wood ash in the corner can help draw the humidity out of a room.
Related: 14 Surprising Places Where Mold Hides in the Home
istockphoto.com
Deter Ants
14/15
Have ants taken over in your lawn? Sprinkle a layer of wood ash over those ant hills to force them to relocate.
Related: 12 Tried-and-True Tricks to Stamp Out Ants
istockphoto.com
Put Out Fires
15/15
Just like sand, fine wood ash can smother a small fire. Keep a bucket of ash close to the fire pit or fireplace in case you need to extinguish any wayward embers.
Related: 10 Things Never to Burn in the Fireplace
istockphoto.com
Don't Miss!
Whether you're looking for a new kitchen appliance or the latest tech gadget, start with Bob Vila's list of the very best Black Friday deals of 2021.
How To Use Fireplace Ashes In The Garden
Source: https://www.bobvila.com/slideshow/15-handy-things-you-can-do-with-ashes-from-your-fireplace-52476
Posted by: holladaywillith.blogspot.com
0 Response to "How To Use Fireplace Ashes In The Garden"
Post a Comment