Anyone use woodash for liming instead of lime?

[farmerguy89]

I have heard it can be a substitute for lime? Any idea where to get this stuff? Has P/K too!

[buckfarmer]

I would think the volume needed would make it impractical. However I have cleared a lot of brush around my farms. When I burn the piles sometimes the ash gets washed down into the field leaving a noticeable increase in growth. I've noticed this mostly in grass pastures. Ground in these pastures is pretty poor also. Dad always dumps his fire place ashes in his garden. So..... To answer your question I've kind of used wood ash. Would be interested in using more if it was available and feasible.

[buckfarmer]

Found a story that said to apply 20 lbs wood ash per 100 square feet of garden. If my math is correct that comes to about 8400 per acre. Ash is pretty light. Would have to be lots of cubic feet per acre. If there were some way to get it from a industrial facitity in a condensed form it looks like it would be a great fertilizer. Apparently when wood burns you lose the nitrogen but keep most other nutrients that was in the wood.

[James22]

A couple years ago a friend sent some corn seed that was being provided for a tall corn contest that an Iowa publication was running.  Fertilized with a mixture of wood ash and ammonium sulfate.  Sure grew green and tall but didn't reach the claimed 20 ft.  Approx four/five ears per stalk.  Most had only 10% or so kernels, however one was a full ear which I saved for no good reason.  Squirrels much preferred this imported corn over the standard fare GMO corn normally provided.   Unless restricting food which apparently gives an unusually healthy appetite, the squirrels will only eat the GMO germ.  Regardless of food supply abundance they ate the entire imported corn kernel.  Huge stalks that the squirrels would climb.  One time only venture, usually dump/spread the wood ash over the lawn's fall leaves that are deposited on the fields.