Feeding garlic with ash

Many summer residents grow garlic on their plots. This common culture, like any other, needs proper care. It is important to correctly select effective feeding. It is good to fertilize the garlic beds with ash.

Many summer residents like to feed the garlic plantings with ash. It is a very effective ingredient, which makes it highly sought after. We will learn about the main advantages of using these types of dressings.

• One of the most significant advantages of ash dressings is their environmental safety. Absolutely all trace elements that make up ash are characterized by an easily digestible form. It contains potassium, phosphorus, and other equally useful and necessary elements.
• If you use ash to fertilize garlic beds, you can achieve a noticeable improvement in the taste of the grown crop.
• The considered type of fertilizer does not contain chlorine. Thanks to this, there is no accumulation of harmful microelements in the grown crop. This + advantage plays one of the most important roles.
• Another significant plus of ash fertilizers is that their use makes it possible to significantly save on the purchase of ready-made potash-phosphorus or nitrogen-containing mixtures. Many of them are quite expensive today, which is why not every summer resident can buy them.
• If you regularly fertilize the garlic beds with ash, the plants can be effectively strengthened and protected from various diseases. In addition, properly fed garlic is characterized by fast growth and excellent fruiting.
• Due to the action of ash, the immunity of garlic increases. The plant becomes much more resistant to cold weather, dry weather, and various pests.
• It is possible to neutralize the existing level of soil acidity with ash. For garlic plantings, a soil composition with pH 6.5-7 will be comfortable. If soil acidification takes place, then the development of the plant will be much more difficult here.

As you can see, ash and ash fertilizers affect the planted garlic very well. That is why many gardeners are turning to the use of such an effective tool.

If we talk about the disadvantages of the considered fertilizer for garlic, then first of all it is worth pointing out that the ash contains a rather caustic alkali. Under the influence of high concentrations, it is capable of negatively affecting the familiar microflora of the soil. Beneficial soil bacteria, earthworms, and any other beneficial fauna can be killed. Because of the above nuances, it is required to use ash dressings as carefully as possible, strictly adhering to the permissible dosages.

It is important to monitor the timing of fertilization of garlic plantings. This procedure should be carried out in 3 stages. It is necessary to feed the plant for the first time on warm days. At this point, the procedure will be necessary to support the active growth of vegetables, as well as their healthy landscaping. This is necessary so as not to collide with the white tips of the garlic in June. Spring-type garlic is fertilized as soon as the first leaves are formed. The second procedure will be required in 2 weeks. For the third time, the plant will need to be fed in June. This must be done on the forming head.

It is very important not only to maintain the correct timing and proportions of ash fertilizers for garlic, but also to correctly apply them. There are several ways to add garlic dressing. The simplest, but at the same time effective dry method is considered. With him, the ashes are simply scattered around the planted plants, as well as in the aisles. After that, the soil must be loosened. Gardeners with extensive experience in such procedures recommend only lightly dusting the above-ground half of the vegetables with ash. This will be a wonderful prevention of the development of various bacterial, viral or fungal diseases.

Dusting garlic beds with wood ash can effectively protect plants from all sorts of insect pests. Gardeners simultaneously get rid of various parasites, and also feed the plantings, providing plants with all vital elements. A very useful measure will be the use of ash in the process of preparing the beds for the subsequent planting of garlic. Such preparation can be carried out in the autumn period if winter varieties are planted. If you are going to plant spring garlic, then it is advisable to pre-cultivate and fertilize the soil at the very beginning of spring. The rate of application of fertilizing compositions will largely depend on the level of acidity of the soil, as well as its fertility.

Garlic beds are allowed to be fertilized with liquid ash compositions. Many summer residents resort to just such a simple and convenient method of processing plants. To implement the correct preparation of the nutritional infusion, you will need to fill the bucket with water. You will need to pour 2 faceted glasses of pre-crushed wood ash into the liquid. The resulting solution will definitely need to be infused for several days. After a while, you can water the garlic plantings under the root with the solution.

To make the level of assimilation of the introduced elements higher, it is recommended to build a small groove between the rows. Pour the prepared solution into it. Subsequently, it will gradually be absorbed by the garlic, which gradually ripens in the beds.

Simultaneous application of the ash solution under the root of the garlic, coupled with careful irrigation of the tops of the plants (foliar treatment), is allowed. Due to such manipulations, it will be possible to ensure a fairly rapid delivery of nutrients from the fertilizers applied. Top dressing of this type is characterized by very high efficiency rates, if only the first signs of a shortage of useful micronutrients were noted.

Many summer residents are interested in whether it is necessary to fertilize the garlic beds immediately before harvesting? Here you need to take into account that, provided that the plant is fed strictly according to the correct plan, additional fertilizers will not be needed. Vice versa, if you make an overabundance of feeding compounds, this will negatively affect the taste and quality of ripe garlic.

Extreme ash top dressing is allowed to be applied at least a couple of weeks before harvest. It is important to take into account that after this it is not necessary to water the soil. If this requirement is neglected, then the crop will be raw.

If you plan to feed the garlic with wood ash, then it will be useful to familiarize yourself with some recommendations regarding this procedure.

• It is not necessary to combine ash with ammonia or phosphorus fertilizers.If you combine such components, this will lead to the loss of the required amount of nitrogen and phosphorus. There will be no benefit from the resulting composition. Between the addition of dressings, it is important to maintain a pause of at least a week.
• It is strongly not recommended to fertilize garlic with ash if the reaction of the soil solution reaches a value above 7 pH. Under such conditions, the alkalinity index increases markedly, and the supply of nutrients to plants weakens or stops altogether.
• If you decide to fertilize garlic with the agent in question, you need to take into account that only ash obtained from the combustion of pure wood will be suitable. In no case should you use top dressing consisting of ash obtained from the combustion of various household waste.
• When using ash as a highly effective fertilizer for garlic beds, it is very important to always carefully observe the proportions of its addition. There are a great many recipes that provide for the use of the component in question. In all cases, it must be used in certain volumes. It is important not to overdo it with the addition of ash, so as not to harm the plants that you will be processing.
• Top dressing using ash can be alternated with organic fertilizers. We are talking about tinctures made from mullein and chicken droppings. It is very important to dilute them correctly beforehand. Thus, the summer resident will be able to provide the cultivated crop with all the necessary useful elements and substances.
• Experienced gardeners recommend feeding garlic beds no more than 3-4 times per season.
• When feeding garlic with ash and ash compositions, it is important to always keep its condition under control. It is necessary to regularly inspect the beds. This is necessary in order to know for sure if you are doing everything correctly.
• To achieve a rich garlic harvest, it is not enough to use only ash fertilizers in the summer. In addition, it is very important not to forget about regular watering, as well as thorough loosening of the soil. The beds will need to be mulched correctly. Fertilizers with ash will have to be applied strictly according to the rules and in the permitted quantities.
• You can feed garlic not only with pure ash, but also with an extract from it. This is a very popular method used by many gardeners. To prepare an ash extract, it is necessary to use about 2 times less mineral fertilizer. The combined solution is brought to a boil.
• Plants can only be watered with formulations close to room temperature.

If you take into account all the nuances of fertilizing garlic with ash, it is possible to achieve a very rich and healthy harvest. With competent actions, the taste of vegetables will be pleasant and of high quality, they can be stored for a long time.

You can learn how to properly use ash as fertilizer from the video below.