Feeding peppers with ash

Natural dressings are now very popular among gardeners. Ordinary wood ash works well as a fertilizer. It can be used not only to feed peppers, but also to protect them from various pests and diseases.

Wood ash is produced by burning various organic materials. Its composition directly depends on the raw materials used for this. Wood ash contains a large amount of useful trace elements.

1. Phosphorus. This element is necessary for plants for the rapid development of the root system. Feeding peppers with ash is useful at the stage of planting seedlings in the ground. For fertilizing pepper seedlings, it is best to use ash obtained after burning conifers.
2. Potassium. This substance contributes to the rapid restoration of the water balance of the plant. In order for the composition to be saturated with potassium, hard wood is burned.
3. Calcium. This element promotes the rapid growth of the bushes. Ash, which remains after burning deciduous trees, is especially rich in potassium.
4. Copper. If this substance is not enough for the peppers, they begin to dry out.
5. Magnesium. This element allows you to speed up the flowering of plants.

Only high-quality ash should be used for fertilizing peppers and other crops. Do not burn chipboard, fiberboard, varnished or painted materials. Also, there should be no rubber, colored paper, synthetics and cellophane among the raw materials being burnt. It is not recommended to incinerate household waste. High-quality ash is prepared from branches, plant residues and cuttings of boards that have not been varnished.

This natural fertilizer has both advantages and disadvantages. To begin with, it's worth talking about its main advantages. Quality wood ash:

• increases the frost resistance of seedlings;
• strengthens the immune system of peppers;
• accelerates their growth;
• stimulates flowering and fruiting of peppers;
• helps to deoxidize the soil;
• prevents the appearance of fungal diseases;
• protects the plant from pests.

At the same time, it is not worth using ash too often. This can lead to the following negative consequences:

• oversaturation of soil with nitrogen;
• failure of acid-base balance;
• damage to the root system.

But if you apply this fertilizer correctly, then there will be no negative consequences.

As a rule, wood ash is applied to the soil in the form of a solution. Before preparing it, the product must be sieved thoroughly. After that, you can start preparing the fertilizer. This can be done in several ways.

First of all, pour 1 glass of wood ash with 1 liter of clean water, heated to 30-40 degrees. It is recommended to use the softest water, for example, rainwater or well-settled water.

After that, the infusion should stand for 10-12 hours in a warm place. The finished mixture must be thoroughly filtered. Before use, the solution must be diluted in 10 liters of water so that its concentration is not too strong. Next, you need to process the ground around the peppers with this mixture.

There is another way to prepare an ash solution. It takes a little longer, but the solution is more effective.

To prepare it, you need to take a 10-liter bucket and pour 1 liter of ash into it. Next, you need to fill it with clean water. After that, put the mixture in a warm place for 3 days. Stir it from time to time. After this period, the solution must be filtered, and then the peppers must be treated with it.

This tool can be used prophylactically. To prepare it, 2 cups of sifted ash must be poured with 1 liter of boiled water. Then this mixture must be put on low heat and boiled for half an hour. After this time, strain the solution, then add 9 liters of clean water to it. It is also necessary to pour soap shavings there.

After preparation, the mixture must be poured into the sprayer. The ready-made solution can be used to process peppers both in the open field and in greenhouses. After spraying, the plants need to be watered abundantly for several more days.

You can also feed the peppers with dry ash. This will prevent the appearance of various fungal diseases. It is recommended to apply dry dressing in the rain. At the same time, it is not worth sprinkling the root zone, but the aisles.

It is best to fertilize bell peppers early in the morning or late in the evening. If you do this during the day, the sun's rays can burn young leaves. Pepper seedlings must be fed twice. Both the first and the second time it is best to water the plants with an ash solution.

When the first leaves appear on young plants, you can carry out the first feeding. In order for the peppers to fully develop, 3 parts of superphosphate, 3 parts of water, 1 part of ammonium nitrate, and also 1 part of potassium must be added to the ash solution. A few hours before processing, the peppers must be watered using warm water.

In 14-20 days after the first feeding, you can re-fertilize the plants. This time, not 1, but 2 tablespoons of the ash mixture are brought under each bush. The concentration in this case should be the same as in the first case.

When transplanting seedlings into the ground, it is necessary to add 1 tablespoon of ash to the holes. It must be mixed with earth before use. Since ash is a caustic fertilizer, skipping this step will damage the roots of the peppers.

After feeding, the soil around the plants must be well watered. This product disinfects the soil, nourishes the plants and allows them to take root and grow faster.

In the event that, when planting seedlings, ash was not introduced into the holes, top dressing can be done only after 2-3 weeks. During this time, the plants will be able to take root well. Fertilizer must be applied under each plant. Enough 1 liter of the prepared mixture. The solution must be at room temperature, otherwise the root system will simply stop growing indefinitely.

Many gardeners prefer to soak them in an ash solution before planting seeds in the ground. It disinfects them perfectly, and also stimulates the active growth of young seedlings. To prepare the solution, use 20 grams of ash and a liter of water. The seeds are soaked in it for a day. After this period, they must be rinsed well and then dried. To prepare a solution for treating seeds, it is better to use pre-settled water.

Often, ash solutions are added during the flowering of peppers. During this period, they especially need potassium-phosphorus supplements. Most often, this top dressing is applied in June. Ashes prepared in advance must be scattered around each pepper bush. One square meter will require 200 grams of dry ash. After applying the ash, the soil around the plants must be well loosened, and then watered abundantly with warm water.

This method of pest control can be used both in open beds and in greenhouses made of polycarbonate. It is best to spray the bushes in the evening. The weather should be calm and dry.

When feeding plants with ash, you need to adhere to certain rules.

1. If the product is applied to the soil dry, you need to fertilize peppers in a protective mask and gloves. To prevent ash from getting into the eyes during sifting, it is worth carrying out this procedure with glasses. Remains of ash should be stored in a dry place out of the reach of children.
2. Do not use wood ash and fresh manure at the same time. This will lead to the fact that both products will not have the desired effect on the development of the plant.
3. Do not use ash and together with urea, saltpeter and other nitrogen-containing dressings.
4. Adult plants can be fed with a solution prepared using herbal decoction rather than water.... The benefits of such a plant treatment agent are much higher.
5. If the beds are not mulched, each top dressing must be accompanied by shallow loosening of the soil.
6. Since peppers love warmth, you should use slightly warmed water for watering after feeding. Water that has been allowed to sit in a barrel or buckets throughout the day will also work.
7. Clay soils can be fertilized with ash after digging the earth. Sandy and sandy loam soils are fertilized with ash in the spring after the snow melts. This is done so that melt water and the first spring rains do not wash away the useful fertilizer.

Summing up, we can say that such a folk remedy as ash can serve as an excellent alternative to chemicals. If you observe the correct dosages, feed the peppers on time, the plants will be healthy, and the harvest will be large.

For information on how to feed ash peppers, see below.