Using ashes in the garden is not new, but did you ever know that Sprinkling Ashes Around Your Trees Could Save Them In Winter?
You might overlook wood ash as valueless, but surprisingly, it offers many benefits. Here’s why sprinkling ashes around your trees could save them in winter and the right way to do it.
Why Sprinkling Ashes Around Your Trees Could Save Them In Winter
1. It Insulates Against Frost
Frost can wreak havoc in winter, and gardeners always try to find ways to keep their trees safe. One way to do this is to sprinkle wood ash around the base of trees, which will act as a natural insulation layer. Do this at the beginning of the winter!
The ash helps regulate the soil temperature by trapping warmth and reducing the impact of freezing weather on the roots. This protection is crucial for young trees with delicate roots or ones planted in frost-prone areas.
Lightly sprinkle a thin layer of wood ash around the base of your trees. The ash should stay about 6 inches away from the trunk so it doesn’t directly contact the roots.
Note: If your soil is alkaline, avoid this hack, as wood ash can alter the pH.
2. Potassium to Address Winter Stress
Potassium is an essential nutrient for plants, helping them maintain cell function and resist stress. Wood ash is rich in potassium and ensures that trees have enough during their dormant period, which allows them to survive harsh winters.
You can combine wood ash with compost or other organic materials to create a balanced nutrient mix for trees in winter. Potassium also supports flower and fruit development, so if you have cherry or apple trees at home, you should definitely sprinkle ashes around them and it will enrich the soil slowly. It’s widely used in forestry.
3. Improved Snow Melt and Drainage
Wood ash is alkaline and has a fine texture, which can help speed up snow melt around tree bases. This nature of wood ash helps the soil remain well-drained and reduces waterlogging risks during thaw cycles.
Using ash on your plants will also encourage better soil aeration by preventing ice layers from forming around the tree’s base. You can use a light dusting of ash over the snow near tree roots to encourage melting. Pretty neat, right?
4. Prevention of Root Rot
As mentioned, cold and wet soils can promote conditions for root rot, which is a common problem in winter. Wood ash helps by improving soil structure and reducing excess moisture around roots.
Preventing waterlogging will stop fungal growth and root rot in your plant. To protect roots from excessive moisture, you can mix wood ash with other mulching materials like straw or bark.
5. Protecting Soil Microorganisms
Soil microorganisms play a noteworthy role in nutrient cycling, even during winter. Applying wood ash will support their survival by creating a balanced, nutrient-rich environment. It is actually a pretty good soil amendment.
It will provide trace elements like magnesium and phosphorus that microorganisms need to thrive and survive in cold conditions and when the soil warms up in spring.
You should use it the right way so there’s no surface runoff. All you have to do is lightly sprinkle ash around the base of trees and mix it slightly into the soil. The best time to do this is at the beginning of winter, but you can also do it in late fall.