Ash from Charcoal

[Werewolf]

I generate lots and lots of charcoal ash thru out the spring, summer and fall. Dumping it in the trash seems like such a waste if it would help my wife's flowers grow better.

So...

Is charcoal ash from a BBQ grill OK to dump in the grass or a flowerbed? Seems like it woulb be a good fertilizer but I'm a numbers/finance/electronics guy and have a black thumb when it comes to plants.

How about it all you green thumb gunners?

 

[Lithiumokc]

Lol, I can see it now... Honey, clean the grill....what.. hey your the one whose gonna use it.

 

[Sanjuro82]

Most charcoal ash contains a lot of chemical additives that you wouldn't want to add to something like a garden. If you use lighter fluid or match lit charcoal, just bag it up and trash it. But on the other hand you have wood charcoal then that is fine as it contains potash which is an essential plant nutrient that can be added to acidic gardens. Just be careful not to screw up the pH balance of your soil.

 

[Honeybee]

Do not put it on your lawn or garden.
Ash becomes alkaline, In fact if you take oak ash and soak it in water, strain it and then dry it you get Lye.
but if you boil oak and then evaporate the water out of if you get tannic acid.
a little goes a long way and most good vegetables want lightly acidic soil.

 

[dennishoddy]

As Don said, Its not a good thing to use unless you are on top of your soils health. Almost every different part of the state has different soil requirements.
One must take soil samples, to determine what the soil in your area requires. If your in town, soil may be brought in from other places when the house was built, vs the neighbors house that was built by a different contractor.
Soil conditions can, and will change with time, depending on the water you use, rain, etc.
Its about $9 bucks to test your soil at OSU. You can get bags to send in at any of the Farmers Coops. Take samples at dozens of different places and put them in a bucket. Mix them around to get a "picture of your whole yard, listing if its for grass, or garden, and send it in. Within a week or so you will get a detailed report of what your soil needs to be healthy.

Trust me, its the best $9 bucks you can spend. If your soil is acid, they will tell you exactly what is needed to bring the PH into balance.
The PH meters you see advertized for $20 bucks or so are worthless. They will give a reading at a point 1/4" in diameter. Get a good soil sample and send it in.

 

[beast1989]

Charcoal ashes are contain a lot of carbon and if IRC carbon doesnt degrade well at all.