# So Crazy it Just Might Work



## RuttedField (Apr 24, 2016)

I need lime...lots of it, and potash as well, some fields suggesting 4000 pounds of lime and 210 pounds of potash to the acre.

Well as you guys know I am clearing land at an unprecedented level, some 50 acres this year alone. Back during Potash Fever in the early 1800's my Grandfather had a Potash Factory sending the fertilizer to England aboard ships. I am wondering if I could not recreate that in a different way today.

Rather then leave my tops, limbs and other slash in the woods, what if I hauled it out, pushed it all into a big pile and burned it? I know hardwood is better than softwood in producing potash, but right now hemlock, fir, spruce pulp, have absolutely no value so I could use them as well. At around 8% ash content, every cord would produce just over 350 pounds. Not bad considering my forest averages more then 30 cord per acre.

I am not saying its great fertilizer, but it would be free.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

https://extension.umaine.edu/publications/2279e/


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

MY grandparents always spread the ashes from the wood stoves, etc., on the garden.

Ralph


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## Fossil02818 (May 31, 2010)

I've done that successfully for creating about 15 ac of pasture from existing forest. I wasn't looking to create premium hay ground so my standards for new pasture are likely lower than your hayfield goals. But, I burned everything I could including stumps to generate more ash. The pastures were seeded with lots of clover, trefoil, perennial ryegrass and orchardgrass. They came in great and after a couple years of ruminant grazing they are dependable and high yielding. The toughest part was picking rocks!


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## vhaby (Dec 30, 2009)

rjmoses said:


> MY grandparents always spread the ashes from the wood stoves, etc., on the garden.
> 
> Ralph


I do that now, but in moderation bc of the concern for heavy metals buildup. Most of our home heating in our relatively mild Texas winters is from a small wood stove even though we also have natural gas piped into the house from a pipeline that crosses our hay meadow about 200 yards from the house. Firewood here is no problem as there usually are one or two red oak trees that go down on the ranch during the year.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

rjmoses said:


> MY grandparents always spread the ashes from the wood stoves, etc., on the garden.
> 
> Ralph


Yep, gotta be careful of that though, it's easy to over do it. I had to add some sulfer to the garden to bring the PH back down, probably just be dumping my ashes on the poo pile for a couple of winters.


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## RuttedField (Apr 24, 2016)

Fossil02818 said:


> I've done that successfully for creating about 15 ac of pasture from existing forest. I wasn't looking to create premium hay ground so my standards for new pasture are likely lower than your hayfield goals. But, I burned everything I could including stumps to generate more ash. The pastures were seeded with lots of clover, trefoil, perennial ryegrass and orchardgrass. They came in great and after a couple years of ruminant grazing they are dependable and high yielding. The toughest part was picking rocks!


Interesting, thanks for the encouragement.

I have a friend in Johnson Vermont and he told me that there it is against the law to burn stumps. How stupid is that? It is the best way to get rid of them. Sure they burn slowly, but if you start at first snowfall, they smoulder all winter and pose no threat.

Most of my hay fields are planted with orchard grass, timothy, clover, and alfalfa.

I spread some 05/13/41 fertilizer this spring on some pastures and really liked the result. I am thinking that a mixture of 46/0/0 fertilizer, with homemade potash might be a cheap way to get me some good results.


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## RuttedField (Apr 24, 2016)

Interesting, it seems it may not work after all. You guys are better with the numbers than I am, but I got 156 cord of wood for a 15 acre field.

The NPK of wood ash is 0-1-3.

My soil test recommends 80-40-70

To get the nitrogen I would go with 46-0-0 urea and thus require 2608 pounds of it; roughly a ton

To get the phosphorous I would need 60,000 pounds

To get the potash I would need 35,000 pounds.

I would probably use hemlock which nets about 8% ash. Since hemlock weighs 4800 pounds per cord, it would net me 384 pounds of 0-1-3 NPK ash-fertilizer per cord.

That would mean 156 cord to get the phosophrous

That would mean 91 cords to get the potash, which of course would be met and exceeded by 156 cords of wood ash.

It sounds like a lot, but 0-1-3 is not all that potent.

One major question though, how fast would the p and k deplete in the soil? In other words how often would I have to consume 156 cords of wood to keep the p and k up? I know nitrogen is an annual thing, and I don't mind logging that much wood every few years, but doing so every year seems excessive.


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## skyrydr2 (Oct 25, 2015)

You cant get ash from one of the chip burning plants up there?


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