Ash as a grow medium?

[dj00140]

So i go over to this indian kids house and he brings me to his backyard and he has this 6 foot tall weed plant in a garbage bin. But he said he filled it with ash and never gives it nutrients or anything and its growing greatly... anyone ever heard of this?

[stinkyattic]

That's weird. Did you actually see that it was, in fact, ash in there?
I was under the impression that wood ash was pretty caustic and has TERRIBLE water retention qualities, making it wholly unsuitable for anything beyond a soil SUPPLEMENT and even then, just a small percentage of the medium, and only in certain instances.
I am going to wait for one of the organic growers to chime in on this one.

[VTDank]

yea not too mention it would spike the pH to ridiculously acidic ranges( if its wood ash...I'm guessing)....I don't know about that one

[jammin26]

it was probably hemp or something , when i first started smokin bout 9yrs ago there was this kid whose house we'd flock round cos his mum and dad was cool and one day this marijuana plant appeared in his garden, like how the fuck did a seed get there? but it was probably hemp

[the image reaper]

ashes are an old garden additive, but I agree with Stinky, sounds like it would be a muddy mess, when wet ... lots more ashes/garden data here: Using fireplace ashes in your garden (http://www.emmitsburg.net/gardens/articles/frederick/2004/ashes.htm) ... average ashes are 0-1-3 on the ferts scales, and highly alkaline ... ashes were used to make lye soap in the old days ... :smokin:

[Dr. Bloor]

There is now way it would grow. Water it and it turns to cement!

[khronik]

If the ashes sat outside for a year or so, and there was little pieces of half-burnt wood or other organic stuff in there, the mixture could eventually rot, the caustic part could leach out, and it could become more or less neutral to the point where stuff would grow in it. But it's certainly not ideal.