Anthracite Ash

That was what I was thinking. And if it filled up I could wait until it was cold and then store it in trash bags. Thanks for the help everybody.

IF it filled up???? You can count on that! I only have a small hand fired stove and I fill up the can once a week during cold spells.

Yeah, not a very big if.

totouchantler wrote:I have a mound of Anthracite ash out back of my house.........can I use it to fertilize mulch beds and shrubs? Or is it bad for them.
Chris

I would hold off on that as the ash has a lot of heavy metals and it will leach into the ground. My two cents.

Here are three commercial products that use coal fly ash in fertilizers.

http://www.undeerc.org/carrc/BuyersGuide/browse.asp?catid=27

Some plants do very well with it, some very poorly. Especially when overdosed.
If you use it, do some research before hand on the plants. Coal ash is like lime. Just use the ash, no clinkers or coal. And don't overdo it, you will have a concrete garden in a few years if you do.

Living on a 100+ year old farm I have unearthed many things. I think they buried everything they didn't want anymore. Broken glass, china, tools, buckets, nails, etc. Among the things hiding under the lawn are deposits of coal ash. It is a total surprise when I dig into ash because there is no visible sign by looking at the grass that it is growing on top of coal ash.

"I would hold off on that as the ash has a lot of heavy metals and it will leach into the ground"

stop with the misinformation. it is generally only slightly more concentrated than the soil in general. what, exactly do you think the dirt that you stand on contains?

Hi all:

When I had my first home built in a development in 1981, the builder went bankrupt in the middle of the job; my wife and I waited 18 months for that home to be completed. For about three years there was an unoccupied building lot right across the street from me; a real convenient place for me to dump my coal ash.

When a home was finally constructed on the empty lot, the homeowner did a lot of landscaping, including a few white pine trees on the spot I dumped my ashes. The trouble was, the pine trees kept on dying, and the fellow kept on replacing them, and they kept on dying .... Years later, I made the mental connection but, by then, the homeowner had given up on the pine trees. I never had the heart to tell him about the coal ashes. That's just one more thing to add to the list of reasons why I'm going to Hell!

First off, buying good rooted pine trees is hard and second they require alot of proper care to keep them from dying for the first 10 years!
Don't worry it MAY NOT have been the Ash that killed them!
drujinin

Thank you for your kind words; I feel much better. On Judgment Day I'll be sure to raise these facts as an affirmative defense.

totouchantler wrote:I have a mound of Anthracite ash out back of my house.........can I use it to fertilize mulch beds and shrubs? Or is it bad for them.
Chris

Nothing will ever grow there again. Coal ash is high in acid.

I have grass and weeds sprouting from my ash pile. I do use most of the accumulated ash to patch holes in farm roads. They pack down and solidify nicely.

Everything in nature goes back to dirt, the worms eat it, plants grow in it, then we eventually eat it too.

My ash pile after two years [what I didn't use on the roads] was lost in the weeds, it had 'decomposed' down to what looked like a sand/dirt mix. This pile was about 1 cubic yard. Covered in grass and weeds.

Greg L

Same here. I've got two years of ash in a pile. Plenty of weeds, some with nice flowers and even a small tree. Next year it will all be used as sand replacement in a concrete mix. Interestingly my cat doesn't like it for a litter box.

Pine trees LOVE acidity soil!! Ever notice that grass won't grow real well under them? Do some research and I think you'll find I am right. I plant a lot of pines from bare root stock to 6 footers that are being moved. Pines are hardy true but they are very hard to get going and keep going until they develop a good root system on their own.

I layer coal ash in winter and garden trimmings in summer in low areas in my back yard. So far, no problems. BTW, I have a lot of it under pine trees, and they are doing great.

I use it occasionally instead of salt for my driveway and walks. It washes away in the spring.

My garbage man won't take the ash. Fussy guy.