Using Wood Ash in Compost Bins

Q: My wife and I have had a successful compost bin for many years and bury a gallon of fruit and vegetable scraps a couple of times a week. Lately we have been including a quart of wood ash each time. It helps absorb the liquids in the compost container. Is there a limit to how much ash we should use?

A: Something that seems such a simple process (piling up leaves and kitchen trimmings to rot) is pretty complicated chemically. The different microorganisms, grubs and earthworms that chew up your lawn clippings and apple skins prefer different amounts of acidity in the pile. Ashes decrease the amount of acid and can inhibit microorganism and macroorganism activity and slow down the whole process. Ashes hurt earthworms too. But there is a use for ashes. Lawn grasses “like” low acidity! You can scatter 20 pounds of wood ashes per 1,000 square feet of lawn with no problem. The ashes perform the same service as the garden lime you might buy at a nursery. To make sure you are adding the right amount of acid neutralizer, have the soil tested by the UGA Soils Laboratory. Details at georgiasoiltest.com.