the 'burning' question

[jeanette]

ok you know how black walnut trees are bad for plants, and you shouldn't use the leaves for mulch/ compost..
if i burn the wood will the same hold true for the ashes???

[Bump]

most of the harmful compound (juglone) is in the roots of the tree ...some MG's here say you can use the leaves of the BW as long as their content doesn't exceed 1/3 toal mass of your pile and let "compost for a year before using (phil might have a heart attack though) , but alot of people are scared to do it because of the uncertainy and long break down time ....(long time before you can use) people that use it plant a tomato in it before they place it on the main garden ...if the juglone is still there it will kill the 'mater..... as far as the ashes , I'd think the heat would kill it out but not certain there...you could Xperiment on a spot for next year to see....good ? though... do you have acid soil...

[jeanette]

i have no idea.. we have a fire pit that we use all the time.. sometimes we need to clear out the ashes.. i usually just put them in my garden, i got to thinking about the black walnut wood..

[Bump]

it's a good ? .........looking forward to more view points on it ...

[jeanette]

i thought it was kinda interesting too... there's not that much walnut wood, mostly mulberry and old honey suckle but there is some old walnut wood.. it burns great.. better than that old mulberry. and the twisty wood...

[Pharmer Phil]

I have no data on this...However, wood ash, used in proportions fit for a garden, is such a small amount, wood ashes add potassium , magnesium, calcium and other minor elements.
wood ash can increase soil pH. Apply ash only if the pH of the soil is acidic or less than about pH 7.0 Many soils however have a pH greater than 7.0. Adding wood ash to alkaline soil may further increase soil pH and block the uptake of some nutrients needed by plants this will show as yellowing or chlorosis from iron and manganese deficiency from high soil pH.

spread yer wood ash evenly over the ground during winter, and work it into the soil in early spring. Don't apply it when seeds are germinating since it can cause root burn.

Apply at 15-20 pounds, or a five gallon pail, per 1000 square feet per year. Tll in or mix well with soil.
pH will probably continue to increase for 1 to 2 years after wood ash application so check soil pH frequently. Stop applying wood ash before reaching a soil pH of 6.5.

Crop residues containing carbon are 'food' for the soils microorganisms and repeated additions help maintain vigorous populations. However, wood ash has little 'food' vaule for soil microorganisms becaused it has been burned and the carbon lost. I would think the jugulone would also be destroyed So with the amounts of wood ash, and this factor,I would think if the jugulone did pose a threat, it would be minimal.
As far as the leaves Bump...Maybe, if the amounts were kept down, I was at a place where the gardener was raising tomatoes on an area completely devoid of any walnut trees...But imported leaves from a neighbor who had a big yard with only one walnut tree...
Most of the action of the toxin does lay in the roots and walnut husks, over time these do break down, and there are many plants not affected by the toxin.

[jeanette]

i wonder if that is whats wrong with my pumpkin, he's not doing so good, the leave are yellowing and it's stopped growing.. i probally put too much wood ash on him,,, do you think i should spray him with epsom salts?

[TennOC]

Juglone would be broken down by the heat of the fire, no problem. The good thing about using hardwood ashes on gardens, almost anywhere you have hardwood trees growing, the soil is acidic anyway. Most of the alkaline soils in this country (USA) are in the western states. Even here in TN, where the bedrock is limestone, the topsoil is acidic.

[TennOC]

Aaaand...forgot to say: the juglone is mostly in the buds, nut hulls and the roots anyway, less in the wood to start with.