Charcoal Ash? Again...?

Question

I know that charcoal ash is bad for gardening because it has many chemicals and additives that are dangerous.

But how about natural charcoal ash?

My mother says that "natural" charcoal ash has none of those dangerous chemicals or additives. We have those.

Now is "natural" charcoal ash already good and safe enough for gardening?

Or I should still consider charcoal as a "no" for gardening?

Pls. include your sources. Thanks!

Answer 1

Here is my source.... 35 years of gardening and  30 years of organic gardening. Natural charcoal - any kind of ash is good to a point when it comes to compost up to a point where it will turn your compost to a very low pH and will result in acidic soil that will cause damage to your plants. Small quantities would be fine but if you add a massive amount of charcoal ashes it would be more harmful than beneficial.

If you wind up using a lot of ashes in your compost then  mix in some limestone which has a high pH and will help to balance out the pH. In fact in the Adirondacks of the Northeast they mix limestone into lakes (in very large quantities) that have an acid rain problem - this helps balance out the pH of the lake. It will do the same thing with your compost. Realize also limestone is a great organic additive that organic gardeners normally  use to modify their soil. Because it contains a lot of excellent nutrients too.