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i use to mix the ash with manure or jut mix it with water and use it directly on the plant soil . i am little concern as some time as soil dries it become hardy . i want to know how well i can use it(ash of cow dung) as a complete replacement of rotted manure ( typical cow dung manure takes about 2-3 months to become completely rotted but ash is instantly available)

other then the microbial activity i believe most of the nutrient value is nearly same and i understand that the microbial activity plays a crucial part in plant's nutrient availability.so i am looking for something middle of these option.

Rainy sidewalks
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2 Answers2

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I don't think wood ash can replace rotted manure.

Wood ash contains something like 0-1-3 NPK and other micronutrients. One of those micronutrients is calcium, which explains why it makes your soil hard. Wood ash can even be used to make cement! Wood ash is also notably basic, and too much will make your soil alkaline. In fact, controlling soil pH is the only context I normally hear of wood ash being used as a soil amendment.

Rotten manure depends a lot on what food passed through the cow, but can go up to 16-4-5.5 NPK in an intensive feedlot situation, or more like 3-2-1 NPK in more general cases. It does not notably change the soil's pH. And exactly like you said, it introduces organic matter and a microbial ecosystem to make it more available.

If your soil needs potassium, certain micronutrients, or less acidity, the wood ash will help with that. If your soil needs humus, nitrogen, and phosphorus with the potassium, the manure will help with that.

MackM
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Burning fresh cow dung to produce a quick compost? Let me think about it. Caveat lector.

Fire destroys sugars. Sugars are what flies and some other organisms crave. But not plants.

The temperature fuses some stuff with oxygen making it unavailable for plants.

Burning fresh (up to a month) manure without a ton of wood is pretty absurd. And wood ash contains tons of carbon, calcium, potassium.

Carbon (C) — 5–30%
Calcium (Ca) — 7–33%
Potassium (K) — 3–10%
Magnesium (Mg) — 1–2%
Manganese (Mn) — 0.3–1.3%
Phosphorus (P) — 0.3–1.4%
Sodium (Na) — 0.2–0.5%.
source

Bottom line: IMHO it's a good idea given the time constrains.

Vorac
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