If you haven’t called your Sonning chimney sweep out for a few years, chances are good that you’ll have a fair bit of soot up there… and you might well be surprised by the amount when you do eventually arrange for a visit from a professional and experienced chimney sweep.
But once they’ve finished the job, instead of binning the soot and getting rid of it, why don’t you see if you can find more practical uses for it?
A lot of people use soot in the garden to help their plants grow and thrive, but remember that not all the soot from your chimney will be suitable. A lot of the debris should go straight in the bin, but if you have clean and pure soot you can use it on the garden.
But what are the benefits? It’s thought soot can help the soil retain water, while deterring the likes of snails and slugs. It can also help to keep vital nutrients in the soil, when they may have been washed away by rainwater otherwise.
Don’t discard the ash from your garden, either, as this can also be composted. Any ash from the likes of bonfires or wood burning stoves can either go in your compost heap or even applied directly to ground and dug in.
According to the RHS, it can also help to neutralise acidic soils, so something to bear in mind as well. Take care, however, and only add wood ash to compost occasionally, as you could increase the levels of alkalinity, as could soluble salts, both of which could cause damage to soil and plants.
Recent Comments