Spent Charcoal...

After grilling dinner, are the ashes from the charcoal good for composting?

I read somewhere that they were bad...but now I can't remember why!

I've heard the same thing.

Well ... guess that negates a possible benefit from switching from gas to charcoal grills lol

they are alkaline and potash. could either be good or bad.

Most charcoal briquetts contain some type of petroleum based substance to make them burn easier and more evenly (at least that is what I vaquely remember reading) and the burned drippings are suposedly carcinagenic (sp?)

But my memory fails me and I can't remember where I read that and therefore cannot say if it is truth or fiction!

the petroleum products will be burned off unless the briquets aren't burned all the way.
if burnt drippings are carcinagenic then i guess that means i have cancer and don't know it.lol.

I don't use petro anymore for starting charcoal. A little newspaper and one of those chimneys is what I use now and it works great. I decided a while ago that as convenient as gas is, charcoal grills just make a good steak taste better. There is just a lot more waste now : ( I guess charcoal and dog are less than worthless lol

rofl!

Well, I have to agree that the char broiled steak tastes best so charcoal is definately useful. As for the puppy droppings... I don't compost those either but I do toss them under the neighbors Camilia bush and that thing hasn't stopped flowering in 4 years now...

lmao!

A good question. I looked it up.

Wood, coal, limestone, borax, sodium nitrate (a salt) and sawdust are some of the major components used in some charcoal (like Kingsford).

There are a several problems with charcoal briquette ash. First, you may not know the exact ingedients, so it's hard to tell if the ash is safe.

Second, substances in the ash may be toxic to plants - such as salt, boron, and the alkalinity (even pure wood ash is highly alkaline, but it is OK in small amounts - as "potash" fertilizer).

Third, the burning of coal can produce heavy metals (selenium, chromium, boron, mercury, barium) and arsenic which, even if the amounts are minute, can accumulate in the soil. I wonder if it's the coal that smells funny?

So, the worst problems are heavy metals, salt, and alkalinity and not really knowing what the ash contains.

Mmmm, I can almost smell the ribs!

CompostR...........It sounds like we might be on to the "secret" ingredient? LOL

The whole thing is is that all these things come from the earth so they would just be going back into the earth. They get absorbed into the trees which is the primary ingredient in charcoal. you won't have any more salts than a regular fertilizer, the alkalinity would be diluted when mixed with the regular more acidic soil. boron is actually a micro ingredient.
as long as you don't try to plant something in pure ash, i see no problems. the other thing it would add is carbon which is necessary in the rigidity and structure of plants. The ash is probably the better form of potash than the mined potash salts that are added to fertilizers.

Len, that's all well and good, and maybe I'm just to much of a cynic in my old age. But you still don't know exactly what are in those briquets. Doing it on flowers is one thing, no way that c===p would get near my veggies or fruit trees. Glow in the dark is not a good color on me.........:)

doccat, i think all of the toxins are burned off when cooking. i'd fear more about eating the steak that comes off the grill, than what goes into the ground afterwords! lol! I hope i didn't open a can of worms on that one.

I'd make a lousy Vegan, Len. I'm an old Nebraska farm girl. I like steak and just done enough not to moo.......LOL

I like my steak on long enough to soak up all those toxins, well-done to burnt! lol
I guess i shouldn't have said fear more, cause i don't.

Them toxins is good for you. Make you strong! LOL

Of course you need to get the coals hot to burn off the estrogens, steroids, heavy metals, and most importantly the fat. Or you will grow things you aren't supposed to. LOL

Sofer, go away, eat fish.....silly guy

I am eating sablefish on another thread. How did you know.

Cause I was reading that thread? Or I'm psychic??????? LOL

Ohhh gggooooooly geeeeeee. I sumtimes don't crank the ratchet.