Ash on a damson tree- will it help? harm? or not make a change?

[Madame Mucksprout]

This is a sad story of Timothy and the Damson Tree.

Unfortunatley Timothy (our 12 year old Iguana) died suddenly yesterday.
We are planning on having him cremated and would love to put his ashes in the plum tree pot - plums were so much his favorite thing that Im am sure he was composed mostly of them!


Would putting his ashes into the damson tree (potted) harm it??

I would hate for us to do it, the tree then die and timothy wouldnt have a lasting memorial.

Any help / experiance would be very greatfully recieved.

There are other ways of scattering him if the damson would not take the ash.

Thanks for you advice.
Rachel

[Tam]

The damson tree, I'm sure, would be honoured to have Tmothy's ashes and it would certainly be beneficial. It must be a very large pot or a very young damson.

[Madame Mucksprout]

Hi Tam,
Thanks for replying - Im glad to hear that it wond kill the tree.
The pot is 50cm diam, 40 cm deep.
The tree is in its 2nd year with me (I bought it from a garden centre so I guess may have been 1 or two at the time).

Time for a new pot do you tink? would a photo help ?

Im very new to gardening so am really greatful for any hints / tips.

[WrexTheDragon]

I always put a handful of bone meal and the same amount of wood ash on my plum tree every year, and the tree loves it.

So long as the roots are not coming out of the pot, I would leave it alone. By restricting the roots, the tree will not grow large and can be kept manageable. Check later in the year in November.

[Flummery]

It should be good for the tree, I think. Our damson (must be something about damsons!) is the last resting place of 2 cockatiels and a budgie - not cremated, just buried under there.

Mine's in the ground and is about 12 ft high (and it's been pruned!)

[FB.]

I don't have a problem with a small amount of ash around my trees. In fact, we have a log fire in the winter and much of the ash ends up around my fruit trees and doesn't seem to do any harm. Ash contains some useful trace elements that plants will make good use of - the likes of potassium, magnesium, calcium if I remember correctly.

However, because of the metals mentioned above, ash has some potential to slightly increase soil pH, which acid-loving (ericaceous) plants won't tolerate (blueberries/cranberries).

[Madame Mucksprout]

Excellent - thank you all.
Timothy has arrived home in his little urn and will be sprinkled as soon as the wind dies down (not sure being blown accrossthe neighbours washing would be an approproiate final resting place!)

Ive had a good look at the tree and although we do have a few fruits developing (maybe 6 or 7 ish) a couple of them look a bit shriveled already, the small fruits look shriveled and wrinkly, the larger few look like propper damsons only green.

Is something bad happening? or do some of the fruits shrivle and drop off before maturity as the norm??

[FB.]

The shrivelling and shedding is a normal thing on most fruit trees (especially younger ones); it's often referred to as "the June drop". Some varieties are more prone than others.
Trees drop excess, damaged, lower-quality or poorly pollinated fruits.
Some of the fruits manage to cling on for a few weeks before they drop, so they shrivel on the tree. An early sign of fruits that will drop or shrivel is that they often go yellow-ish at the stalk attachment with the fruit spur.

[Madame Mucksprout]

Im glad its a normal phenonima - at leas I can feel better that Im not doing something bad to it to make this happen.

Thanks for your answers

[bobleponge]

RIP Timothy, I had a couple of iguana's years ago, great fun.
I put ash around my plum and damson trees a couple of times a year. Doesnt seem to do them harm.

[Madame Mucksprout]

Thankyou Bobleponge - yes great fun indeed, although I dont think we will be getting another one, they are hard to find carerers for when we want to go on holiday etc.
Timothy was lovely chap and is very much missed in our house.
How old / large were yours?

Thanks for the Ash on Tree advice - He will be sprinkled soon and Im confident the tree will do its bit to make him proud.