The appeal of scattering ashes is to return to nature what nature created. There is something romantic about the idea of scattering cremated ashes over the ocean, on a golf course or even around the base of a favorite tree or shrub. The idea is to fulfill a final wish and complete a journey by scattering ashes over a favorite location.

However, a concentrated amount of cremated ashes can be extremely harmful to plant life.

Many golf courses and public areas will no longer allow the scattering of ashes to occur on their grounds due to the fact that the ashes will not breakdown naturally to become one with nature. Even though the notion of scattering ashes is very appealing, the reality can be quite different.

Scattering Ashes is Harmful to Nature

Cremated ashes are harmful to plant life. As the ashes lie dormant, the high sodium (salt) content within the ashes can become toxic to the surrounding plant life. Also, the beneficial plant nutrients found within the ashes have been locked by the cremation process and are not readily available for uptake by the root system.

The pH level of cremated ash is high as is its sodium content. No soil, including potting soil, will effectively correct this elevated pH level.

If you’re interested in learning more about the effects sodium and high pH levels can have on plant life, check out Why Burying Ashes is Harmful to the Environment.

An Alternative to Scattering Ashes

Let Your Love Grow is a perfect solution for an alternative to scattering.

Cremation ash is toxic to plant life when the ashes are scattered or buried by themselves or in a biodegradable urn.  The ashes will “clump” once in the ground and become a solid mass of salty rock, stressing or killing plant roots when they come into contact.

Let Your Love Grow is very rich in organic matter and microbial bacteria that are essential to healthy plant life and will lower the extremely high pH, allowing the good agricultural nutrients found in cremation ash to become available to plant life.  This organic mix also will assist in diluting and leaching away the toxic levels of sodium.

Let Your Love Grow is unique because it can serve as a biodegradable urn while also addressing the serious issue of the toxic effect cremation ash has on the environment.

Scattering Ashes with Let Your Love Grow

If scattering ashes is the only option for you, then be conscientious and ensure that any plant life that will come in contact with the scattered ashes is protected from the harmful effects. The safest and best method for scattering is to combine the Let Your Love Grow organic mix with the ashes and let it sit for at least 90 days prior to scattering.

We do not recommend scattering the cremation ash and placing the organic mix over the ash. The minimal contact between the ashes and the organic mix will not have the same impact on the harmful elements of the cremation ash.

If you have any questions about how you can use Let Your Love Grow when scattering ashes, please reach out to us. We’re happy to help.