I place both small amounts of wood ash As a top dress and also use about a tablespoon into a gallon of water and water in yes ph is considerably higher but doesn’t seem to be bothered by it plants regulate ph in and around the rhizospere anyways
Lucerne fields out in Nevada grow in soils of 10-11ph Perfectly fine , sources from Elaine Ingram CEO and president of the SOIL FOOD WEB So make your own decisions