Baking soda has tons of uses in health care, personal care, and other household chores. Baking soda means sodium bicarbonate is a very important part of green cleaning in homes. In this post, I will explain the uses of baking soda in your garden.
Baking soda can really do wonders for your plants. Here are 15 reasons why you should use baking soda in your garden.
1: Increase Photosynthesis
Leaves of plants are the main source of photosynthesis for them. Full optimal growth, plants require photosynthesis and for this process, clean leaves are a very important part. Here is what you can do to clean leaves:
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1 liter of pure and filtered water
Mix these two ingredients in a container and use the sponge to clean the leaves of plants. Soak the sponge in the solution and clean leaves very gently.
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2: Make A Cheap Organic Pesticide
We know pesticides can do great harm to our earth. We should limit the use of these chemicals and try to save our environment as much as possible. Here is a simple recipe to make homemade organic pesticides to keep ants and pests away from your plants:
- 2 tablespoons of baking soda
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 gallon of water
- Few drops of liquid soap
Mix all ingredients well in a bottle or any other container. Put this solution in a bottle of spray and apply it to your garden for a pesticide-free garden.
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3: Homemade Fungicide
If you are living in an area where your garden and home are usually damp, fungi can grow there very easily and some types of fungi are tough to get rid of. Again you can use a commercial fungicide to get rid of them, but these commercial chemicals are harmful. Here is a simple recipe that you can use:
- 4 teaspoons of baking soda
- 1 gallon of water
Mix these ingredients and make a mixture. Apply this mixture to problematic areas of your home or garden. If you saw any fungal attack on your vines like grapevine, you can use this same mixture.
Also Read: Why You Should Use White Vinegar In Your Garden
4: Cheap pH Test Of Your Soil
Here is the simple and clean method that you can try to learn about the pH level of your garden soil:
- Take a sample of your garden soil in a small container
- Now put some baking soda and a cup of water on that sample of soil
- If bubbles are producing, the pH of your soil is less than 7, which means acidic.
- If there are no bubbles, soil pH is alkaline.
You can perform this pH test on your soil using vinegar. Put vinegar on the sample of soil, if it bubbles, soil pH is more than 7 and it is alkaline.
5: Get Rid Of Mildew
Mildew is an enemy of plants especially fruiting plants i.e vegetables and fruits. Here is a simple recipe to get rid of mildew:
- 1 tablespoon of baking soda
- 2.5 tablespoons of horticultural oil
- 1 gallon of water
Mix these 3 ingredients and fill in in a spray bottle. Spray that solution on plants to protect them from mildew.
6: Sweet Tomatoes
In the past, tomatoes were sweet with different colors and odd shapes. New genes were introduced in them to make them look beautiful with red in color at maturity, unfortunately, that gene cost us the sweet taste of tomatoes. But here is what we can do to make them sweet again:
Just sprinkle some baking soda on the top layer of soil where tomatoes are growing. Let the soil absorb baking soda naturally. In the end, you will have tomatoes with sweeter in taste.
Also Read: How To Grow Tomatoes From Seeds In Containers
7: Less Smelly Composting
Composting is one of the very few things that we can do to protect our environment. We should make our own compost and manure by recycling the wastes of our kitchen and garden. The process is very easy, but sometimes very smelly.
Just sprinkle a few tablespoons of baking soda on the top. Baking soda will absorb some smell, also fix the acidity level of composting layers. Just remember, do not put too much baking soda or the process of decomposition will slow down.
Also Read: How To Make Compost At Home Using Kitchen And Garden Wastes
8: More Beautiful Garden Bed
Some plants love acidic soil and some plants are a big fan of alkaline soil. Plants that love alkaline soil will do great in the presence of baking soda.
Just add some baking soda in the watering can before giving them water. Plants will absorb the baking soda, along with water and they will thrive and produce healthier and brighter flowers in the blooming season.
Also Read: How To Start Raised Bed Vegetable Gardening For Beginners?
9: Get Rid Of Cabbage Worms Naturally
Cabbage worms are not just a problem for cabbage crop but they can easily destroy your garden by eating your plants slowly. Here is a simple recipe that you can use to get rid of them:
- Mix equal amount of flour and baking soda
Sprinkle this mixture, if you saw any worm attack. Cabbage worms are very stubborn, they will still try to eat the leaves, but when they do, they will eat our mixture too. This mixture will be lethal for cabbage worms.
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10: Clean Your Houseplants
Houseplants can get dirty from dust or grime. Sometimes dust stuck on the leaves of plants and it is really hard to clean them without hurting them. Some people use commercial chemicals to clean them, but you can use this simple recipe instead of chemicals:
- Warm Water
- Baking Soda
Mix them well and clean your plants with this mixture. Clean them very carefully and gently.
12: Apply a thick layer of baking soda on the problematic areas to kill the crabgrass from your garden.
13: Mixture of warm water and baking soda can clean your garden pathways from weeds and stains.
14: Put some salt and baking soda in the water of vase to increase the life of bouquets.
15: Take 2 tablespoons of baking soda, 2 aspirin and 2 gallons of water to treat fungal infections of tomato plants.