There are several versatile uses of Baking soda. It is largely used in cosmetics, in cooking and in house maintenance. Besides these fields, baking soda is used in gardening too.
Experimental gardeners argue that baking soda is the best solution for many gardening problems. Therefore, in this article, we have listed the best baking soda uses for plants in gardens. Go ahead and check them out.
A cleaner for plants
This is one of the most effective baking soda uses for plants. Cleaning your plants’ foliage and leaves is essential for them to keep growing and thriving. Dirt will hinder their abilities to absorb light consequently their growth will be hindered. A solution made of water, sodium bicarbonate and baking soda is perfect to clean your plants with.
2. Clean Furniture
Baking soda is also widely used in cleaning furniture. It is very effective. Creating a cleaning solution for your furniture that contains baking soda is easy. All you need to do is to blend 1/2 cup baking soda and 1 tablespoon dishwashing liquid in a gallon of warm water.
3. Fertilizing
This is one of the most recommended baking soda uses for plants. Creating a fertilizer of baking soda is both easy and effective. It will boost the growth of your plants and encourage to be productive.
To make a baking soda fertilizer you will need you will need to blend 1 teaspoon baking soda with 1/2 teaspoon clear ammonia and 1 teaspoon Epsom salt in a gallon of water. Shake them well and you will have a good fertilizing solution.
4. Eliminate bad smells
If your garden starts releasing bad smelling odors, you should seriously consider adding some baking soda. These nasty odors are usually the smell of the compost piles.
5. Clean Bird Bath and Pots
This is one of the most common uses of baking soda. Baking soda is an excellent choice for cleaning birdbaths and pots. Scatter baking soda on the item then clean it with a cloth. Once you are done, wash it with water and let it dry.
6. Get Rid of Slugs
Sligs hate baking soda. If you want to get rid of them, just scatter some baking soda on them
7. Encourage Plants to Bloom
You can use baking soda to make a solution that will help your plants to bloom. For this solution, you will need to dissolve 1 tablespoon of baking soda into 2 quarts of water. Then, apply the solution to your plants and it will enhance their blossom.
8. Sweeter Tomatoes
This is one of the most advised baking soda uses for plants. If you are planting tomatoes, you surely know that these heavy feeders require a lot of fertilization. Baking soda is one of the best fertilizers for tomatoes because it lowers the acidity level of your tomatoes. Thus, instead of having tomatoes with a tart flavor, you will have sweet tomatoes.
9. Acidic Soil
Baking soda lowers the acidity of the soil. Sprinkling some of it on your garden soil will be enough to reduce its acidity. For best results, you should mix baking soda with water then dig your soil and spray it with it. In a few days, you will notice the difference. Besides, baking soda also helps prevent weeds from growing.
10. Kill Cabbage Worms
Cabbage worms are very harmful. They feed on your plants’ leaves. Getting rid of them may be difficult since these small little beasts are strong. However, a mixture of four, dust, and baking soda is deadly to them. Whenever you spot an infected plant, spray the powder on it. The warms will eat the powder when they are feeding on the infected plant’s leaves and will eventually die.
11. Test Soil pH
Baked soda uses for plants are diversified. You can even use it to test your soil pH. This trick is quite simple. You will only need to grab some soil from your garden, put in a dish and add water to it until it becomes muddier. Once it is muddier, sprinkle on it some baking soda. If you see some bubbles, it means that your soil is acidic.
12. Use it as a Pesticide
Baking soda can also be used as a Pesticide. It will protect your plants from getting infected by insects and pests such as aphids, scales, and the spider mites. You should be aware that baking soda does not kill them but it can at least deter them and prevent them from spreading.
Creating a baking soda pesticide is not difficult, all you need to do is to follow the below steps:
- Blend 1 teaspoon of baking soda with 1/3 cup of olive or mustard oil
- Take one-third of this solution and mix it with a cup of water
- Shake it well and start spraying your infected plants with it.
13. Prevent Fungal diseases
Baking soda also plays the role of a deterrent to fungal diseases. It makes the surface of the leaves less acidic which in turn reduces the risks of getting infected by a fungal disease. However, don’t sprinkle it directly on your plants’ leaves, you should make a solution of 1 teaspoon baking soda, a few drops of liquid soap and 1 liter of water.
This solution is the best shield against fungal diseases. Spraying it on your plant is an excellent preventive measure. This solution is effective against fungal diseases for trees, rose bushes, vines and climbers and flowers.
14. Weed Killer
Baking soda is one of the best economical and ecological ways to fight weeds. Whether you have weeds in your walkways, edges, or gardens, you should definitely use baking soda to kill them. Just sprinkle the powder on the weeds and they will die in a few days. Baking soda will not only kill weeds in your garden but it will also stop them from growing again. Besides, it won’t contaminate your garden. If you wish to know more about removing weeds, you should check out this article.
15. For Cut Flowers
Baking soda will help keep your cut flowers fresh and appealing for a long time.
Final Words
These are the best baking soda uses for plans. These uses are warranted by studies and experienced gardeners. Enjoy!