Baking Soda: A Gardener’s Best Friend – Discover 17 Clever Uses for Your Garden
Did you know that baking soda can be used for plants? Below are 17 practical tips for using baking soda effectively in your garden.
Baking soda is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, and household maintenance. However, its usefulness goes much further: using baking soda for plants can be a very effective solution to many gardening problems.
Baking soda is 100% environmentally friendly and can be applied year-round to any area of the garden. It’s biodegradable and nontoxic, providing a safer alternative to pesticides, fertilizers, and other chemicals commonly used in gardening.
Uses of baking soda in the garden:
- Houseplant Cleaner: Periodically cleaning the foliage of houseplants helps remove dust and oil to promote photosynthesis. To do this, use a soft, lint-free cloth dampened with a solution of water and a pinch of baking soda.
- Patio Furniture Cleaner: Mix half a cup of baking soda with one tablespoon of dishwashing liquid in one gallon of warm water. Wipe down your patio furniture with a sponge and rinse with water.
- Plant growth promoter: Mix one teaspoon of baking soda with half a teaspoon of clear ammonia and one teaspoon of Epsom salt in one gallon of water. Use this mixture to rejuvenate dull-looking, slow-growing plants.
- Compost deodorizer: A little baking soda can help control odors in compost by preventing excess acidity.
- Birdbath and Pot Cleaner: Clean birdbaths and pots by sprinkling with baking soda and wiping with a damp cloth or sponge.
- Slug Repellent: To keep slugs away, simply sprinkle baking soda directly on them.
- Flowering aid: Dissolve one tablespoon of baking soda in two liters of water and water your flowering plants to encourage flowering.
- Sweeter tomatoes: Sprinkle baking soda around the base of tomato plants to reduce soil acidity and sweeten the tomatoes.
- Soil pH adjuster: If your soil is too acidic, sprinkle it with baking soda, mix, water, and test the pH after a few days.
- Cabbage Worm Killer: Mix equal parts flour and baking soda and sprinkle on plants to kill cabbage worms.
- Soil pH test: To check if your soil is acidic, sprinkle baking soda over moist soil. If bubbles appear, the soil is acidic.
- Pesticide: Mix baking soda with olive or mustard oil and water, then spray on plants to deter pests like aphids and mites.
- Preventing Fungal Diseases: Spray a mixture of baking soda, liquid soap, and water on plants to prevent mildew and other fungal diseases.
- Herbicide: Use baking soda to kill weeds in paths and flowerbeds; it’s effective, biodegradable, and nontoxic.
- Walkway Cleaner: Clean walkways with a solution of baking soda and warm water.
- For cut flowers: Keep cut flowers fresh longer by adding a teaspoon of baking soda to the water.
- Hand Cleaner: Wash dirty hands after gardening by rubbing them with baking soda and rinsing with water.
Precautions to take when using baking soda in the garden:
- Avoid direct application to flower stems and buds.
- Always test homemade mixes in a small area first.
- Respect the appropriate doses to avoid possible damage to the plants.
