Renowned for its uses in household cleaning, baking soda is highly valued for cleaning, disinfecting, degreasing, and even deodorizing all surfaces in the home. But its uses don’t stop there. This versatile product is also useful in gardening. Discover how to use baking soda for your ornamental garden, orchard, or vegetable patch.
Baking soda never ceases to amaze us. Useful for cleaning the house, eliminating unpleasant odors, and maintaining laundry, this biodegradable and economical product is also useful in gardening.
How and when to use bicarbonate in the garden?
- To keep pests away
Baking soda can repel certain pests from your plants, , worms, grubs, and ants. To do this, sprinkle it on the soil using a sieve. However, avoid touching flowers and plants with baking soda.
Read also: How to unblock the shower with bicarbonate?
Another option is to fill a watering can with 500 ml of water and add a tablespoon of baking soda and 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Then water the soil at the base of your plants with this solution.
- To prevent fungal diseases
A cryptogamic disease, also called a fungal disease, is a plant infection caused by a fungus. In fact, 90% of diseases affecting garden plants are cryptogamic diseases.
Baking soda can protect your plants from some of these diseases, such as mold, rust, or powdery mildew. This product is alkaline, meaning its pH is above 7. When added to an acidic environment, it neutralizes it, preventing the growth of these pathogens. This is called raising the pH of acidic soil.
If we take the example of late blight, the fungus responsible for this disease thrives on acidic surfaces, such as the surface of tomato leaves or their aerial parts. By neutralizing this acidity, baking soda will prevent the development of late blight on tomato plants.
Be aware that baking soda acts as a preventative measure, but it is not enough on its own if your plants are exposed to humidity conducive to the development of fungi.
Option 1
Mix one teaspoon of baking soda and one teaspoon of black or Marseille soap with one liter of water in a spray bottle. Spray this solution all over your plant as soon as you plant it. Repeat this process once a week for two months and every time it rains. Additionally, rain and high humidity in general are conducive to the growth of fungi on your plants.
Option 2
Mix one teaspoon of baking soda with two teaspoons of dish soap in one liter of water until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a spray bottle and spray it on your plants.
Note that baking soda can damage flowers , so if you have flowering plants, spray only the parts below the flowers.
- To deodorize compost
Compost fertilizes the soil and provides it with the nutrients necessary for plant growth. Composted of plant and organic waste, it can sometimes generate unpleasant odors. To neutralize the unpleasant odors emanating from compost, simply sprinkle a little baking soda on the pile.
- To eliminate weeds
Baking soda is a natural herbicide. To control weeds in your garden or vegetable patch, simply sprinkle baking soda on areas where you don’t want unwanted plants to grow. Repeat this trick only once or twice a year . Note that this trick only works on paved walkways and baseboards, patios, or gravel. Avoid sprinkling it on lawns and flowerbeds.
Please note that if used in excess in the soil, i.e. above a concentration of 1%, sodium bicarbonate can become phytotoxic and lead to deficiencies of minerals such as calcium and magnesium. Tip: To prevent weeds from appearing, you can install a mulch. This is a layer of thatch that keeps the soil moist and slows down weed growth.
Also read: 5 tips for cleaning your silver items with bicarbonate of soda
Besides bicarbonate, there are other natural herbicides such as nettle manure, white vinegar or starchy pasta cooking water, which are very effective at killing weed pests.
From now on, you will no longer reserve your baking soda for cosmetic or household use, but you will also use it to maintain your garden and protect your plants from anything that can harm their healthy growth.