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In this episode, we will demonstrate 10 powerful tricks, Hacks and uses of Baking soda for plants and garden like testing your soil PH using baking soda, the baking soda pesticide recipe and many more. I am sure, most of us have a container of baking soda in kitchen.
Baking Powder vs Baking Soda For Plants?
Baking Soda is pure sodium bicarbonate used mainly for cooking purposes. It should not be confused with either baking powder or washing soda. Washing soda is sodium carbonate, and baking powder contains only about 30% baking soda plus other ingredients. Remember we are using baking soda on plants and not baking powder.
Is Baking Soda Good For Plants (Uses in Garden)
10. Encourage Flower Blooming
Prepare a spray or solution by adding 1 teaspoon baking soda in 1 litre of water. Mix it well and now spray this on your plants with buds or unopened flowers. This will not only encourage blooming but also take care of any fungal spores on the plant.
9. Baking Soda Pesticide & Fungicide
Let’s prepare our most powerful and universal pesticide and fungicide solution to treat almost all types of pests in your garden like aphids, mealybugs, thrips, mites, whiteflies, worms, caterpillars, soil fungus, plant fungi like powdery mildew, black spot rose disease, leaf rust, leaf miners, and many more.
- Take 1 litre of water in a container or in a spray bottle.
- Add 2 teaspoons of baking soda into this. You can add 3 teaspoons if you feel the pest attack is too severe.
- Add 1 teaspoon of neem oil to this. If you do not have neem oil, you can add any vegetable oil like olive oil into this. But neem oil is the best to make it a universal pesticide. You can also add clove oil or eucalyptus oil to make it more potent.
- Now add some 10 drops of liquid soap into this. You can use your dishwashing liquid soap or even hand wash liquid or any organic liquid soap if you are a 100% organic gardener.
- Mix it thoroughly well and also always give it a good shake before spraying.
- Before you spray on your entire plant, please perform a patch test on a leaf and leave it for 1 – 2 hours to see the potency. If the leaf wilts, you will need to dilute it further.
8. Cleaning Plant Foliage
Removing the dust and dirt on the leaves encourages better photosynthesis and helps in better growth and health of your plants. To prepare this solution, add half a teaspoon of baking soda in 1 litre of water in a spray bottle and mix it well. Spray on the leaves and use a soft cloth to mop the leaves.
7. To Kill Cabbage Worms
Take baking soda and any flour like wheat flour in a 1:1 ratio and mix it well. Sprinkle this powder on the cabbage or broccoli leaves. The worms munch on this and die within 1 or 2 days.
6. To Eliminate Slugs and Snails
There are two ways to use baking soda for this purpose. Firstly, sprinkle baking soda directly on slugs and snails to kill them; this might look cruel to some people though. The second method is to draw a boundary around the plant container to prevent slugs or snails from crawling over your plant.
5. Drive Away Foul Smell from Your Compost Pile
Just sprinkle baking soda on the top of your compost pile to get rid of any foul smell.
4. Weed Killer
Sprinkle baking soda directly on the weeds, especially in cracks and crevices. It will gradually burn the foliage, and weeds should disappear in a few days. It will not only kill the weeds but also prevent new weeds from growing for a longer duration of time. But be careful not to sprinkle it on your favourite plants.
3. Cleaning Your Garden Stuff
Prepare a solution by mixing 2 teaspoons of baking soda and 2 teaspoons of liquid soap per litre of water to clean your garden tools, dirty pots, and even garden furniture with this solution.
2. Keep Cut Flowers Fresh for a Longer Time
Just add half a teaspoon of baking soda into the vase water. If your vase is larger, you can add 1 teaspoon.
1. Hack for Soil pH Testing
If you do not have any soil pH testing gadget, you can roughly check whether your soil pH is alkaline or acidic. You will need baking soda and vinegar to perform this test.
Collect samples of your garden soil in small containers from different areas or containers in your garden, and take a half-cup of vinegar and a half-cup of baking soda. This is simple school chemistry – acid and base reaction. Acidic pH is below 7, alkaline is above 7, and 7 is neutral pH.
So when you pour the vinegar into one of the soil samples, and if the soil begins to bubble, it is alkaline, meaning the pH level is above 7.
Now you mix half a cup of water and baking soda and mix well. If the soil bubbles, it means the pH level is below 7, and it is acidic soil.
Please watch a detailed video tutorial on Using Baking Soda for Plants and Garden below:
