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The main dream of every gardener is to obtain a good harvest that can be stored for a long time. Don’t try to protect your crops only by artificial means. Chemical substances from stores are often dangerous because some harmful substances get into the vegetables and also into the soil. There is an alternative – use folk remedies. For example, baking soda. You will be pleasantly surprised by what it can help you with. These tips come directly from gardeners.
How will cheap baking soda help in the garden?
Baking soda can be easily purchased at any grocery store. Its range of effectiveness is very wide: it can help in almost every situation.
A stimulant for your plants
Mix 1 tablespoon of baking soda in two liters of lukewarm water. Pour this mixture occasionally over plants such as clematis, mock-orange or carnations. For these plants the soda-and-water mixture is literally a stimulant.
Helps grapes
Gray rot is a common problem for growers. Soda helps here. When the berries are ripening, spray the vine with this solution: dissolve 75 g of baking soda in 10 liters of water. The plant is not only treated, but the sugar content in the berries is also increased. With a similar solution you can spray fruit trees and fight leaf-eating caterpillars.
Baking soda for gooseberries and currants
With this solution you can help gooseberries and currants against diseases and mildew: 1 tablespoon of baking soda, 1 aspirin tablet, 1 teaspoon of any grated solid or liquid soap, 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, 4.5 liters of water.
Baking soda for tastier cucumbers
Cucumbers will also be grateful if you support them with baking soda. Leaves and young cucumbers often turn yellow and the fruits stop developing properly. This is not a premature defect, but a sign of disease. Prepare a solution: 1 tablespoon of baking soda diluted in 10 liters of water. Spray the cucumbers to prevent this from happening.
Gets rid of pests
Soda is also an adversary of pests that often attack cabbage. Dissolve one teaspoon of soda in 1 liter of warm water and spray the plants with the solution. You can do this every three weeks as a preventive measure; it won’t harm the vegetables — quite the opposite.
If caterpillars attack the cabbage, sprinkle the green leaves with dry powdered soda. The larvae will be removed immediately.
There is another proven way to ensure tastier cabbage — valerian. Put valerian into 3 liters of water and add 1 tablespoon of liquid soap. This solution should be sprayed on the produce that pests prefer.
A month before harvesting heads for storage is an excellent time to spray the heads with an ammonia solution — (40 ml) diluted in a 5-liter container of water and add several tablespoons of liquid soap. Cabbage sprayed this way will spoil less; you will be able to store it much longer.
For beautiful geraniums
Both pelargoniums and begonias require an alkaline soil pH. Therefore they benefit from a dressing containing baking soda. This creates ideal conditions for growing these ornamental plants in the soil. Apply soda by watering it into the soil around the plants.
Gets plants rid of mildew
Create a simple homemade fungicide. It’s really simple: just water (3 liters) and baking soda (4 tablespoons). Stir and apply with a spray to the affected areas.
