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A proper gardener will always find a way out of an unpleasant situation – for example when pests or molds appear, seedlings grow slowly or wither. My father-in-law always said that I could handle any bad situation in the garden with three basic things from the kitchen, and if I have them on hand, a plentiful harvest is guaranteed. I also advise: always keep mustard powder in the garden at hand, at least in a small amount (I grind it from seeds or buy a kilo box that lasts me for years), baking soda and yeast (it can even be past the expiration date). And of course you must know how to use them!
Without soda – not a chance!
Baking soda is a universal helper and savior for your garden. For example, if you want to protect the ripening of grapes, you should know that baking soda increases the sugar content in the berries, so it is recommended that the vines be sprinkled with a weak baking soda solution during ripening (75 g of baking soda dissolved in 10 liters of water). It works the same way for tomatoes too – thanks to baking soda they will be sweeter.
With the same solution you can spray all fruit trees and destroy caterpillars on the leaves.
Has mold appeared on the cucumbers? Dissolve 1 teaspoon of baking soda in 1 liter of warm water and spray the cucumbers with this solution – it also has a prophylactic effect.
Solution against mold on gooseberries and currants
- 1 tablespoon of baking soda
- 1 aspirin tablet
- 1 teaspoon of liquid soap
- 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil – mix everything into 4.5 liters of warm water and spray these plants.
If caterpillars are enjoying your cabbage, try sprinkling them with dry baking soda. This will starve those green pests off the vegetables.
Mustard powder
Mustard powder is one of the best substitutes for chemical products in the garden. Its effects are very similar, but unlike chemicals it has no slightest negative effect on your garden.
If the snail is enemy number one and is destroying your strawberries, cabbage, tomatoes, peppers and other crops, this is for you. Sprinkle the powder between plants most often attacked by snails. Mustard powder is toxic to them and, believe me, they will not cross this barrier.
Mustard spray – a great tool in the fight against the Colorado potato beetle, sawfly, aphids, cherry flies and other pests. Take 100 g of mustard powder, pour into 10 liters of water and let it stand for 2 days. With such a solution an apple tree can be sprayed every 15-20 days after flowering until the fruits ripen.
The miracle called yeast (can even be past the expiration date)
Yeast is an excellent growth stimulator for plants. They are rich in nutrients needed by plants, improve the soil microflora and prevent the development of pathogens.
For fertilizers from dried yeast you must dissolve 10 grams of dry yeast and 2 tablespoons of sugar in 10 liters of warm water. Let this extract warm for several hours, then dilute with warm water in a 1:5 ratio and water the plants directly at the root.
What to protect tomatoes, strawberries, eggplant and potatoes with?
In 3 liters of warm water dissolve 100 g of fresh yeast and half a teaspoon of sugar. Let it stand in a warm place for one week. Then dilute one cup in 10 liters of water and water tomatoes, eggplants and potatoes with 1 liter for each plant.
The yeast solution is also useful for seedlings – they will grow well and have all the nutrients they need to develop strong roots.
Strawberries will not be attacked by gray rot if you pour a yeast solution over them before flowering (100 g per 10 liters of water).
