2023-08-28 06:00:17
How can baking soda be used to have healthy plants free of insects, fungi and bacteria?
Have you heard that using baking soda on plants is good? Certainly, but you don’t know exactly why. In this article, we will reveal to you what are the uses of this product in gardening and how it will help you to have beautiful and healthy plants.
Indeed, baking soda has countless properties that can be used by all living beings, including plants. Let’s find out!
Uses of baking soda for plants
Sodium bicarbonate is a solid compound obtained from natron. One of its greatest properties is to neutralize acids. That’s why we often use it as a medicine for heartburn, among other digestive tract ailments.
However, its application is not exclusive to humans. Plants can also benefit from its antimicrobial and fungicidal action. So we’re breaking down the uses you can give it to keep your garden looking great.
An effective insecticide and fungicide
When maintaining the garden, it is always a good idea to opt for organic products. Because this avoids harmful effects on the ecosystem. Therefore, nothing better than making your own insecticide and fungicide for plants with baking soda.
By applying this natural compound, the acidity of plants is balanced. This makes them less prone to fungal growth. Scientific studies point out that baking soda is effective in eradicating powdery mildew from plants with edible fruits, such as cucumbers.
To make this fungicide, just mix a teaspoon of baking soda with a few drops of liquid soap in a liter of water. Do it in a sprayer to make it easier to apply the formula on affected plants.
In this sense, if your plant is invaded, following this same method you will be able to eliminate the insects, which will seek their food in other areas.
- mosquitoes
- Ants
- Spiders
- slugs
- Snails
Also read: How to make an eco-friendly detergent with borax and baking soda?
Sodium bicarbonate: a natural oxygenator for plants
Plants need to go through a process of photosynthesis to grow and develop properly. When sodium bicarbonate diluted in water is added to the soil, an additional dose of carbon dioxide is added. What is necessary for this vital process to take place.
Even if you experiment with an aquatic plant, you will notice that when placed in direct sunlight, the roots begin to release bubbles. This is due to oxygen release. When you notice that your plants are growing a little slow, now you know what to do.
A powerful weed killer
If you can’t get rid of weeds that grow and regrow, no matter how hard you try, then pour baking soda on those areas and you’ll notice how they go away. According to Manual of weeds and catalog of herbicides for the cultivation of sugar cane in Guatemala, a bicarbonate dose above 500 parts per million will have a definite action in controlling weeds.
Sodium bicarbonate: a plant cleaner par excellence
According to academic documents, baking soda is one of the alkaline cleaning products used to purify different spaces light soiling. Therefore, if you have an orchard with plants that provide you with fruits and vegetables for your personal or family consumption, it is a good idea to clean them with baking soda diluted in water.
So the way to use baking soda on your edible plants is to collect water in a basin, put your fruits, vegetables or legumes in it and then add a tablespoon of baking soda. Let everything soak for a few minutes, rinse with water and cook safely.
But that’s not all! For the same reason, you can use baking soda to clean gardening tools. Especially those that are full of rust. In this case, the winning formula is to add a tablespoon of the product to a liter of water and immerse the utensils. When the dirt is hard, rub with a soft brush or a damp cloth with the mixture.
Ready-to-use sodium bicarbonate on plants?
Baking soda is a gift from nature that we can use on many things. Including our plants. It is economical, easy to obtain and very versatile. So do not hesitate to solve these annoying problems that we have mentioned and which are very common in gardens.
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All cited sources have been thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, timeliness and validity. The bibliography for this article has been considered academically or scientifically reliable and accurate.
- Delgado, E. & Diaz, PA (2007). Preparation and documentation of the cleaning and disinfection program for the laboratories of the microbiology department of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. Retrieved from: http://hdl.handle.net/10554/8305.
- Espinoza, G.; Hernández, C. & Morales, J. (2013) Manual of weeds and catalog of herbicides for the cultivation of sugarcane in Guatemala. Guatemalan Sugar Cane Research and Training Center. https://cengicana.org/files/20150902101640359.pdf
- (2014) Yanez Juarez, MG, Ayala Tafoya, F., Ruvalcaba Party, L. Velazquez Alcaraz, TJ, Godoy Angle, TP, & Dias Valdez, T. (2014). Effect of bicarbonates on ash (Oidium sp.) control in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). Mexican journal of agricultural sciences, 5(6), 991-1000. Retrieved on June 15, 2023.
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