Baking soda can come in real handy to keep pests away from your garden. Ants in particular can be a big menace for a garden. You can, of course, use a variety of chemical pesticides to get rid of them and other bugs, but baking soda works as a safe and quick alternative.
Use a mixture of five teaspoons of baking soda, five teaspoons of confectioners’ sugar, and a teaspoon of water and sprinkle the powder around your plants and around any anthills you find in your garden. The ants will be lured by the sugar, eat the powdered mix, and die as the baking soda releases carbon dioxide bubbles in their system. However, we do suggest that you avoid using regular sugar as it won’t cling to the baking soda properly. Confectioner’s sugar should do the trick.
Keep sprinkling this mixture in your garden after every three days. Even after you notice that the ants are gone, continue using it to ensure that they don’t make a return. This mixture will also work on roaches and a few other insects.
2. It will keep fungal diseases at bay
Plants are prone to all sorts of fungal diseases. Baking soda can work as a great homemade plant fungicide. This is because the compounds in baking soda have the ability to prevent fungal spores in certain types of plants, shrubs, and fruit trees.
Mix four tablespoons of baking soda with one gallon (3.7 ltr) of distilled water and pour the mixture into a spray bottle. Now, spray the solution on the plants you suspect are at risk of fungal diseases. Roses, grapes, and tomatoes, especially, are susceptible to fungal infections. This spray tends to change the pH level of many plants and makes it harder for the fungus to take hold.
Baking soda will also help get rid of mildew from your plants. Mix one teaspoon baking soda, one-liter water, and a few drops of liquid soap in a bottle and spray it over the plants that tend to attract mildew.
Since this is a natural product, the effects might take a little time to show. Be sure to first spray the solution on one plant and then wait for at least 48 hours to see if it is working.
3. Can be used to clean objects in your garden
Baking soda has long been used for general cleaning purposes. Since it is mildly alkaline, it can cause dirt and grease to dissolve easily in water, allowing you to remove them easily. Hence, baking soda can be utilized to clean a variety of objects. For instance, birdbaths, garden tools, clay pots, and garden furniture can be scrubbed clean with a baking soda solution.
You can either prepare a baking soda paste with water or vinegar or simply sprinkle a few spoonfuls of baking soda onto the object you wish to clean. After you’ve sprayed the solution on the object, wait for a few minutes and wipe it with a damp cloth. Then, rinse the surface with clean water.
4. Can be used to check Ph of the soil
To determine the health of your garden’s soil, you must test whether it is acidic, neutral, or alkaline. This is because the more neutral the pH of the soil, the stronger the plants will grow. Soil pH is a measure of the alkalinity and acidic level present in it. Soil pH levels range from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral, below 7 being acidic, and above 7 being alkaline. Generally, the pH range for most plants is between 5.5 and 7.0.
While there are soil testing kits available, baking soda can help you test your soil’s pH level quite easily. It might not be completely accurate but will certainly give you some indication of your soil’s health.
Take a handful of garden soil and add water to it to make it a little muddy. Then, sprinkle some baking soda onto it. If the mixture begins to bubble, the soil is likely to be acidic and its pH is below 5, making it unhealthy for proper plant growth. This reaction happens because baking soda is alkaline in nature. If this mixture fizzes, foams and bubbles, your soil is alkaline with a soil pH above 7.
If your soil is neutral, then no reaction will occur. We repeat, however, that to get a more accurate test of your soil, you should get a pH testing kit. But this simple experiment will certainly help you get a rough idea of the ph of your garden’s soil.
5. It can help get rid of weeds and crabgrass
Baking soda can be a great way to get rid of these annoying weeds or crabgrass in your garden. Crabgrass is that pesky and fibrous little chunk of grass that always appears to grow back between sidewalks or some other cracks and corners. To get rid of them easily, first moisten the problematic areas with water by using a spray bottle or hose. Then, sprinkle a thick layer of baking soda over the weeds or crabgrass. This will not just wipe out all the weeds and crabgrass but also prevent new ones from growing.
However, be mindful of not spilling any baking soda on desirable plants or grass as it can damage them permanently.
Note: While baking soda certainly has some wonderful benefits to a garden, it is worth noting that overusing this chemical on your garden can be harmful. Thus, we suggest using only the amount that is absolutely necessary and refraining from going overboard with it.
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