Gardeners and gardeners have been fighting weeds in their beds for centuries. Wild plants shade useful crops, rob them of food and moisture.
There are plenty of ways to get rid of "freeloaders":
- weeding with a hoe or flat cutter;
- mulching the surface of the earth with various materials (straw, peat, shavings, cardboard, agro-fabric);
- weed removal by spraying with chemical solutions (Roundup).
The latter method is convenient for ease of use and low labor costs. But the poison contained in the solution can harm not only weeds, but also bees, other beneficial insects, and even animals. Many gardeners are afraid of the toxicity of the solution, so they take up the hoe in the old fashioned way.
Regular baking soda, found in every home, is a safe alternative to off-the-shelf weed killers.
What is soda
How to use baking soda on a personal plot
Most often they use baking soda in the garden, less often soda ash. An alkaline solution obtained by dissolving the powder in water dramatically changes the acidic environment of the soil, as a result of which the weed dies.
Important! Garden beds with cultivated plants are not watered with soda solution, since alkali will kill them too. With the help of an alkaline solution, vegetation is removed on the paths in the yard. It is effective against mosses and lichens on stone fences or walls of houses.
To make the effect on the plant strong, a concentrated solution is prepared - at least 5 tablespoons of sodium bicarbonate per 1 liter of water. Slightly less calcined matter can be poured.
The resulting mixture is shed by the weeds and the soil around them. If the grass grows in the gaps between the paving slabs, it is convenient to inject the solution into the soil with a large syringe. Moss on vertical surfaces is sprayed with an alkaline solution using a spray gun, or applied with a brush.
Surface treatment should be carried out twice a day, in the morning and in the evening, for several days. It is best to do this in dry and sunny weather.
The duration of watering depends on the size of the plant's root system. Hops, sow thistle and wheatgrass will need more treatments. The moss dies in a couple of days.
To enhance the effect, some gardeners combine watering the soil with a soda solution with spraying the foliage of the weed with a mixture of acetic acid and water (1 tbsp. 70% vinegar essence per liter of water).
Rules for working with soda solution
The powder is dissolved only in warm water. In cold water, the substance will not completely dissolve, in too hot (above 55 degrees) water, it loses its properties.
Dishes for solution preparation are taken enamel or glass. Sodium bicarbonate does not react with these materials.
Important! Sodium bicarbonate powder easily absorbs moisture from the air. Store soda in a dry place.
The prepared solution retains its qualities for no longer than 3 hours.
Reviews of gardeners
Olga Valerievna (Ufa)
Several years ago, we paved the courtyard near our house with beautiful paving slabs. It became very clean and elegant. The impression of the coating was spoiled by the grass breaking through in the cracks between the tiles. My age does not allow me to crawl on my knees and pluck grass with my hands. She immediately refused to use "chemistry", as there are dogs and cats walking in the yard. A neighbor advised me to try lime grass with regular baking soda. I prepared a strong solution, to which I added a couple more tablespoons of salt to enhance the action. To bend over less, I poured the mixture into plastic bottle, in the lid of which I made a hole. I watered the cracks between the tiles generously, several times a day. After the first watering, the grass turned yellow and wilted. I continued to water the ground for 3 days, and after that I simply swept away the dry weeds with a tough broom. The yard is now clean! Now, during the summer, I spill the cracks between the tiles a couple of times with a soda solution to destroy the weeds that were blown in by the wind.
Peter (Vladivostok)
My dacha is located in the lower part of the garden village, by the river. Therefore the humidity is quite high. My problem is the spread of moss and lichen on the soil, trees and the wooden walls of the garden house. At first I thought it was just the moisture. He arranged drainage, left a larger distance between the apple trees, so that the breeze could walk and dry the air, he often loosened the earth. But the problem didn't go away. Knowledgeable people suggested that the reason is also in the high acidity of the soil, the best conditions are obtained for mosses. In the garden he brought in chalk and dolomite for digging, and in the garden he decided to use soda as a well-known acid neutralizer. I took a calcified one, as stronger than drinking. I spread a glass of powder into a bucket of lukewarm water. With a wide brush, he soaked well all the apple tree trunks affected by moss and the wall of the house. From a watering can I spilled all the earth in the garden with the same solution. I have not planted anything useful under the trees, so I was not afraid to burn something useful. The very next morning I saw that the moss was turning yellow and dry in places. I diluted the solution again and re-worked the garden. Later I cleaned dry moss from the trees, and loosened the soil under the trees. Hopefully I've found a relatively nature-friendly remedy to rid the site of lichen and moss. After all, soda is not dangerous for insects and
Soda ash is very popular among gardeners and gardeners who prefer harmless methods of protecting their crops. The use of white powder in the garden is quite effective in the fight against pests and diseases - phenomena that pose a threat to the growth and development of plants.
Sodium carbonate is widely demanded in many industries: in the production of glass, cast iron, household goods. In everyday life, when washing clothes, knowledgeable housewives also use soda ash.
Application in gardening against powdery mildew
Starting in the lower part, the infection gradually spreads to the entire plant, causing yellowing and falling foliage, cracking and rotting of fruits, and even leads to the complete death of the garden crop. To fight with powdery mildew you can use a solution of 50 grams of soda ash, diluted in a bucket of water. You should also rub 40 grams of laundry soap here. Once a week, in cloudy weather, it is required to spray damaged plants with such a composition. As a preventive measure, treatment against a powdery rose is recommended to be carried out 1-2 times during the summer season, starting from the moment the buds are set.
Against gray rot: soda ash
The use of soda ash in the garden gives an excellent result, in which the plants do not receive a harmful portion of chemicals, but are protected by a "home" remedy that can defeat even gray rot. Such a disease is very dangerous for plants; it quickly infects neighboring specimens. It is dangerous for almost all garden crops: lettuce, cucumbers, radishes, cabbage, onions, beets, beans, potatoes.
In a cool rainy summer, gray rot can destroy the entire strawberry crop. Instead of spraying with Bordeaux liquid, preparations "Oxyhom", "Topaz", "Kuproskat", "Champion" against this disease, it is recommended to use a soda solution. To prepare it, you need to dilute 4 tbsp in a bucket of water. tablespoons of the substance and twice a month to carry out the top watering of garden crops.
We save the viburnum
Soda ash, the use of which in the garden shows successful results, can help in the fight against the viburnum leaf beetle, a beetle that feeds and develops exclusively on viburnum. The dirty gray larvae that overwintered in the bark of young shoots cause enormous damage to the plant: the pests simply riddled the leaves and are able to completely gnaw the bush, depriving it of its green mass.
Soda ash against cabbage pests
The appearance on cabbage leaves of cabbage moth caterpillars, whites, moths, scoops threatens partial or complete loss of the expected harvest, which will help to save home remedy- soda ash. Application in the vegetable garden for cabbage is recommended by sprinkling the bushes with this substance, mixed in equal proportions with flour. For greater efficiency, it is recommended to add a little cruciferous pollen to the resulting composition. Processing is not recommended in hot weather, as there is a risk of leaf burns.
To rescue white cabbage from an invasion of slugs, you can pollinate plants and beds with a mixture of a glass of soda and half a bucket of wood ash.
Getting rid of aphids
The real trouble for summer residents is aphids. Small insects gathering in huge colonies, due to their massiveness, mercilessly destroy plants, sucking out their cell sap. Along the way, pests secrete poison, which causes deformation and death of foliage, curvature of the apical shoots and their growth arrest. The surface of the leaves is contaminated with sweet secretions that disrupt the normal life of garden and vegetable garden crops. Rapidly multiplying and giving up to fifty colonies over the summer, aphids are capable of causing enormous damage to any, even the most well-groomed, suburban area.
In the line of proven folk methods of combating this pest, soda ash effectively shows its properties. Application in the garden from aphids is recommended by spraying damaged crops with a solution based on onions... To prepare it, a glass of onion ground through a meat grinder must be diluted in 10 liters of water. Add a tablespoon of soda ash to this. The resulting mixture is recommended to abundantly spray damaged plants, and the last procedure must be carried out no later than 20-25 days before harvesting.
Rejuvenation of rose bushes
The use of soda ash in the garden and vegetable garden is economically beneficial due to the low cost of this substance.
Soda for Weed Control
Soda ash, the use in the garden of which is aimed at protecting crops from diseases and pests, is capable of destroying. This procedure is recommended in dry hot weather. It is also recommended to process garden tools with the resulting disinfectant for the purpose of disinfection.
The use of soda for shrub plantations
The use of soda ash is effective during the ripening period of grapes and is aimed at increasing the sweetness of the fruit and reducing the incidence of gray rot. To do this, spray the aboveground part of the bushes with a solution of 70-80 grams of soda and 10 liters of water. On fruit trees caterpillars are destroyed with such a means.
Soda ash, the use of which is quite popular in the garden, is able to save gooseberries and currants from yellowing and untimely leaf fall.
The use of soda ash in the garden is useful for tomatoes, the taste of which can be significantly improved (sweetened) by carrying out several treatments with a soda solution during the flowering of the vegetable crop. Premature yellowing of the foliage of cucumbers will help prevent watering the root part with a solution of a tablespoon of soda diluted in a bucket of warm water.
You can get rid of the invasion of ants by treating the places of their accumulation with soda powder. When mixing the latter with wood ash in equal proportions, the result will please quickly enough: insects will not die, but will quickly migrate to new habitats.
Many summer residents use soda ash, which is a strong alkali, to determine the level in their area. To do this, you need to pour a few spoons of soil into two containers. Add vinegar to one of them. A hiss reaction will indicate that the soil is alkaline. In another container with earth, you need to pour a little water (to the consistency of a liquid gruel) and add soda. The hiss of the resulting composition will determine the acidic soil. In the absence of reactions, the soil is neutral, which is considered a very good indicator for most plants.
9 WAYS TO USE BAKING SODA IN THE GARDEN AND IN THE GARDEN 1. Powdery mildew soda. Almost every summer resident is familiar with such an attack as powdery mildew. Baking soda can handle it. Here are two proven recipes: Dilute 1 tbsp in 1 liter of water. l. soda, add 1 tbsp. vegetable oil and 1 tbsp. dishwashing liquid. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle, shake well. Spray her plants once a week in cloudy but dry weather. In 5 liters of water, dilute 2 tbsp. l. soda and 20 grams of soap. Spray the plants with this solution for the first time before flowering, and then 3-4 more times with an interval of a week. The Japanese have long used baking soda against powdery mildew. 2. Soda for the rejuvenation of rose bushes. To rejuvenate rose bushes, stir in 5 liters of water: 1 tsp. soda, 1/2 tsp. ammonia and 1 tsp. Epsom salts. 3. Soda against weeds. It will also rid the soda of the small weed that makes its way between the tiles of the path or the rest area (as it is now fashionable to say - the patio). To do this, spill the cracks between the tiles with a strong soda solution. 4. Soda to protect cabbage. To get rid of caterpillars eating young cabbage leaves, mix equal parts soda and flour. The pest will really like such complementary foods, but fortunately for the gardener, it will turn out to be incompatible with life for them. 5. Soda for feeding tomatoes Surprisingly, many seasoned summer residents claim that soda top dressing (spraying) makes tomatoes sweeter. 6. Determination and change of soil acidity. Soda is the most famous household alkali. Therefore, when mixed with the most acidic moist soil (pH up to 5), it will behave in the same way as when extinguished with vinegar in everyday life, that is, it will hiss and bubble. You can also use soda to reduce the acidity of the soil, the main thing in this matter is not to overdo it, since soda does not affect some plants in the best way. 7. Soda for grapes. Baking soda is used in vineyards during the ripening period of berries, this increases their sugar content and reduces damage by gray mold. The entire aerial part is sprayed with a solution - 75 gr. soda for 10 liters of water. On fruit trees, this spraying is used against leaf-eating caterpillars. 8. Detergent. After gardening, hands do not look their best. But here, too, soda comes to our aid. It will help to effectively cleanse your hands of stubborn garden dirt. It is good to wash dirty dishes with soda. 9. Compost heap perfume If your compost heap starts to ooze bad smell, use baking soda to fix it! Just add the baking soda to the compost heap and, after a while, the stench should disappear.
Ecology of consumption. Farmstead: Working in the country is a movement, and we all suffer from physical inactivity. Plus, hard work can always be made easier ...
Save so as not to lose!
It's hard to imagine a modern vegetable garden without baking soda. She seems to be helping everywhere and everywhere. If you grow grapes in your summer cottage, then do not forget to spray the vine with a solution of soda - 75 grams per 10 liters of water during the ripening period of the berries. This procedure protects the grapes from gray rot, and also increases the sugar content in the berries. The same solution can be sprayed on all fruit trees to combat leaf-eating caterpillars.
Soda is one of effective means against powdery mildew. A solution of a teaspoon of soda in a liter of water is used for preventive spraying of cucumbers. Gooseberries and currants are treated with a complex agent: 1 tbsp. soda, 1 aspirin tablet, 1 tsp. dishwashing liquid or liquid soap, 1 tbsp. vegetable oil per 4.5 liters of water. A solution of soda (1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water) is poured over cucumbers to prevent premature yellowing of the leaves. To ward off caterpillars, many gardeners sprinkle cabbage leaves with soda.
There is hardly a dacha where currant bushes would not grow. True, the harvest is often poor. Some amateur gardeners are sure that a jar of berries from bush to table is a good return. In fact, these plants can be collected in a bucket. or even several buckets! To get solid harvests from it, you need:
- Don't forget to water. Of course, the climatic conditions of the season must be taken into account. But do not miss the three necessary waterings. The first is at the end of flowering (approximately the first decade of June). The second - during the growth of ovaries (third decade of June). The third is during the ripening of the berries. The rate of water consumption is 4 buckets per bush.
- Feed on time. Black currants require four additional feeding per season. The first - as soon as the buds have blossomed: 2 tablespoons of ammonium nitrate per 10 liters of water. Consumption rate - 1 bucket per bush. The second - in mid-June: 1 tablespoon of urea, 1.5 tbsp. superphosphate and 0.5 tbsp. tablespoons of potassium sulfate per 10 liters of water. Consumption rate - 1 bucket per bush. The third - in late September - early October: 0.5 cups of superphosphate and 2/3 cup of potassium sulfate per 1 bush. Fourth - at the end of October: 0.5 buckets of rotted manure under a bush.
- Cut out unnecessary branches. Most of the fruits of black currants ripen on two-year and three-year shoots. The older ones yield fewer berries. Therefore, the plants must be formed so that 3-4 annual shoots remain on the bush annually. And all that are over 6 years old must be cut out. This is best done in the fall, when the leaves fall off the plant.
- Spray with honey solution during flowering. Bees pollinate currants. And to attract more of them, the plants must be sprinkled with sweet water: 1 tbsp. Dissolve a spoonful of honey in 1 liter. water and spray the bushes.
How to feed cherries.
Top dressing in spring - ash, in a liter can, on wet soil, along the perimeter of the crown, 1 tablespoon of urea and 2 tablespoons of chlorine-free potassium (when feeding with potassium chloride, it will drop leaves) for 10 liters of water (at least 3-4 buckets per plant) ... Can be replaced with potassium nitrate (2 tablespoons).
During intensive growth of the ovaries, the leaves should be sprayed with a solution of trace elements. In addition, one more liter can of ash is needed to build up the bone.
In mid-August - 2 tablespoons of double granular superphosphate and 1 tablespoon of potassium per 10 liters of water (at least 4 buckets) and again a liter can of ash. A liter can of ash can be replaced with 1 glass of dolomite.
In late autumn, after dropping the leaves, you can add a couple of buckets of organic matter or pour feces, like an apricot.
How to remove weeds from the beds permanently (the experience of colleagues).
If you remove all weeds from the garden on June 18 BEFORE HOUR, they will no longer grow.
A unique recipe to get rid of cabbage flea beetles!
Be sure to save this recipe on your page so as not to lose it!
All summer you can fight cabbage pests, especially fleas. What they did not "drive away" it: wormwood, onions, garlic, ash, tobacco. All in vain! There was nothing they could save the cabbage, and by the fall it grew so-so, somehow flawed. We began to look for different means, as others save cabbage. Once we read how a woman preserves her cabbage. She said that she sprinkled cabbage with 70% table vinegar: one spoon for 10 liters of water. We immediately stirred the vinegar and processed the cabbage. Radishes, horseradish, radish and sorrel, rutabagas, turnips were sprayed with the same solution. And what about fleas? As blown away by the wind. Now we know this is the right remedy. Dilute vinegar for a short time. After spraying, we noticed that white butterflies are afraid to sit on cabbage, and we no longer notice aphids there.
How to get rid of the Colorado potato beetle without chemistry.
I dilute one pack of dry mustard in a bucket of water, add 100 ml. table 9% vinegar, mix thoroughly and spray the tops of the potatoes with this mixture. There are no bugs!
Advice for gardeners who are going to change their strawberry location.
Pour 15 drops of iodine into 10 liters of water (not a metal bucket), stir with a wooden stick and water under each bush, after moistening the soil (after rain or after good watering). At the same time, try not to get the iodine solution on the leaves. This works especially well after cutting the strawberries. As a rule, after such treatment, beetles do not look into this territory for two years.
Before planting strawberries, treat the entire future plantation well with this solution. Today they watered, and after three or four days you can safely plant. Then there will be no root burns in case of iodine overdose. I just want to warn you: everything is like that of people - do not exceed the dose!
published
It is not so easy to get a rich harvest of vegetables from your site, because pests and pathogens are in a hurry to take away the well-deserved trophy from the summer resident. Baking soda, which is used to water cucumbers and other plants, will help to overcome them. Let's take a closer look at the benefits of sodium bicarbonate and methods of processing a vegetable garden.
The benefits of soda for cucumbers and other crops
Heat-loving cucumbers are one of the first to appear on the table of summer residents. The average ripening period of fruits from the moment of germination is 45 days, which significantly complicates the fight against diseases and pests by chemical methods.
So that chemistry does not harm health, some time must pass from the moment of processing - but then the fruits will simply overripe, become unusable. Therefore, summer residents use folk methods to combat pests and fungal diseases. Most often, the beds are treated with baking soda, which can replace fungicides and insecticides.
Sodium bicarbonate in the correct dosage has a positive effect on the plant organism.
- Due to the alkaline medium, the baking soda solution makes it impossible for the mycelium of pathogenic fungi to develop. This allows you to effectively fight against peronosporosis, powdery mildew, late blight.
- Soda is an excellent means of disinfecting seed. According to scientists, the yield of treated seeds is increased by 30%.
- The alkaline effect is not to the liking of pests - aphids, weevils, cabbage, leaf-eating caterpillars quickly retreat from the garden treated with a solution of baking soda.
- Sodium bicarbonate strengthens the immunity of cucumbers and other crops, which significantly increases yields, increases the number of ovaries.
- Soda improves the quality of the harvest, because fungal spores on the surface of the fruit will not be able to prevent the accumulation of sugars under the influence of solar radiation.
An aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate is harmless to humans and pollinating insects, which makes it an indispensable tool in the fight for a rich harvest.
Processing rules
For processing the garden, summer residents use two methods:
- watering;
- spraying over the leaf.
It is supposed to water the plants at the root, trying to cover the entire root zone (hole). The introduction of baking soda is carried out along with watering. At the same time, it is important to strictly observe the concentration of the component, otherwise the soil will alkalinize, which will cause inhibition of the culture. This will significantly reduce the growing season, the crop will begin to deform, it will become smaller.
There are a number of rules for spraying.
- Fruit crops need to be sprayed for preventive purposes, because it will be much more difficult to deal with a developed disease or an overgrown pest colony.
- The event is carried out strictly in the absence of the sun in calm weather. The droplets of solution remaining on the fuzzy cucumber leaves act like small lenses. When they begin to evaporate under the influence of the sun, the delicate leaves will certainly get burned.
- Irrigation of the deciduous mass is carried out using a fine-dispersed sprayer - a spray gun. The water dust will evenly cover the leaf blade, which will allow the soda particles to work more actively.
- remember, that folk remedy will be effective until the first rain, after a good shower, the treatment must be repeated.
- Even when processing the leaves, the dosage should be adhered to. You should not prepare a concentrated solution, because drops of liquid, falling into the soil, will also lead to a change in the pH level.
Another nuance of soda treatment of the garden is the appearance of sodium bicarbonate grains on the surface of ripening fruits. Do not be afraid of such " side effect"- just wash the crop with clean water. Soda is safe for humans.
Preparing a baking soda solution
Several useful tips will help you to properly prepare the liquid for processing the vegetable garden.
- When preparing a baking soda solution, do not use polystyrene or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) containers. Avoid contact with metal, do not dilute the product in an aluminum container.
- The water for preparing the product must first be filtered or defended. It should not contain organic matter impurities.
- The prepared solution should be used within three hours.
- Use water at room temperature. Heating the fluid above 55⁰C will cause thermal decomposition of sodium bicarbonate, resulting in ineffectiveness.
Strictly adhere to the dosage indicated in the recipes.
Folk recipes
In the struggle for the harvest, gardeners have developed a lot of effective recipes that will certainly help you. We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the methods of processing a vegetable garden with baking soda.
Fighting barren flowers on cucumbers
To increase the number of ovaries on the whip, you can pour baking soda over the cucumbers. To prepare the product you will need:
- soda - 2 tablespoons;
- two-liter can of clean water.
Pour powder into water and stir until dissolved. The portion is indicated for one cucumber bush, it should be poured under the root.
Powdery Mildew Soda
Powdery mildew is a frequent visitor to plantings. Under the influence of a pathogenic fungus, the leaves first become covered with whitish spots, and then turn yellow. Due to the yellowing of the plate, the bush cannot fully provide itself with food through photosynthesis. From this, the culture first suffers and looks oppressed, and then dies altogether. The best way to overcome the disease - to prevent it!
To make a preventive spray, take the following ingredients:
- 10 liters of water;
- 60 g of baking soda (3 level tablespoons);
- a handful of grated laundry or green soap.
The active ingredients should be dissolved in water with constant stirring. The soap will prevent the solution from simply draining off the sheet. Apply the finished composition to the leaf blades on both sides using a spray bottle. The frequency of application is once every two weeks.
If the disease has been started, and the cucumbers are already in bloom, use chemical agents no fight. Use the following composition:
- 100 g of laundry soap;
- 1 teaspoon of pharmaceutical iodine;
- 2 tablespoons of baking soda.
The listed substances must be dissolved in ten liters of water, and then sprayed on the leaves. Perform the procedure weekly until the bush is completely healed. Usually 3-5 treatments are enough. This remedy is also suitable for getting rid of late blight of tomatoes.
Fungal diseases affect plants not only through the soil, but also through the seed. Soak the seeds in a solution of a liter of water and a teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate for 8-12 hours, then rinse and dry. Such preparation will protect the bushes from fungal diseases and increase productivity.
We banish pests with soda
Tiny enemies of plants can cause significant damage to crops. Aphid colonies in the beds settle on the underside of the leaves and on the ends of the tender shoots of plants. Gluttonous insects like almost all cultures, and they are in no hurry to leave their homes.
The pest sucks out the sap of the plant, making a tiny puncture in soft tissues... Around the bite, tissues gradually die off, the leaf turns yellow, and the bush begins to experience hunger. But that's not all - the sugary secretions of aphids become a breeding ground for the growth of a sooty fungus, which will only aggravate the situation. Viruses easily penetrate through damaged tissues, and the fight against them will not be crowned with success.
Noticing the appearance of intruders, take measures to urgently evict them from the garden. To do this, make a product from the following components:
- 10 liters of water;
- a handful of wood ash;
- 50 g of baking soda;
- 2 tablespoons of dish soap or grated laundry soap.
The composition can be used both for pest control and for the prevention of their appearance. The frequency of spraying is once every 3 days until the elimination of the insect colony.
Fight gray mold and sclerotinia
Gray and white rot affects plants in damp, cool weather. Cucumbers especially suffer from this scourge, because they have very fragile shoots, and the fungus penetrates through the smallest wounds. For prevention, in a rainy summer, spray the bushes with a solution based on 10 liters of water and 100 g of baking soda once a decade. If the disease has already begun to progress, spray the cucumbers every 3 days until it is completely cured.
Soda as fertilizer
Soda solution will help reduce the acidity of the soil and strengthen the immunity of crops. Tomatoes and cucumbers are processed on a leaf using a solution of a liter of water and 5 g of soda. For soil irrigation, the concentration should be higher - 30 g per liter of water.
So, baking soda is useful for more than just cooking. culinary masterpieces but also for healing suburban area... Watering and spraying the garden with soda will help to overcome plant ailments, increase the productivity and quality of the crop, and drive out pests. In order not to harm the plantings, stick to the dosage of homemade "medicine", because it can easily turn into poison for green wards and deprive you of your harvest.