One of the most useful ingredients in your pantry is baking soda. It has been used for generations for all kinds of household chores. Here are 24 smart ways to use this common pantry item in your garden. (1)
1. Baking Soda Fungicide
Instead of heading to the garden center for some fungicide, simply add four teaspoons of this magical ingredient to a gallon of lukewarm water and apply it black spot fungus. (1)
2. Pesticide
You can chase away common garden pests from ants to slugs by sprinkling it around the perimeter of your garden beds. (1)
3. Healthy Potted Plants
To help repotted plants thrive, simply sprinkle a layer in the bottom of the pot before adding your soil and plants. (1)
4. Baking Soda For Stink Free Compost
To reduce the smell of your rich garden compost, sprinkle a bit of that goodness right on top. It eliminates odors without harming those healthy microorganisms that help keep your compost robust. (1)
5. Healthy Soil & Plants
A quick trick to help amend your soil is to mix a teaspoon each of baking soda and Epsom salt with half a teaspoon of ammonia and add it to a gallon of water to water your plants. It will also perk up your plants. (1)
6. Sweet Tomatoes
Sprinkle it on the soil around your tomato plants to lower acidity levels and make them taste sweeter. (1)
7. Walkway Cleaner
Give your walkways a new lease on life by scrubbing them with a few tablespoons of baking soda and a quart of hot water. (1)
8. Cabbage Worms
Dust plants like cabbage, broccoli, and kale with it to kill cabbage worms. (1)
9. Clean Hands With Baking Soda
Use a little bit, and some warm water to get your hands squeaky clean after messy garden work. (1)
10. Ants
Combine five teaspoons of baking soda, five teaspoons of sugar, and a bit of water and sprinkle it on anthills to rid your garden of ant armies. (1)
11. General Cleaning
To loosen up stubborn dirt from garden surfaces, add a bit of vinegar and baking soda to scrub it away.
12. Gnats
Mix two tablespoons of baking soda, a teaspoon of soap and a half-gallon of water and spray it on composts and leaf piles to get rid of gnats. (1)
13. Weed Killer
Pour baking powder on your walkway cracks to get rid of weeds. (1)
14. Rabbits
Apply baking soda around plants to keep rabbits from eating them. (1)
15. Cut Flowers
Add a tablespoon of it to your fresh cut flowers in a couple of quarts of water so they’ll last longer. (1)
16. Clean Houseplants
Dab a bit of baking soda and warm water on plant leaves to remove dust and grime. (1)
17. Powdery Mildew
Powdery mildew is common on squash, cucumbers, lilacs, and zinnias. Mix a tablespoon of baking soda, a gallon of water, a tablespoon of vegetable oil, and a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid and douse your plants weekly. (1)
18. Bird Baths
Wipe down birdbaths with a damp rag and baking soda to remove grime and slime. (1)
19. Crabgrass
Kill crabgrass by dusting it heavily with baking soda. Avoid getting it on your healthy lawn. (1)
20. Garden tools
Scrub old, caustic stains from garden tools with baking soda and water. (1)
21 & 22. Aphids and Spider Mites
A teaspoon of baking powder, 2/3 cups of olive oil and two cups of water create the perfect spray to banish these pests for good. (1)
23 & 24. Soil pH Levels
Collect soil from your garden, and place a few spoonful’s in two containers. In one add ½ cup of white vinegar and if it fizzes you have alkaline soil. If not, add distilled water and a ½ cup of baking soda to the second container. Fizzing means your soil is acidic. If neither reacts your soil is neutral. If you want alkaline soil, add a bit of baking soda to your watering can. (1)
