To solve many problems associated with agriculture, it is not necessary to spend money on expensive fertilizers and other chemicals; it is enough to use folk remedies. Treating cucumbers with soda will not only help cope with diseases, but will also increase yield.
Useful properties for vegetables
Baking soda can be found in any housewife's kitchen. But most often it is used only for culinary purposes. It can also be used for the garden. Using baking soda you can feed the cucumbers, cure diseases and get rid of insects.
Why else do you need soda? Baking soda can be used as a disinfectant for seeds. Soak the seeds in a soda solution for 20 minutes.Then they are dried and planted in the soil.
Benefits of spraying cucumbers with soda:
- Protects cucumbers from the appearance of microbes and fungal diseases;
- Disinfects seeds;
- Can be used as fertilizer;
- Improves the taste of vegetables;
- Acts as an insect repellent. The product helps get rid of aphids, powdery mildew, downy mildew and caterpillars.
You can spray cucumbers with soda solution at any time as a preventive measure. But overfeeding plants is also undesirable. An increased sodium content in a garden plot can cause fruiting to stop. In some cases, this can lead to the fruit being “hooked” in shape.
When irrigating, it is advisable to use a spray bottle so that the product gets evenly onto all parts of the plant. Spray not only the foliage, but also the stems, inflorescences and fruits.
Feeding cucumbers
Very often, ordinary baking soda is used as a fertilizer in the garden. When feeding cucumbers with this product, you must adhere to some rules.
How to feed cucumbers correctly:
- We process cucumbers only in the evening. The best time is after 6 pm or before 6 am. At this time the sun is not scorching. If the treatment is carried out during the day, then there is a high probability of “burning” the plants.
- Do not use a soda solution of too high a concentration. At first it may seem that this method will lead to an improvement in the condition of the bushes and an increase in productivity, but this is far from the case. Using too much baking soda to feed your cucumbers can burn them.
- It is also not advisable to use soda for feeding too often. This can harm the plants and the bush will be less productive. If you constantly water cucumbers with soda, this will lead to the accumulation of bicarbonate in the soil.Which in turn will lead to inhibition of growth and fruit formation.
- Water the cucumbers with soda and spray them only on a windless, quiet day.
It can also be used for pests.
In order to ensure the appearance of ovaries on seedlings, it is recommended to carry out two feedings. The first is carried out 2 weeks after planting the seedlings in a permanent place. The first fertilizing helps to increase the quality of the crop and accelerates growth.
The second feeding is carried out 2 weeks after the first. The second feeding helps to extend the fruiting period. If necessary, additional fertilizing can be done between them if the seedlings are growing very poorly or a lot of barren flowers are formed. The main thing is not to overdo it and not to overfeed the bushes.
How to feed cucumbers with baking soda? Twice a week, the beds with cucumbers need to be watered with a soda solution. To prepare it you will need 10 liters of water and 3 tbsp. l. soda You can water it along with the leaves. This will be an additional prevention against insects.
Pest and disease control
The use of baking soda to control insects and pests is due to its relative cheapness and effectiveness. In the garden, the product will help solve many problems.
- Soda for aphids on cucumbers
Often gardeners have to fight aphids. These insects form large colonies and can cause significant damage to the crop. They reproduce quite quickly. Therefore, at the first signs of appearance, measures must be taken to preserve the harvest. Soda for spraying cucumbers against aphids is prepared as follows: 50 gr. Dilute the product in 10 liters of water. Then add laundry soap and wood ash.You can spray bushes against aphids only in dry, windless weather. The procedures are repeated every three days.
- Powdery mildew
Baking soda for cucumbers is useful because it can help get rid of powdery mildew. This is a disease that is characterized by the appearance of a white coating on the leaves. Baking soda is diluted in 10 liters of water. Add grated laundry soap there. Three times a week in dry weather, bushes should be treated with this solution. If after some time it rains heavily, then spraying should be repeated on the next sunny day. It is advisable to process cucumbers after sunset, when there are no longer bright scorching rays.
- Downy mildew
Downy mildew is much more difficult to treat than powdery mildew. If the disease has just begun to spread, then for treatment you can use a recipe with laundry soap. You need to spray the bushes every two days.
If the disease has spread to almost all the bushes, then copper sulfate should be added to the soda solution. Mix all ingredients thoroughly and process cucumbers once a week.
- Gray rot
Gray rot is a fungal disease that affects foliage and internodes. The disease is characterized by the fact that white spots appear on the leaves, and the internodes and ovaries begin to rot. You can also treat bushes with soda solution for gray rot. You can spray plants in a greenhouse. 80 gr. dilute baking soda with 4 liters of warm water. Spray the bushes once every 2 days. The procedures are repeated until the gray rot goes away.
- Spider mite
Spider mites appear at high temperatures and dry air. Ticks prefer to overwinter in fallen leaves or in the top layer of soil.The main signs of the appearance of a mite are a slowdown in plant growth, the appearance of cobwebs on the foliage and its yellowing.
To prevent spider mites from appearing on cucumbers, they should be planted next to tomatoes. If the insect has already begun to spoil the crop, then you can use a soda solution to get rid of it. To prepare it you need 80 g. soda and 5 liters of water. You need to spray the vegetables until the insect disappears. For prevention, you can spray nearby growing crops.
- From yellowing of foliage
Many gardeners are faced with the problem of yellowing leaves. There can be many reasons that preceded this process. And it is not always possible to understand exactly why this happens. Maybe the cucumbers do not have enough nutrients, or maybe insects have appeared on them. When watering cucumbers, add a tablespoon of soda to the watering can. Water every other day at the root. This feeding of cucumbers will help increase the fruiting period.
- From barren flowers
If a large number of barren flowers begin to appear in the garden bed, you can use a baking soda solution. Dilute a tablespoon with 5 liters of water. Water the plants at the roots with it. You need to water the cucumbers with soda once every 3 days.
With these simple tips you can get rid of insect infestations, overcome cucumber diseases and increase productivity.
