During the summer season, lovers of agricultural work need to constantly fight weeds not only in the beds, but also in the furrows. After all, “freeloaders” take away moisture and nutrients from healthy crops and shade them. There are many ways to remove unwanted plants. But using soda against weeds in the garden is the most effective remedy.
What is sprayed with soda?
Baking soda is a chemical compound called sodium carbonate.It has been used in agriculture for a very long time as a safe and natural remedy that helps eliminate many problems.
Vegetable and berry plants are sprayed with soda powder in garden plots:
- Those sick with late blight and various rots. Moreover, preventive treatments begin to be carried out as soon as dense shoots appear.
- Attacked by aphids or ants. Moreover, dry white powder helps with the latter. It is scattered on the paths along which industrious insects run.
- To get rid of wireworms that spoil potatoes. A teaspoon of sodium carbonate is introduced into the bottom of each hole in which the root vegetable is placed. Moreover, this procedure is carried out annually. After 3-4 summer seasons there will be no trace of pests left.
- To improve the taste of fruits, foliar and root feeding of tomatoes is carried out.
- To increase the sugar content of grapes during fruiting, all vines are sprayed with a 6% solution of the product.
- To increase yield and slow down the aging of cucumbers, bushes are periodically treated with soda solution.
- You can destroy slugs and caterpillars by scattering white powder in places where they accumulate. Or by spraying these areas with a caustic solution (place 10 tablespoons of powder on a ten-liter bucket of liquid). Moreover, the treatment is carried out daily, until the uninvited guests completely disappear.
In addition to all of the above, white powder restores the pH balance of acidic and strongly acidic soil. This problem is especially important in the Non-Black Earth Region. After all, there are practically no non-acidified soils here.
How does baking soda help fight weeds?
When sodium carbonate is dissolved in water, it produces an alkaline solution. When it gets into the ground, it quickly changes its acidic environment.And the weeds die because they cannot adapt to the changed conditions.
It is better to use soda ash, as it has a stronger concentration than baking soda.
Take 2 teaspoons of the product and dissolve in one liter of warm liquid. Problem areas are watered with this product.
Efficiency of use
This method is very effective only when the weeds are just beginning to sprout. If the process is started, treatment with white powder will not help.
To enhance the effect, one day after spraying with sodium carbonate, water it with water in which vinegar essence is dissolved (4 tablespoons per 1 liter of liquid).
Rules for use on the site
When carrying out procedures, the following conditions are observed:
- The solution is prepared immediately before use, because within 2.5-3 hours its beneficial properties disappear.
- Processing is carried out on a hot, dry day.
- Problem areas are watered abundantly, sparing no liquid.
- The frequency should be 4-6 times every 10-14 days.
The white powder itself is kept in a place where there is low humidity, since in another room it will quickly become damp and turn stony.
Soda powder is also used to water the soil between the tiles of garden paths, and not just the beds and furrows.
Precautionary measures
When using white powder, the following rules should be observed:
- Store the product in a place inaccessible to children and pets.
- When preparing the solution and carrying out the treatment, you need to wear rubberized gloves and safety glasses. After all, soda can cause an allergic reaction or damage the overly sensitive skin of your hands.
- If a caustic solution gets on the eyeball, then its surface is immediately washed under running cool water.
You should also water without children or pets.Because their pranks can lead to the fact that the product ends up not on the ground, but on the body of a person or animal.
In any gardening farm, weeds must be controlled. This can be done using equipment, mulching the soil, and using chemicals. But there are negative aspects to using all these methods. Only the white powder treatment does not have them.
The product is also harmless to pollinating insects, pets, and people. Cheap soda becomes an excellent alternative to other methods of controlling weeds.