Are you a fan of baking soda? We know, it’s a “miracle” powder that we should all have at home! Versatile and multifunctional at the same time, this natural product is acclaimed not only in the kitchen to flavor our desserts, in the domestic world to simplify countless tasks and even in the world of cosmetics for skin and hair care. But what many people don’t know is that baking soda also works wonders in the garden. Find out now why you need to have it on hand to water your tomato plantations.
Do you grow fruits and vegetables in your garden? Great idea! But if you want to take care of them and have a successful harvest, you can count on the enriching properties of sodium bicarbonate. To keep your tomatoes beautiful and healthy for longer, this is the perfect ingredient for you. Furthermore, being cheap and environmentally friendly, it is a perfect alternative to the chemical products you buy in nurseries or supermarkets.
harvesting tomatoes
Why is it good to sprinkle tomato plants with bicarbonate?
Spraying garden tomatoes with baking soda helps the crops fight leaf diseases. By mixing this white powder with water, you obtain a solution that can be applied throughout the plant’s growth period, even insisting on it in summer if there are periods of rain.
This solution directly prevents and combats some very common tomato diseases, in particular powdery mildew, which is extremely harmful to horticultural crops. It is important to know that the main diseases that affect this fruit come from bacteria, viruses and fungal infections. Some of them can cause violent diseases that dangerously damage the inside of the tomato, especially in the rainy season, both in the garden and in the solarium. Powdery mildew is manifested by the appearance of yellow spots on the leaves and a fine, white powder that indicates the rapid formation of mold on the plants.
Note: If you don’t have baking soda, you can replace it with a solution of baking soda mixed with water.
tomatoes with baking soda
Two recipes with baking soda for tomato crops
Sodium bicarbonate therefore continues to be a beneficial solution for tomato crops. However, to better protect plant leaves, milk can also be added. Some gardeners also add vegetable oil to make a thicker, stickier solution.
Here are two recipes that use baking soda to care for tomato crops:
Mix a teaspoon of baking soda in 250 ml of water and 250 ml of milk in a liter of water. Mix all the ingredients well before applying this mixture to your plants.
Mix eight teaspoons of baking soda with seven liters of water and six tablespoons of vegetable oil. All ingredients must be mixed well until a homogeneous consistency is obtained before application.
tomato plantation
How do you spray tomato crops with baking soda?
The mixture is poured into a spray bottle and applied to the tomato leaves, paying special attention to those already affected by powdery mildew. It is also applied to the underside of the leaves. It is important to defoliate the plants before application, that is, remove all diseased leaves. After treatment, the foliage gradually regains its vitality.
Attention: in any case, be very careful because these treatments are powerful and can damage crops. It is advisable to test the concentration of the solution on one or two leaves before applying it to all the plants.