21 Baking Soda Uses in the Garden | Baking Soda for Plants

Sherin Woods is a California-based DIY enthusiast and garden design aficionado. With a background in Environmental Science, she combines creativity and sustainability in all her projects. A Pinterest favorite, Sherin is committed to eco-friendly solutions and has contributed to various home and garden publications. Her areas of expertise include DIY project planning, sustainable garden design, and content creation.
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Do you know about some amazing Baking Soda Uses in the Garden? If not, then don’t worry. We have some of the best ones for you!

baking soda hack for garden

100% ecological baking soda can be used at any time of the year, in every corner of the garden. It is biodegradable and non-toxic and can be a slight replacement for pesticides, fertilizers, and other chemicals. Let’s have a look at some of the best Baking Soda Uses in the Garden!

Check out our article on the cornstarch uses in the garden here!


Baking Soda Uses in the Garden

1. Houseplant Cleaner

cleaning houseplant

It is important to regularly clean your houseplants’ foliage to remove dust and grease to promote photosynthesis.

For this, our recommendation for you is to carefully move a soft, lint-free cloth moistened with the solution of water and sodium bicarbonate (a pinch of baking soda in one liter of water) on the surface of leaves (top and bottom).

Learn how to save your houseplants from dying here

2. Give Plants a Boost

Mix 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon clear ammonia, and 1 teaspoon Epsom salt in a gallon of water. Mix well and give each plant about a quart of the solution.

This solution will work as a fertilizer for the plants that are looking dull and growing slowly. They will perk up, rejuvenate their growth and become lush green.

3. Clean Garden Furniture

Add 1/2 cup baking soda and one tablespoon dishwashing liquid in a gallon of warm water. Take a sponge and clean the garden furniture with it and then rinse it with clear water.

4. Keep the Smell of Compost away

To keep the smell from the compost pile under control, use a small amount of baking soda to eliminate odor. This helps prevent acidity build-up.

5. Clean Bird Bath and Pots

cleaning clay pot

To clean your birdbath and pots, sprinkle baking soda on them and clean with a damp cloth or scrubber. After cleaning, rinse thoroughly and allow them to dry out completely.

6. With Acidic Soil

If you have acidic soil, sprinkle a small amount of baking soda on it (the application rate varies according to the pH level). When digging, mix it and water and retest your soil after a few days.

Do this in the small area first. You will be impressed by the results: Fewer weeds, more flowers, and a high-yield garden.

7. Get Rid of Slugs

Want to get rid of slugs? Simply sprinkle baking soda on them, and they’ll dissolve into oblivion.

Want to get rid of slugs? Check out these tips

8. Encourage Plants to Bloom

Dissolve 1 tablespoon of baking soda into 2 quarts of water and use this to water your flowering plants to encourage blooming. Want to learn more tricks like this? Click here.

9. Grow Sweeter Tomatoes

sweeter tomatoes with baking soda

Sprinkle a small amount of baking soda around the base of your tomato plants. The baking soda will be absorbed into the soil and lowers the acidity level of tomatoes, giving you a sweeter than tart flavor.

Do these 8 Things to grow the best tomatoes

10. Kill Cabbage Worms

Mix equal part of the flour and baking soda and dust that on infected plants. The worms that are inflicting your brassicas will ingest the baking powder mixture while eating the leaves and die soon.

11. Use it as a Pesticide

shutterstock/Medvedeva Oxana

Use baking soda to effectively reduce infestations of many insects such as aphids, scales, and spider mites. It may not kill them all but have a repellent action and halt their progress.

Mix 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/3 cup of olive or mustard oil. Measure out 2-3 teaspoons of this mix and add it to 1 cup of water. Dilute them well together and spray on the infected plants.

12. Test Soil pH

Take some soil on a dish and make it muddier. Sprinkle a small amount of baking soda onto the soil. If the combination bubbles, your soil is acidic.

Learn how to check your soil pH at home here

13. Prevent Mildew and Other Fungal Diseases

Prevent Mildew and other Fungal Diseases with baking soda

Spraying baking soda on the leaves makes the surface become less acidic and limits the ability of fungal spores to grow. To prepare this, mix 1 teaspoon baking soda and a few drops of liquid dish soap in 1 liter of water and spray the solution on the infected plants.

This preventive and curative treatment is effective in a vegetable garden, on fruit trees, rose bushes, vines, climbers, and flowers.

14. Weed Killer

To fight effectively against the weeds that invade walkways, edges, and garden beds in an ecological and economical way, baking soda is best. It has the enormous advantage of being completely biodegradable and nontoxic.

You can sprinkle it on the tufts of weeds. It will burn the foliage, and weeds will disappear in a few days. Doing this regularly can slow down the arrival and growth of those pesky weeds as well.

Want to get rid of weeds? Use vinegar

15. Clean the Walkways

shutterstock/Joanne Dale

Rinse the surface with sodium bicarbonate water (30 g or 2 tablespoons per liter of warm water). If necessary, add baking powder and scrub with a brush or use a broom with stiff bristles.

Beware not to spill the solution on the lawn and flower beds: An excessive concentration of bicarbonate and hot water can “burn” the plants.

16. Dissipate Dwelling Insects

Sprinkle some baking soda lightly over the soil to anguish insects that dwell underneath, like silverfish and roaches. Baking soda is an excellent way to get rid of these burrowing insects.

17. For Cut Flowers

keep cut flowers fresh with baking soda

To keep your cut flowers fresh for a long time, put a teaspoon of baking soda in the vase. Want to know the names of the best plants for cut flowers? Click here!

18. Clean Dirty Hands

Got dirty hands after gardening? Simply rub baking soda on wet hands and rinse them with water. This will also help in removing bad odor and dead skin.

19. Deodorize Compost Pile or Bin

Add a tablespoon of baking soda to a gallon of water and sprinkle this over your compost bin. This will eliminate any foul odors that are expelled from the bin. Do not overdo it because it will severely slow down composting.

20. Get Rid of Gnats

Whether they are in piles of leaves or the compost bin, gnats can be a huge nuisance. Mix four tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda with water and biodegradable soap. Pour this mixture or spray over the gnat infestation to kill the ones lurking within.

21. Eliminate Ant Hills

When it comes to ants, use a deadly mixture of sugar and baking soda to use as bait and kill them. Mix the two ingredients with a ratio of 1:1 and sprinkle the mixture onto the anthill. The ants will eat this mixture and carry it to the nest, where the other ants will consume it as well.


Precautions When Using Baking Soda in the Garden

  • Avoid spraying directly on the flower stalks and buds as much as possible.
  • When trying any home mix, you should always test it first on a small portion.
  • Also, follow the right dosages because the too strong combination can burn the leaves of the plants.

Watch this video for more information

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14 COMMENTS

  1. Thank you , great tips . I love planting herbs and veg . But insects is a big problem . I’ve tried lots of home remedies , but the insects is bad . They lay eggs on the leaves of my citres trees and curry leaf trees .

  2. I knew a few of them, but I am pleasantly surprised to read about most of the benefits of using soda!
    I did not know it was possible kill cabbage worms.

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