Are you a baking soda enthusiast? We hear you; it’s a miraculous powder that everyone should have at home! Versatile and multifunctional, this natural product is not only cherished in the kitchen for baking but also in the household for numerous tasks and even in the realm of cosmetics for skincare and hair care.
However, what many may not know is that baking soda works wonders in the garden as well. Quickly discover why you need to keep it on hand to sprinkle over your tomato crops.
### Enhancing Your Tomato Garden with Baking Soda
Cultivating fruits and vegetables in your garden is a fantastic idea, but to ensure proper care and a successful harvest, you can rely on the enriching properties of baking soda. To keep your tomatoes beautiful, healthy, and longer-lasting, this is the perfect ingredient for you. Moreover, being economical and eco-friendly, it serves as a perfect alternative to chemical substances purchased in nurseries or supermarkets.
### Why Sprinkling Tomato Crops with Baking Soda is Beneficial
Sprinkling your garden tomatoes with baking soda aids plants in combating leaf diseases. By mixing this white powder with water, you create a solution that can be applied throughout the entire plant growing season, with particular emphasis during the summer, when there are periods of rain.
This solution prevents and directly combats some very common tomato diseases, especially powdery mildew, which can be extremely damaging to vegetable crops. The main pathogens affecting tomatoes come from bacteria, viruses, and fungal infections, causing severe diseases, especially during the rainy season, damaging the interior of tomatoes dangerously. Powdery mildew manifests as yellow spots on leaves and a fine white powder indicating rapid mold formation on plants.
*Note: If you don’t have baking soda, you can substitute it with a solution of baking soda and water.*
### Two Baking Soda Recipes for Tomato Crops
Therefore, baking soda remains a beneficial solution for tomato crops. However, for better leaf protection, you can also add milk. Some gardeners even add vegetable oil to get a thicker and stickier solution. Here are two recipes using baking soda to nourish your tomato crops:
1. Mix one teaspoon of baking soda with 250 ml of water and 250 ml of milk in one liter of water. Combine all ingredients well before applying this mixture to your plants.
2. Mix eight teaspoons of baking soda with seven liters of water and six tablespoons of vegetable oil. Ensure all ingredients are well mixed to obtain a homogeneous consistency before use.
### How to Sprinkle Tomato Crops with Baking Soda
Put the mixture in a spray bottle and apply it to the leaves of the tomatoes, focusing on those already affected by powdery mildew. Also, apply it on the undersides of the leaves. It’s important to defoliate the plants before application, meaning removing all diseased leaves. After treatment, the foliage will gradually come back to life.
*Warning: However, be very careful as these treatments are potent and can harm plants. It is recommended to test the solution concentration on one or two leaves before applying it to all plants.*