Some of the most useful tools for your garden aren't necessarily marketed for outdoor use. Take baking soda, or bicarbonate of soda, for example; there are endless ways it can benefit your garden.
Whether you're on the hunt for sustainable garden ideas or are looking for a natural solution to a garden issue, there's a chance the answer is in your kitchen cupboards. One of these answers is baking soda, yes, it's not just for cleaning and making your cakes extra fluffy.
Baking soda is a fantastic all-rounder product; it's especially useful in your garden thanks to it being a naturally occurring chemical.
5 ways to use baking soda in your garden
You may already be familiar with the different types of household waste you can use in your garden; however, there are other items you can make extra use of.
Garden designer and influencer Ish @Gardening.with.ish on Instagram has shared the five helpful ways to use baking soda in your garden to enrich your plants.
1. Ant deterrent
Ants are great for your garden; they not only help with creating drainage in your soil, but they also get rid of nasty pests like aphids. However, you'll want to keep ants away from your home at the same time, so Ish has a great solution.
"I like to sprinkle some bicarbonate of soda just around the base of the doorstep and they detest the stuff and it takes away their trail, as a result they’ll go elsewhere, plus it causes them no harm," he explains.
Similar to using orange peel in your garden, this is a brilliant natural solution for pest control.
RRP: £1.63 | There are so many jobs you can use bicarbonate of soda for around your home and garden. It's always a good idea to have some ready to help tackle any task.
2. Anti-fungal treatment
Similar to how you can use white vinegar in your garden, baking soda is a fantastic natural anti-fungal treatment. And it's incredibly easy to make.
"Add a teaspoon of baking soda and half a teaspoon of washing up liquid to half a litre in a spray bottle and you’ve created your very own natural anti-fungal spray," instructs Ish.
"This will take care of leaf mould, black spot, and all sorts of various fungal problems like powdery mildew on your plants," he adds.
RRP: £4.99 | Empty spray bottles are perfect for holding your homemade baking soda solutions, and this pack of two offers fantastic value for money. They are leak-free and can even be used upside down – perfect for those hard-to-reach spots in your garden.
3. Weed prevention
Getting rid of weeds can feel like a constant battle, with each season bringing the pesky plants a new lease of life. Aside from using incredibly strong chemicals, baking soda is a great natural method.
"When I’m pulling my weeds out of the gravel or in between the cracks in my pavement, I like to add a little bit of bicarbonate of soda in the gap, and there are a couple of reasons why I do this," starts Ish.
The first reason is that baking soda is great at pulling moisture out, so any roots left after weeding will be dried out. This will slow down their growth or even stop it completely.
"It raises the alkalinity of that area, too. Meaning some weeds actually really struggle to grow in it," he points out.
4. Soil acidity checker
Whether or not you know your garden's soil type, it's a good idea to regularly check it, especially in the varying areas of your garden where you're planting. While there are pH checkers, baking soda is a cheap and natural alternative.
"You can use baking soda to tell how acidic your soil is, too. So, if I sprinkle some of this on and I see it starting to bubble and fizz, this tells me that the acidity is reacting with the bicarb here. Meaning, I’ve got acidic soil. If I’ve got nothing going on whatsoever, then I have a pH neutral or alkaline," explains Ish.
Also, coffee grounds are good for the garden to balance your soil's PH levels.
RRP: £12.99 | This kit will provide you will accurate soil test results in 60 seconds and it incredibly easy to use again and again. It includes a detailed coloured handbook with lime and sulphur application charts.
5. Cleaning paste
It's all well and good owning the essential gardening tools, but you need to maintain them to keep their quality and usefulness. No one wants a rusty pair of secateurs after all.
"Mix a bit of water in with some bicarbonate of soda and you create a perfect cleaning paste for your tools. It helps remove that grime and also surface rust from some of your secateurs or other more important things," points out Ish.
He also says that it's a great cleaner for removing algae from bird baths and water features. Just be sure to give your tools and garden features a good rinse afterwards.
If that's not enough ways to use baking soda, then Ish also recommends using a sprinkle of the stuff to help deodorise a smelly homemade compost heap.
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