Baking powder is a popular remedy for a wide variety of problems, not only in the home but also in the garden. While it is mostly used in the house for baked goods, but also for cleaning, it acts on garden plants against a wide variety of diseases and pests. It can also be used to “fertilize”. But what good is baking soda in the garden and is it really not harmful to the plants? We’ll round up what the pros and cons of watering tomatoes with baking soda are, and what’s important to keep in mind when doing so.
Pour tomatoes with baking powder – or rather with baking soda?
As you may have already noticed, the effect of both agents in the household as cleaning agents is almost identical. But does this also apply to the application to living plants? Both remedies have the same effect and can replace each other. In principle, baking powder consists mostly of baking soda. There are also no differences in terms of quantity/concentration, so any recipe with baking powder can also be used directly for baking soda.
So you can use both baking soda and baking soda as fertilizer for tomatoes, although “fertilizer” isn’t necessarily the right word. Rather, the agent has a strengthening effect on the plants and should rather be described as a plant strengthener that is only added to the irrigation water in addition to the usual tomato fertilizer. It does not in any way cover the nutrient requirements of the tomatoes.
You can find out how to make tomato fertilizer from home remedies here.
Benefits of baking powder for tomatoes
The soil is improved. It’s not uncommon for the garden soil to be too acidic, which doesn’t go down well with every plant. However, you can successfully neutralize the pH with baking soda or baking soda, and all you have to do is water the tomatoes with baking soda after you have dissolved the powder in the watering water.
A notice: Alkaline soils cannot be compensated by this!
protection against diseases. Above all, mildew and green mold are prevented with the irrigation water. You simply place a portion in a spray bottle and spray the undersides of the leaves once a week.
Tomatoes taste better. Many a hobby gardener is often surprised when the tomatoes don’t taste as good as expected despite good care. This is often due to the unfavorable acidity. As already mentioned, baking powder and baking soda neutralize the pH value in the soil, which also has a positive effect on the aroma of the fruit.
With this fertilizer, the fruits taste better!
If you water tomatoes with baking powder, not only will the plants be well taken care of, the fruits will also taste much tastier later. In addition, there are the advantages already mentioned above: The tomato plants are also better protected against pests by the home remedy because they are strengthened. How to proceed correctly when fertilizing tomatoes with baking powder is summarized below.
Pouring Tomatoes With Baking Soda – How to prepare the pick-me-up
Pour the desired amount of water into a watering can or any other container. Mix in the necessary amount of baking powder or baking soda. Calculate with one teaspoon of the powder per liter of water. Water the plants. If the natural fertilizer for tomatoes was not enough for all plants, simply make another batch.
Sprinkle baking powder as an alternative to the liquid variant
An alternative would be to simply sprinkle the powder on the ground around the plants. The first time you apply the baking powder or baking soda at the beginning when your tomato plant has reached a size of at least an inch and a half. Then do it a second time a few weeks before harvest.
How often do the tomatoes need to be watered with it?
It is important that you do not fertilize the tomatoes too often with baking powder. Then there is the risk of turning the neutralized soil into one that is too basic, which in turn makes it difficult for certain nutrients to be absorbed. To avoid this, you can measure the pH value at regular intervals. There are special test strips for this.
General rules on the frequency of fertilizing tomato plants can be found here.
As you know, tomato plants are very thirsty and therefore need to be watered every day. In general, you can water your tomatoes with baking soda about once a month. If you had a very acidic soil, you can initially water with the agent every two to three weeks. As long as you test the soil regularly, you should be fine.
And how long should you fertilize the tomatoes?
In principle, you can do this as long as fruit is still growing and ripening, always taking the pH value of the garden soil as a guide.
You can read here how to use baking soda against pests.
Can baking soda be harmful to plants?
The positive effect of the powder is well known, but in which cases does it do more harm than good? First, of course, if you use it too often on neutral ground. Then you risk a value that is too basic. On the other hand, the powder must not get directly and undiluted on the plants. So if you make this “fertilizer” for tomatoes yourself, pay attention to the right concentration and sprinkle dry powder only on the ground and at a sufficient distance from the plant stem.