Soda - the most effective dressing for tomatoes in the garden and greenhouse

Baking soda has been used by experienced gardeners in the care of vegetable crops for decades. When growing tomatoes it is used as a growth promoter and a means of improving the taste characteristics of the fruit.

Soda solutions are effective in combating parasites and various diseases, including late blight. In addition, the introduction of soda in the soil can reduce its acidity.

Beneficial features

Baking soda is a substance that, when combined with water, forms an alkaline environment. This property is based on its use in the care of tomatoes. There are several other names for this white powder, for example, drinking soda or sodium bicarbonate. The chemical name is sodium bicarbonate.

Alkaline soda compounds have beneficial effects:

• antiseptic;
• antibacterial;
• antivirus;
• immunomodulatory.

The use of soda solutions in the garden and greenhouse gives positive results:

• increases the percentage of seed germination;
• seedlings tolerate transplant more easily and take root faster;
• plants become more resistant to diseases and parasites;
• in the case of a disease can be cured tomatoes;
• increases fruit bearing vegetables;
• improves the taste of tomatoes (increases the concentration of sugar);
• insect pests bypass the vegetable beds side;
• soil acidity is normalized.

Advantages and disadvantages of using soda

The widespread use of soda in agriculture is explained by a number of its advantages:

• cheap and widely available;
• environmentally friendly;
• non-toxic;
• fire and explosion proof;
• possesses a wide spectrum of action;
• highly effective;
• easy to use.

Significant deficiencies in the use of soda gardeners are not marked. By minor cons include the following:

• cooked formulations are not intended for long-term storage;
• as a result of processing vegetables are covered with white bloom;
• ruining plants in high concentrations.

Types of supplements based on sodium bicarbonate

Soda solutions are used for irrigation of tomatoes at the root (root dressing) and for leaf irrigation (foliar dressing). To add soda to the soil it is diluted with water. This fertilizer accelerates the development of seedlings, increases the number of ovaries and makes tomatoes more sweet and fragrant.

Dry soda powder is applied to the soil to reduce acidity. With regular introduction, the pH level gradually decreases to neutral, which is very important for tomatoes.

For irrigation of tomato bushes from ailments and parasites use weakly concentrated alkaline solutions. Spray plants from a spray with a fine spray or watered from a watering can with a nozzle "shower". As a result, an alkaline environment is created on the surface of the tomatoes, which is detrimental to pests.

The alternation of these procedures allows you to grow strong plants and get a rich harvest of tasty vegetables.

Top dressing with soda in different periods of tomato development

Feeding tomatoes baking soda is carried out at different stages of growth and development. From the needs of plants depends on the concentration of fertilizer and the frequency of their application.

To prepare solutions, use water heated to 30-37 ° C. For the spraying procedure to be effective, it should be carried out in calm weather.

Soda - an excellent antiseptic

Sodium bicarbonate has antiseptic properties. Sodium ions bind free radicals, and free hydrogen kills pathogenic bacteria. Experienced gardeners use this property of soda not only to care for tomatoes, but also during preparatory work when sowing seeds.

Seed treatment

To disinfect and stimulate growth, tomato seeds are soaked in soda solution. To make it you need:

• water - 2 liters;
• soda - 2 tbsp. spoons.

Soda dissolve in water at room temperature. In the prepared composition, lower the seeds and leave for one day at room temperature.

Disinfection of soil and planting tanks

The antiseptic properties of soda allow to disinfect the containers for planting and the soil mixture before sowing seeds. The composition of the concentrated solution:

• water - 3 liters;
• soda - 6 tbsp. spoons.

The obtained tool is washed individual pots or boxes, and, without washing, dried. The same composition shed purchase or self-harvested soil. Such disinfection destroys only pathogenic microorganisms, while the earth remains “alive” and inhabited by beneficial bacteria.

What helps soda to fight

Soda is a good helper in the garden and at the dacha. With its help, you can prevent an attack or destroy pests of culture. Due to the chemical composition of soda can reduce the risk of fungal diseases, as well as to normalize the level of acidity.

How to protect tomatoes from fungal diseases

Soda in combination with water can neutralize the acidic environment in which fungi and bacteria are actively developing. As a result of the treatment, the acidic medium is replaced by an alkaline one, in which harmful microorganisms immediately die.

The main diseases characteristic of tomatoes and how to deal with them:

Experts recommend prophylactic treatments throughout the vegetative period, starting from the moment of plant transplantation.

How to reduce soil acidity with soda

Reducing the acidity with sodium bicarbonate has a great advantage: this can be done during plant growth. While liming to normalize the pH should be carried out long before the landing work. Soda can be applied dry (100 grams per 1m2) or diluted with water (30 ml per 1 liter of water).

If the pH value is not critical, then separate processing can be omitted. Regular fertilization on the basis of soda will gradually bring the acidity of the soil back to normal.

Pest control with sodium bicarbonate

Baking soda is a great alternative to fungicides and insecticides. With the help of it, you can rid the garden plot even from such hard-to-remove insects as ants. Several effective ways:

• With a small rod of 10-15 cm in length, make recesses in the ground. Pour soda in them, then cover with vinegar and cover with a sheet of roofing material or turf.
• mix sugar with soda in a 1: 1 ratio and add 25 ml of water. The resulting paste spread in the habitats of insects.

Soda reacts with acid, which is in the body of ants, which leads to their death.

To combat spider mites and aphids, this remedy helps well:

• water - 10 liters;
• soda - 100 grams;
• ash - 300 grams;
• liquid soap - 3 tbsp. spoons.

Mix all the ingredients, strain the solution and start spraying the leaves and stems of tomatoes.

Tips

Following these recommendations, you will forget about the diseases of tomatoes forever:

1. For the preparation of liquid fertilizers, use only distilled water without chlorine.
2. Strain all the solutions before spraying the tomatoes.
3. Do not store cooked soda compositions for more than three hours.
4. To prevent direct sunlight from causing burns on the leaves or overheating of the root system, conduct foliar and root dressings in the early morning or after sunset.
5. To destroy the weeds on the tracks in the greenhouse, you can use a highly concentrated sodium bicarbonate solution. Spread a pound of powder in 10 liters of water and pour weeds. After two or three days, it dries.
6. So that when storing soda in the country it does not become damp, transfer it to a glass or metal container with an airtight lid.

Planting tomatoes in your garden, it is not necessary to spend money on expensive chemicals. Simple baking soda is an excellent substitute for fertilizers and pest control products, and you get an environmentally friendly crop.

Reviews

Polina, Nizhny Novgorod Region

With the help of soda I annually struggle with ants. The plot is on the outskirts of the partnership, practically in the forest, so these insects are everywhere, and in the greenhouse too. I mix soda with powdered sugar in equal quantities and sprinkle the places of ants accumulation. In a day the insects perish.

Evgeny, Kirov

Due to the unpredictable climate, tomatoes are grown in a polycarbonate greenhouse. Sunlight there, of course, less than in the open beds, which always affects the taste (tomatoes sour). The neighbor advised us to splash the tomatoes themselves while pouring soda solution on the bush (1 tbsp per 3-liter jar). I did not believe it, but I tried it, the result was startled. Even in a gloomy summer, this method works, the tomatoes are very sweet. And soda white is easily washed off with water.