How does baking soda work on aphids?
Soda is an alkali, environmentally friendly powder, easy to use. For spraying plants, both calcined powder and regular powder are used. The substance is odorless, the main active ingredient in the composition is sodium.
Interesting! In addition to killing insects, sodiums have a positive effect on plant growth, promote a rich harvest and prevent them from getting sick.
A mixture of water and bicarbonate damages the shell of the insect, corrodes its tissue, causes irritation and minor wounds. The soap settles in areas of accumulation and prevents insects from escaping. It maintains the action of the mixture, retains it on the leaves longer and prolongs the effect. Calcined soda fills trees and other flora with calcium, protects, and restores in case of damage.
The benefits of soda to help black currants
In stores you can find 2 types of soda for sale: baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and soda ash (sodium carbonate). The chemical formulas of these substances are very similar, but their properties have significant differences. Sodium bicarbonate is a food additive and is widely used in baking and cooking, while calcined one can only be used for technical purposes.
Calcified
Soda ash, when dissolved, is an alkali. It is useful to keep currant seedlings in such a solution for disinfection before planting. Sodium carbonate is used to spray bushes against various fungal diseases, such as powdery mildew and gray rot.
Soda ash is used only for technical purposes
It is also used to fight slugs by scattering powder between the rows. In addition, soda ash is an excellent remedy against aphids on currants.
Food
Baking soda, unlike soda ash, when dissolved in water gives a rather weak alkaline reaction. It is used for the same purposes as calcined. Sodium bicarbonate is used to treat currants against aphids and weevils, as well as against fungal diseases.
The design of this pack has not changed for many decades
In addition, currant bushes are sprayed with a soda solution to obtain a bountiful harvest.
To protect which plants?
The following crops can be treated with sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate:
- fruit-bearing trees;
- bushes with berries;
- tops, leaves, roots of vegetables;
- seasonings (dill, parsley, etc.);
- houseplants;
- flowers (home, street).
Fruit trees
If the tree has already produced fruit, no chemicals should be used to treat it. This can be dangerous to humans, pets and birds. The mixture for treating trees is prepared as follows: 75 g of bicarbonate per 10 liters of water. Dissolve it completely, pour it into a spray bottle, and mix. Then spray the leaves and bark of trees wherever there are areas of pest infestation.
Interesting! On trees, soda against aphids also helps against rotting, prevents and destroys the appearance of powdery mildew.
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Rose
A combination of water and alkali will rid your favorite flower shrubs, including fungus on the leaves. For prevention and treatment, roses should be properly treated 2-3 times during the entire flowering period. When using soda ash, the mixture is prepared in the proportion of 1 tbsp. l. for 5 liters of water. Hydrocarbonate for this amount of water will need 2 tbsp. l.
The first time roses are treated for insects is after the winter cover is removed. Next, use a new blank after an equal period of time for prevention. If the pest does attack the rose bushes, then repeated spraying will be required outside the schedule.
Currant
Small pests love currant bushes, but they will not disdain gooseberries and raspberries. It is customary to process currants in the spring for the purposes of prevention and health improvement. To create the mixture, you need to grind soap (an arbitrary amount) and dissolve it in hot water. Then add 2 tbsp to 1 liter of soapy hot water. l. bicarbonate or 1 tbsp. l. soda ash. Spraying should begin with a piece of land around the bush, then the trunks and leaves.
The composition does not need to be prepared “in reserve”; it must be used immediately.
cucumbers
Cucumbers have a short lifespan from flowering to fruit ripening. Therefore, treatment with chemicals is not always safe. The water for future combination of ingredients must be settled or filtered. 30-50 g of powder is enough per bucket. To enhance the effect, you can add soap, iodine or ash.
When cooking, do not leave any lumps to avoid damaging the cucumbers. The preparation must be used no later than 3 hours after preparation.
Plants should be sprayed early in the morning using a spray bottle. The effect of spray treatment does not occur immediately; sometimes it takes up to 6 weeks to fight. If it rains after spraying, the procedure must be repeated.
Tomatoes
Here, a 1% mixture of water and bicarbonate is used already at the stage of soaking the seeds. Preliminary application ensures growth and quality of planting material.
You can soak tomato seeds in a soda solution for no longer than 24 hours.
Then, after planting the vegetables in the ground, the leaves and trunk of the future tomato plantation are sprayed with a 5% mixture from a spray bottle. The remains are poured directly under the bush on the ground. The procedure for preventing aphids should be carried out no more than once a week. After the fruits appear, the soda concentration should be reduced to 3.5%. If insects have attacked a vegetable, then mix 4 tbsp. l. baking soda (2 tbsp. ash) with 1 liter of water, you can add soap to enhance the effect.
30 ways to get rid of aphids on tomatoes
bell pepper
If the pepper is sitting in a greenhouse, it will be more difficult to fight aphids. Humidity promotes the spread of pests. You can find aphids on the inside of the pepper leaf. Solution – 1 liter of water and 2 tbsp. l. bicarbonate (1 tbsp. bicarbonate) will help cope with insect attacks. In addition, it is necessary to monitor the condition of the site. The proximity to an anthill contributes to the spread of aphids. Get rid of weeds and rotting plants so that it does not harm the bell pepper.
Cabbage
Aphids most often attack young cabbage leaves. For prevention and pest control, the seeds of this vegetable are soaked for 4-6 hours in a mixture of 5 g of sodium bicarbonate and a bucket of water. The effect of the treatment is short-lived; repeated spraying is required as parasites appear. In this case, the water should be no more than 50 degrees, filtered or settled. The product must be used immediately after preparation.
Do not prepare the product in aluminum or metal containers.
Kalina
Anti-aphids are a proven way to treat viburnum. The ingredients are mixed in a ratio of 75 g of sodium bicarbonate per 10 liters of water. This treatment will prevent rotting of branches and leaves. The pest can be found on viburnum closer to the buds, on the bark. The aphids drink the juice from the buds, and they dry out without ever blooming. Therefore, the sooner treatment of shrubs against aphids begins, the better.
At the beginning of spring, pour boiling water over the ground under the bush, treat the trunks and leaves. Then the larvae that the pests laid in the fall will die, and the damage from the insect invasion will be reduced.
Dill
This plant is rarely attacked by pests. Aphids are practically the only parasite that attacks dill. Greens are treated with a mixture of 10 tbsp. sodium per 10 liters of clean drinking water. You need to start working at the first sign of the appearance of aphids, otherwise they will leave secretions (span or milk) on the leaves.
The mucus attracts other insects, which can cause even more damage and leave you without fresh greens.
Raspberries
It is easy to determine the presence of pests on a bush. If you notice ants, it means that somewhere nearby there are “herds” of aphids that they graze. Most often, parasites appear on bushes that are located in the shady zone of the site. Recipe for processing: 10 liters of water per 4 tbsp. l. substances. For effectiveness, you can add soap. Spraying is carried out once every 3 days, preferably at least 3 times in one period with a break. The first time for prevention is to spray the bush from a spray bottle during the flowering period.
10 effective remedies against aphids on raspberries
Indoor flowers
Sucking insects greatly weaken home flowers. In most cases, pots with soft leaves, such as violets or begonias, are affected. Chrysanthemums and roses are also subject to attack if pests are infested at home. They settle on the reverse side of flower leaves and leave a yellow mark. Sodium bicarbonate destroys only adult parasites. Add 2 tbsp to 2 liters of clean liquid. l. sodium powder, mix thoroughly and dissolve 40 ml of liquid soap.
Processing is done manually with a sponge. Wipe each leaf of the plant on both sides, and the pest will die. If it appears again, perform the procedure again.
Gray rot
Gray rot can cause significant harm to currant bushes and destroy future harvests. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to carry out preventive measures in early spring and spray the bushes with an aqueous solution of soda:
- 10 liters of water;
- 100 g food powder.
Expert opinion
We recommend!
Additional procedures include pruning and thinning of bushes, removing unnecessary growth and fertilizing with mineral fertilizers.
When planting young fruit and berry bushes, it is recommended to add 100 g of sodium bicarbonate to the prepared hole. The powder is not only able to protect a young plant from root rotting, but will also favorably influence its survival rate and further development.
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Effective recipes
In the process of getting rid of these pests, you yourself will choose the most effective method that will help save your garden or house flowers from death. There are several of the most common options that have proven their usefulness in garden plots and at home.
Soap and soda solution
This is the most common method of treating aphids; rubbing and soap make it impossible for them to move and reproduce. It is better to use simple laundry soap. As an option, tar is suitable, which is rubbed on a coarse grater before use. For 10 liters of water, 300 grams of household soap products is enough.
With iodine
Baking soda and iodine from aphids interact as effectively as possible; among other things, this mixture strengthens plants and eliminates traces of parasite activity. Soda ash against aphids, like iodine, not only helps, but heals and restores the affected areas, and prevents diseases from spreading.
Recipe: dissolve 40 g of soap per 1 liter of filtered liquid, then add 2 tbsp. l. powder, mix until smooth. Enter 1 tsp. iodine, thoroughly dissolve the ingredients. At the end, add water to 10 liters.
Garlic soda mixture
Thanks to its pungent aroma, garlic is used everywhere in the household. Including in recipes for processing, it helps to get rid of aphids. In addition, it is a natural antiseptic and helps plants survive the effects of parasite attacks.
Recipe: Add 1 cup of garlic, chopped into small pieces, to 10 liters of water, leave to brew for 6 hours. Next, add 2 tbsp to the tincture. l. soda enriched with calcium (or 10 tbsp. baking soda). Mix everything until smooth.
General rules of application
When using this safe solution, do not overdo it. To apply, use a spray bottle so that the mixture falls on the plants in small drops, otherwise the caustic bicarbonate can harm and spoil the leaves. In addition, an excess leads to the loss of leaves and a decrease in yield in garden plants and fruit trees.
It is necessary to strictly observe proportionality and take breaks between spraying cycles of at least 7 days. Stop the garden or vegetable garden treatment cycle 2-3 weeks before harvesting so as not to harm the fruits.
The direction of the gardener's movements when spraying from a spray bottle is from top to bottom.
It is useful to soak the seedlings with their roots in a soda mixture before planting, then the plant will bear fruit better.
It is better to spray the garden and trees in weather without wind, early in the morning or late in the evening. If the rain washes away your work, repeat it again.
