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Safely Use Baking Soda In Your Yard Or Garden With These Tips
By DEIRDRE MUNDORF
Clean Birdbaths
Baking soda can help keep your birdbath clean, ensuring the health of the birds visiting your yard. Start by emptying the birdbath and rinsing it with fresh water.
Pour a thick paste of baking soda in the bath and clean it using a scrub brush. For stubborn stains, let the paste sit on them for five to 10 minutes before scrubbing and rinsing.
Freshen Furniture
Use baking soda on different types of outdoor furniture to remove odors as well as dirt, grime, and stains that come from long exposure to the elements.
Remove cushions and dampen each piece you want to clean, then add 1 cup of baking soda and ¼ cup of water to make a paste. Clean with the paste, rinse, and allow the furniture dry.
Use As Fungicide
Since baking soda is non-toxic, it offers a safe and effective approach to removing fungi from your plants. Simply make a DIY antifungal baking soda spray.
Pour 4 cups of water, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and 3 drops of soap into a spray bottle and apply to a plant's leaves and stems. Reapply over the next couple of days, if required.
Remove Rust
Before throwing out any rusty tools, try cleaning them up by combining the power of baking soda and vinegar. First, let the rusty items soak overnight in vinegar.
This will allow the vinegar to loosen the rust. Then, rinse the tools, make a paste from a few tablespoons of baking soda and a little water, and use it to scrub off the rust.
Increase pH Of Soil
If your garden’s pH level is under 6.0, the soil is acidic and detrimental to the growth of your plants. Adding baking soda to the soil will help remedy this.
Mix baking soda evenly with the top 6 inches of soil, and wait a few days for it to raise the pH level. The effects may not be long-lasting, so retest the soil a few weeks later.