Baking soda can sterilize and disinfect when used in gardening, and adding an appropriate amount can also repel pests.

We often rely on fancy, expensive gardening tools and pesticides to care for our potted plants, of course in order to grow them better, but in fact we should use inorganic and healthy methods to solve all kinds of plant care problems.

And baking soda can solve many plant care challenges. These 10 methods can help you grow your plants better.

1. Fungicide

Mixing 4 teaspoons of baking soda with 4 liters of water is very effective. Do any flower shops near you sell homemade organic remedies? You can try it yourself, then teach more gardening friends. Compared with other disinfecting and sterilizing agents, this method basically contains no chemicals.

2. Killing leaf-rolling cabbage worms

Mix equal amounts of baking soda and flour. The mixture is a powdery substance. Then sprinkle this powdery mixture on your plants (most effective on broccoli and cabbage). It sounds incredible, but this mixture can kill leaf-rolling cabbage worms. You do not need to do anything else. Of course, this gardener's secret recipe only works on this kind of pest. (Leaf-eating cabbage worms)

3. Washing hands

During gardening work or other daily chores, if your hands get covered with a lot of sticky substances and grime that will not wash off no matter how you try, what should you do? You can use a little baking soda, and you will find the grime comes off with just a rub. Of course, afterward you must wash your hands completely clean to avoid irritation.

4. Soil enhancement

Plants like begonias and hydrangeas can thrive in neutral soil, and hydrangea flowers can even change with the pH of the soil.

You can mix 1 teaspoon of baking soda with 4 liters of water and use it on plants that prefer neutral soil. An extra little bit of baking soda can help them grow better and produce even more beautiful flowers!

(Do not water too much or too often. Generally give a little before flowering. The ratio of baking soda to water is 1:5000.)

5. Killing slugs (snails without shells)

If slugs or snails often eat your plant stems and leaves, then you can use this very harmless method: use a little baking soda and pour it where these small pests appear or are causing damage. Baking soda will not harm the plants, but it must not be used in excess.

In fact, baking soda is a weakly alkaline substance, but a little bit will not affect the soil or plants at all. Instead, it helps plants bloom better, achieving multiple benefits at once.

6. Reducing compost odor

If you want compost without a foul smell, have you ever been overwhelmed by the stench when making compost? Then you can use baking soda to improve it. You can add baking soda to the compost, and after a while you can clearly smell that the stench gradually fades away a lot.

This is because baking soda prevents fungi from reproducing. It is itself a kind of "yeast," so of course it helps composting. Of course, it cannot completely remove the odor, but the effect is very good.

7. Keeping potted plants fresh

Do you sometimes find it difficult to keep potted plants fresh, especially those just bought from a flower shop? Before transplanting and potting them, you can first add a thin layer of baking soda in the pot. This will help keep the potted plants fresh for longer.

(This method can also be used to keep fruits or vegetables fresh. The method is to mix baking soda with water at 1:1000, soak the fruits and vegetables for five minutes, then dry them.)

8. Cleaning flower pots

It is best to disinfect old flower pots before planting in them, otherwise they may carry some harmful bacteria and so on, so you need a very harmless sterilization method.

You can first rinse the pot clean, then use a damp cloth dipped in baking soda, together with water, to wipe away dirt and stains from the flower pot. At the same time, it can also sterilize. Afterward, rinse it clean. Would you try such a harmless method?

9. Getting rid of ants

Ants are very annoying little creatures. Before I started growing plants, I did not dislike them much, but after I started growing plants, seeing them often help aphids harm my flowers and plants made me really dislike them.

If you can find the ants' nest, that is best. You can mix baking soda into a paste and pour it into the ant nest. Half an hour later, pour some vinegar in as well. This way you can cleverly get rid of the ants. Is that not great?

10. Testing soil pH level

First wet your potting soil, sprinkle in a little baking soda solution, and let it blend into the moist potting soil. Then you can test the acidity and alkalinity of the soil. Take a little soil and soak it in water, then use pH test paper to test the acidity and alkalinity of the water. A pH of 7 is neutral.

A little science note:The main component of baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. It can inhibit fungal growth. It is used to make bread and is something that can be eaten.