Content
Soda is not only an indispensable product in cooking, but also an excellent product for use in the garden. Thanks to it, you can get rid of many diseases and pests, thereby increasing productivity. Currant soda is the first remedy for abundant flowering, good and long-term fruiting. Before use, you must familiarize yourself with the processing rules and listen to the recommendations of experienced gardeners.
Why do you need soda for blackcurrants?
Very often, gardeners use folk remedies instead of chemicals to eliminate problems in their garden plots. The most popular remedy for insects and diseases is baking soda.
Use of white powder when growing black currants:
- increases the yield, taste and quality of berries;
- soda solution makes acidic soil neutral;
- is a good root feeding;
- gives impetus to the formation of new ovaries;
- to stimulate growth;
- getting rid of ants;
- control of pests and fungal diseases.
Beneficial properties of soda to help black currants
When growing blackcurrants, gardeners often use baking soda or soda ash. Even though they look very similar, they have a slight difference:
- Food – white powder with neutral acidity. Soda has no odor and is harmless to the body.
- Calcified – highly alkaline powder, belongs to hazard group 3. If it gets on the mucous membrane or skin, the powder can cause a burn and an allergic reaction.
To process currants, you can use 2 types.
Baking soda
Baking soda is used for preventive treatment and treatment of currants. It prevents and eliminates powdery mildew, aphids, gray mold, slugs and caterpillars. It also has a disinfecting effect and is safe for humans and pets. Due to its antibacterial properties and low alkali content, it can be used during the period of active fruiting.
Soda Ash
When using sodium bicarbonate, the following positive indicators can be achieved:
- get rid of insect pests;
- deoxidize the soil;
- increase and extend the period of fruiting;
- improve the taste of berries.
How to use soda for currants
When preparing a soda solution, you must follow simple rules:
- Dilute the powder only in warm water - at low temperatures, soda does not dissolve well; in boiling water, sodium bicarbonate breaks down into water and a strong alkali.Therefore, when treating with boiling water in the spring, soda is not added.
- Dilute the white powder only following the dosage. When using soda ash instead of baking soda, the dose is reduced several times.
- Due to oxidation, it is not recommended to prepare the folk remedy in metal containers.
- After dilution, the solution is used immediately, since after 3 hours it loses its beneficial properties.
- When using soda ash, you must observe safety precautions: work with rubber gloves, make sure that the powder does not get on the skin and mucous membrane.
Soda against aphids on currants
Very often, currants are attacked by aphids. If help is not provided in time, serious problems cannot be avoided in the future, such as:
- curvature and deformation of shoots;
- drying and falling of inflorescences;
- stop in growth and development;
- decrease in yield;
- crushing of berries and deterioration of taste.
Gardeners often use baking soda against aphids on currants. The soda solution is effective and easy to prepare, but if the currant is severely damaged and the leaf blade is curled, swelling and redness appear on it, then the leaves are torn off and burned.
Soda-soap solution
An effective remedy for aphids on currants. To prepare a soda-soap solution, dissolve 300 ml of liquid laundry soap and 1 tbsp in 10 liters of warm water. l. white powder. Mix everything thoroughly until the soap dissolves. The currant bush is sprayed with the working solution so that moisture gets on each leaf. It is also necessary to treat the trunk of the bush and the soil around the trunk. At the initial stage of the lesion, a single treatment is sufficient.
Soda ash with iodine
This medicine quickly exterminates aphids on currants.Soda kills pests, and iodine disinfects affected areas on the bush, preventing the appearance of fungal and viral diseases. Preparing natural medicine is quick and easy. To do this, dissolve 40 g of laundry soap, 2 tbsp. in a bucket of water at room temperature. l. soda ash and 1 tsp. Yoda. Currant processing is carried out in dry, non-sunny weather.
Garlic soda solution
An antibacterial, effective product with a pungent odor, thanks to which the pest quickly leaves the beloved bush. To prepare a garlic-soda solution, dissolve 150 g of garlic pulp in 10 liters of water. The bucket is put in a warm place for 6 hours to infuse. Next, add 10 tbsp to the garlic solution. l. baking soda and 100 ml of liquid laundry soap. The medicinal solution is mixed and filtered. The bush is carefully sprayed with the working infusion, trying to get on every leaf. Due to the strong and persistent aroma, aphids leave the plant after a few days.
To prevent the appearance of aphids, you need to carry out the following manipulations:
- Before planting in a prepared place, the currant seedling is kept for a day in a soda solution.
- The bush is treated with a spray bottle in the morning or evening, in dry, windless weather.
- With regular spraying, the plant will receive strong protection from aphids and will also enrich the soil with sodium. This microelement has a positive effect on the taste of berries and the duration of fruiting.
Soda for a bountiful currant harvest
Baking soda is an effective fertilizer that improves the formation of flower stalks and ovaries. Also, thanks to it, the black currant berry increases in size, becomes sweet, fleshy and aromatic.
Root soda feeding will extend the fruiting period and affect the formation of new flower clusters. Before applying fertilizing, the soil around the currants is generously spilled and loosened. Next, 30 g of soda is dissolved in a bucket of warm water and fertilizing is carried out. At least half a liter of working solution is used per bush.
To stimulate the growth and abundant harvest of black currants, regular watering with soda is carried out. Add 1 tsp to a bucket of warm water. soda ash. The working solution is applied at the root or sprayed on the currant bush. Fertilizing can be applied 3 times per season:
- At the beginning of June;
- in the second half of July;
- at the beginning of autumn, before the onset of cold weather.
This feeding will help the plant form flower buds and safely withstand severe frosts.
The use of soda for currants in other cases
Soda solution has found wide use among gardeners. Thanks to it, you can prevent and get rid of many diseases and pests. Use of a folk remedy:
- Powdery mildew. The disease appears on currants in damp, cold weather. The first signs of the disease: a snow-white coating on the leaf plate, which can be easily removed with a finger. To get rid of the disease, dilute 50 g of crushed laundry soap in a bucket of warm water.After the soap is completely dissolved, add 100 g of white powder and spray the currants once a week until the disease is completely eliminated. This solution can be used during fruiting.
- Ants. Insects are carriers of fungal diseases. When ants appear, white powder is mixed in equal proportions with wood ash and dusted on the soil around the bush. This method will not harm the insects, but will only scare them away.
- Soil deoxidation. If the site has acidified soil, then before planting the currant seedling, the hole is spilled with soda solution. For a liter of warm water take 1 tbsp. l. baking soda. This solution is also a good natural fertilizer, which is applied in early spring and autumn. It will improve the soil structure and normalize acidity.
- Gray rot. The disease can completely destroy the crop and, if no help is provided, destroy the bush. In order not to encounter a terrible disease, it is necessary to carry out preventive measures in a timely manner. To do this, the currants are sprayed with a soda solution (100 g of baking soda is diluted in 10 liters of water).
- To strengthen the immune system. Young and old bushes have weak immunity and are often attacked by pests and diseases. To increase resistance to disease, gardeners often use a soda solution with yeast. To prepare the top dressing, dilute 100 g of dry yeast in a glass of warm water. The container is put in a warm place for a day for fermentation. Next, add 5 liters of warm water and 100 g of baking soda to the yeast solution. Currant bushes are sprayed with the working solution in the morning and evening. This fertilizing is applied 3 times: during bud formation, during flowering, and after picking berries.
Advice from experienced gardeners
Experienced gardeners do not resort to chemicals when pests and diseases appear, but use folk remedies, since they are harmless and can be used during the period of active fruiting. Baking soda or soda ash is considered the most effective. Thanks to the white powder, you can quickly get rid of aphids and diseases on currants, and also significantly increase and extend the yield period. When using soda for currants, you need to listen to the advice of experienced gardeners:
- soda is diluted only in water at room temperature;
- spraying the bush is carried out in dry weather;
- for better binding, crushed or liquid laundry soap is added to the soda solution;
- if the recipe uses soda ash, then when using baking soda, the dosage is increased by 2-3 times;
- the soda solution must be prepared immediately before use;
- Since soda ash can be harmful to the body, store it out of the reach of children and pets.
Conclusion
Currant soda is an indispensable assistant for the gardener. Thanks to it, you can quickly get rid of many ailments, increase productivity, and improve soil structure. When using white powder, it is necessary to observe the dosage and strictly follow the recipe, since alkali can burn the foliage, roots and lead to the death of the bush.
