Soda is a rediscovered home remedy that you can use to make your own detergents and cleaning products or, for example, to remove ugly limescale from flower pots. It is recommended again and again as an environmentally friendly weed killer. But is the white powder also suitable for this purpose and is it even allowed to use washing soda in the garden?

The home remedy soda should also be used carefully in the fight against weeds

what is soda

Laundry soda (sodium carbonate) is a natural salt that is closely related to, and often confused with, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). Both substances are salts derived from carbonic acid.

The difference is in the hydrogen component, recognizable by the syllable "hydro". The white soda powder forms a strong lye with water. It reacts much more basic than baking soda and is therefore ideal as a degreasing household cleaner.

Remove moss and algae with soda

Moss likes to get stuck in the cracks in the paving stones and has to be laboriously removed with a joint scraper. Once the surface has been mechanically cleaned, you can effectively prevent soda from growing again. You can also effectively combat algae growth with this agent.

If the area borders on the lawn, the mixing ratio must not be too strong. All you need to do is dissolve a level tablespoon of washing soda in a liter of water and spray the area with the solution. Leave the soda on for at least five hours and then rinse off with the garden hose.

Soda as a weed killer

In the bed or lawn, soda should only be applied with great care. Washing soda is very strong and you may accidentally etch desired greens.

  • If you want to destroy weeds in a targeted manner, the mixing ratio should never be more than one tablespoon of powder to one liter of water.
  • Pour the solution into a spray bottle and mist the weeds.
  • Keep a minimum distance of ten centimeters to other plants.

Precautions in use

Do not inhale the powder and avoid eye and skin contact. Washing soda is irritating to the respiratory system, eyes and skin and should therefore be used with caution. Wear rubber gloves when working.

Why is soda eco-friendly and is it allowed to use it in the garden?

When broken down, soda binds acid and water hardness. Limestone and carbonic acid are formed and thus minerals that can also be found in drinking water. Due to the spontaneous shift in the pH value, soda lye should only be used to a very small extent in the garden.

tips

When it comes to weed killing with home remedies such as vinegar and salt, you are in a gray area. There may be a fine if you use it. Although there is currently no known case in which the use of soda has been punished, this cannot be ruled out. It is therefore advisable to combat weeds mechanically or to use herbicides from specialist shops.

Category:

Herbs