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Soda is not only an indispensable product in cooking, but also an excellent tool 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 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 blackcurrant
Very often, gardeners use folk remedies instead of chemicals to eliminate problems in the garden. The most popular remedy for insects and diseases is soda.
The use of white powder in the cultivation of blackcurrant:
- increases productivity, taste and quality of berries;
- soda solution makes acidic soil neutral;
- is a good root top dressing;
- gives impetus to the formation of new ovaries;
- to stimulate growth;
- getting rid of ants;
- pest and fungal disease control.
Useful properties of soda to help blackcurrant
When growing blackcurrants, gardeners often use baking soda or soda ash. Despite the fact that they are very similar in appearance, they have a slight difference:
- Food – white powder with neutral acidity. Baking soda has no odor and is harmless to the body.
- calcined – strongly alkaline powder, belongs to the 3rd hazard group. If it comes into contact with the mucous membrane or skin, the powder can cause burns and an allergic reaction.
For processing currants, 2 types can be used.
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, safe for humans and pets. Due to its antibacterial properties and low alkali content, it can be used during active fruiting.
Sodium carbonate
When using sodium bicarbonate, the following positive indicators can be achieved:
- get rid of insect pests;
- deoxidize the soil;
- increase and increase the fruiting period;
- improve the taste of berries.
How to use currant soda
When preparing a soda solution, you must follow simple rules:
- Dilute the powder only in warm water – at a low temperature, soda is poorly soluble, in boiling water, sodium bicarbonate is split into water and a strong alkali. Therefore, during spring treatment with boiling water, soda is not added.
- Dilute white powder, only observing the dosage. When using soda ash instead of food, the dose is reduced several times.
- Due to oxidation, it is not recommended to prepare a folk remedy in a metal bowl.
- After dilution, the solution is used immediately, because after 3 hours it loses its useful properties.
- When using soda ash, safety measures must be observed: work with rubber gloves, make sure that the powder does not get on the skin and mucous membranes.
Soda against aphids on currants
Very often, currants are invaded by aphids. If help is not provided in time, then 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;
- yield reduction;
- crushing berries and deteriorating taste.
Often gardeners use baking soda from aphids on currants. The soda solution is effective and easy to prepare, but if the currant is severely affected and the leaf plate is twisted, swelling and redness appear on it, then the leaves are cut off and burned.
Soda-soap solution
An effective remedy for aphids on currants. To prepare a soda-soap solution in 10 liters of warm water, dissolve 300 ml of liquid laundry soap and 1 tbsp. l. white powder. Everything is thoroughly mixed until the soap dissolves. A currant bush is sprayed with a working solution so that moisture gets on each leaf. It is also necessary to process the trunk of the bush and the soil of the near-stem circle. At the initial stage of the lesion, a single treatment is sufficient.
Soda ash with iodine
Such a medicine quickly exterminates aphids on currants. Soda kills pests, and iodine disinfects the affected areas on the bush, preventing the appearance of fungal and viral diseases. Preparing natural medicine is easy and fast. To do this, in a bucket of water at room temperature, dissolve 40 g of laundry soap, 2 tbsp. l. soda ash and 1 tsp. iodine. Currant processing is carried out in dry, non-solar weather.
garlic soda solution
An antibacterial, effective agent with a pungent odor, thanks to which the pest quickly leaves the beloved bush. To prepare a garlic-soda solution, 10 g of garlic gruel is dissolved in 150 liters of water. The bucket is cleaned in a warm place for 6 hours for infusion. Next, add 10 tbsp to the garlic solution. l. baking soda and 100 ml of liquid laundry soap. The medicinal solution is stirred and filtered. The bush is carefully sprayed with working infusion, trying to get on each leaf. Due to the strong and persistent aroma, the aphid leaves 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, a currant seedling is kept for a day in a soda solution.
- The treatment of the bush is carried out with a spray gun, in the morning or in the evening, in dry, calm weather.
- With regular spraying, the plant will receive strong protection against aphids, as well as enrich the soil with sodium. This trace element has a positive effect on the taste of berries and the duration of fruiting.
Soda for a bountiful harvest of currants
Baking soda is an effective fertilizer that improves the formation of peduncles and ovaries. Also, thanks to her, the blackcurrant berry increases in size, becomes sweet, fleshy and fragrant.
Root soda top dressing will prolong the fruiting period and affect the formation of new flower brushes. Before fertilizing, the ground around the currants is abundantly shed and loosened. Next, 30 g of soda is dissolved in a bucket of warm water and top dressing is carried out. At least half a liter of working solution is spent on the bush.
To stimulate growth and a plentiful 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 under the root or a currant bush is sprayed with it. Top dressing can be applied 3 times per season:
- At the beginning of June;
- in the second half of July;
- in early autumn, before the onset of cold weather.
This top dressing will help the plant form flower buds and safely endure severe frosts.
The use of soda for currants in other cases
Soda solution has found wide application among gardeners. Thanks to it, you can prevent and get rid of many diseases and pests. The use of folk remedies:
- Powdery mildew. The disease appears on currants in wet, cold weather. The first signs of the disease: a snow-white coating on the leaf plate, which is easily removed with a finger. To get rid of the disease, 50 g of crushed laundry soap is diluted in a bucket of warm water. After the soap is completely dissolved, 100 g of white powder is added and the currants are sprayed 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 the soil around the bush is powdered. This method will not bring harm to insects, but only scare them away.
- Soil degradation. If there is acidified soil on the site, then before planting a currant seedling, the hole is shed with a soda solution. For a liter of warm water take 1 tbsp. l. baking soda. Also, this solution is a good natural fertilizer, which is applied in early spring and autumn. It will improve soil structure and normalize acidity.
- Gray rot. The disease can destroy the crop completely and, if no help is provided, destroy the shrub. In order not to face a terrible disease, it is necessary to take preventive measures in a timely manner. To do this, the currants are sprayed with a soda solution (10 g of baking soda is diluted in 100 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 diseases, gardeners often use a soda solution with yeast. To prepare top dressing, 100 g of dry yeast is diluted in a glass of warm water. The container is cleaned in a warm place for a day for fermentation. Next, 5 liters of warm water and 100 g of baking soda are added to the yeast solution. Currant bushes are sprayed with a working solution in the morning and evening. This top dressing is applied 3 times: during the formation of buds, during flowering, after picking berries.
Tips 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, as well as significantly increase and extend the yield period. When using soda for currants, you need to heed the advice of experienced gardeners:
- soda is diluted only in water at room temperature;
- spraying the bush is carried out in dry weather;
- for a better bond, and a soda solution add crushed or liquid laundry soap;
- if soda ash is used in the recipe, then when using food, the dosage is increased by 2-3 times;
- soda solution must be prepared immediately before use;
- since soda ash can harm the body, store it out of the reach of children and pets.
Conclusion
Soda for currants is an indispensable assistant to the gardener. Thanks to it, you can quickly get rid of many ailments, increase productivity, improve soil structure. When using white powder, it is necessary to observe the dosage and strictly follow the recipe, since the alkali can burn the foliage, roots and lead to the death of the shrub.