I have been growing grapes in my garden for a long time. Breeders have bred many varieties that can bear fruit in our temperate climate.
When growing it, I adhere to the principle of "do no harm." And first of all for myself, so I try to use biological means of feeding and protection. One of those, absolutely harmless to humans, is baking soda.
Why do I use soda on grapes
Grapes are affected by a large number of diseases and pests. If there has been a strong spread of the disease, then natural remedies can no longer help. Therefore, I do regular preventive treatments with soda solution. I use regular food.
Soda effectively helps fight a number of common diseases and pests:
- gray rot;
- powdery mildew;
- caterpillars of different types;
- wasps.
If desired, you can even fight weeds around the vines. It must be borne in mind that this is contraindicated on alkaline soils, since soda shifts the pH of the soil upwards. I have a forest around me, and the “native” soil has an acidic reaction. So, in addition to weed control, baking soda also acts as a soil neutralizer.
How do I use baking soda
In the fight against weeds I use watering, in other cases spraying. For a stable result, I do procedures regularly. I water three times a season from weeds, spray in cycles of five times, with an interval of 7-10 days.
To increase the effectiveness of the solution, I add a little potassium permanganate powder there. So that the liquid becomes pale pink. For better adhesion on the leaves, I add soap or vegetable oil.
Before the procedure, I check the weather forecast. I choose days without rain, but not too sunny. I spray in the evening.
To prepare the solution, I use different dosages, depending on the main problem that I am struggling with.
Gray rot
Spots with a gray coating often appear in the rainy season. The rapid spread is affected by the density of plantings. Sweet grapes are also attractive to this fungus.
To combat gray rot, I prepare a solution by adding 5 tbsp to a ten-liter bucket. l. baking soda and 20 ml of liquid soap.
powdery mildew
Evidence of the appearance of powdery mildew (oidium) is a white coating on the leaves. At the first sign, I start a fight.
I spray with a solution with the following ingredients per 10 liters of water: 40 g of soda, 40 g of laundry soap. As an option, I use a different composition for 5 liters of water: 2 tbsp. l. soda, 5 tbsp. liquid soap and 75 ml of vegetable oil.
caterpillars
There are many lovers of eating grape leaves. The task during processing is to make the leaves unattractive to butterflies that lay eggs.
Against creeping pests and their parents I use a combination of soda and flour. I mix them in equal parts and sprinkle on the affected areas.
I also include wasps that suck juice from berries. Treatment with soda scares them away for a while.
weeds
I prepare a solution for irrigation from weeds by mixing 10 tbsp. l. soda, 1 drop of liquid soap and 1 tbsp. l. vegetable oil.
Bush rejuvenation
To stimulate the growth of new shoots to rejuvenate the bushes, I dissolve 1 tsp. l. soda in a bucket of water, add Epsom and half a tsp. l. ammonia.
This is how I process my grapes for several seasons. Satisfied with the result. It is possible without the use of chemistry to maintain vine bushes in a healthy state and save the crop for themselves, and not feed the wasps.
Tell us how you protect your grapes and what preparations you use. Share in the comments if you have any experience with baking soda.
Read also: Manure for currants: I fertilize in the spring according to all the rules and get an excellent result
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