Baking Soda Spray for Tomato Plants

Last Updated on May 31, 2023 by Ellen Christian

Check out this baking soda spray for tomato plants. Learn more about why you need to use this baking powder spray for plants in your garden.

There is always something that needs to be done in the garden from weeding to harvesting. Have you had a chance to check out these time-saving gardening tips?

Or, you might want to learn more about topping pepper plants. Many gardeners recommend this method to improve your yield.

Baking Soda Spray

One of the most frustrating parts of gardening is putting all the time and effort into growing your food or flowers and not having it produce the results you want.

I’ve written before about how to keep rodents out of the garden. But, it’s not only animals that can cause problems for you.

Diseases like powdery mildew and blight can destroy your tomato crop. This can be a big problem for gardeners that look forward to a huge crop of tomatoes.

Of course, these diseases affect more than just your tomato plants. They also cause problems with vegetables like zucchini and cucumbers. That’s why you need to use baking soda around tomat plants.

What does baking soda do to tomatoes?

Baking soda is really sodium bicarbonate, which can control several different tomato fungal diseases. Using a baking soda spray for tomato plants can help prevent diseases like:

• Anthracnose

• Leaf spots

• Early tomato blight

• Powdery mildew

Why put baking soda around tomato plants?

But, you need to understand that the baking soda spray for tomatoes doesn’t kill the fungus. Instead, it changes the pH level of the leaves and greenery so that the fungus spores won’t grow.

So, why do you put baking soda around tomato plants? The baking soda will be absorbed into the dirt as an added benefit. This lowers the acidity levels in your soil and helps make the tomatoes sweeter.

How often should I spray my tomato plants with baking soda?

Spray the tomato plants with a baking soda spray every seven to ten days. You can add an aspirin to the spray for every other application as an added benefit.

Aspirin can help to prevent diseases and also boost your yield. The combination of aspirin and baking soda is quite effective in warding off blight.

How much baking soda do you put on tomatoes?

You will need to mix one tablespoon of sodium bicarbonate and a quart of water. This mixture will not adhere well to the leaves, so you also need to add a drop or two of blue dish soap to help it stick. 

This is one of the easiest ways to put baking soda around a tomato plant.

Will Dawn dish soap kill tomato plants?

If you use a lot of this it certainly can. But, if you use one or two small drops in a quart of water, your plant will be fine.

If you are concerned, test it on a few leaves before applying it to the entire plant. 

When should I use this?

Apply this mixture every 7 to 10 days. You can spray it in the evening after the sun goes down. Check the weather to be certain you’re not spraying right before it rains.

How to make a baking soda spray for plants

• Baking soda

• Water

• Blue dish soap

• Spray bottle or garden sprayer

Mix one quart of water with one drop of blue dish soap and one tablespoon of baking soda. Shake to mix and spray on your plants.

Do not save the rest to use for another day. What you don’t use should be poured down the sink (or sprayed on other plants). 

Make up a new batch each time, so it is fresh. Shake well to combine the ingredients.

How to use this baking soda spray

Before spraying your plants, remove any affected leaves to prevent them from spreading. Then, water the plants well with water from the garden hose to loosen any spores.

Finally, spray the buds, tomatoes, and leaves with the spray. Be sure that you coat both the tops and the bottoms of the leaves. Get it really wet and fully covered.

You can use a regular spray bottle. Or, you can use a garden sprayer if you have a large crop of tomatoes. 

Warning

Spray this in the evening after the sun has gone down when it’s cooler outside. Do not spray this during the day in direct sunlight. Avoid using it when the temperatures are very high (over 80F).

If you spray this when it is very hot, you risk burning the leaves. If you are concerned, spray a few leaves and wait 24 hours. Then, look again and see how your plants have responded. 

So, why put baking soda around a tomato plant? I hope I’ve answered your question.

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