Baking soda is a great ingredient for your home and garden. It's very simple to use, inexpensive and widely available, so it's great to know how to use it. You probably know how to use it in your kitchen, but it also comes in handy when it comes to other things, such as green cleaning and keeping your garden healthy and pest-free.

Here are some great uses for baking soda you can try:

Preventing Powdery Mildew

Baking soda can be used to get rid of powdery mildew. Powdery mildew is a major problem for many plants, especially impatiens, lilacs, zinnias, squash and cucumber. Many other plants can suffer from it, too, so it's good to know how to control it. To make an effective spray against powdery mildew, mix 1 tablespoon of baking soda with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon of dishwashing liquid and 1 gallon of water. Mix these ingredients together and use the mixture once per week to spray your plants. It's best to use it on overcast days to ensure that the foliage isn't burned.

Effective Fungicide

You can use baking soda to make a very effective, non-toxic fungicide. This organic fungicide comes in handy in your garden and it will help you keep your plants strong and healthy. To make this fungicide, mix 4 teaspoons of baking soda with 1 gallon of water. You can use this mix on roses to treat them for black spot fungus. Another good use in on grapes and vines to get rid of fungus when the fruit begins to grow.

Prevent Weeds

Weeds are a major problem in any garden. It's very difficult to get rid of them and they keep coming back and back. While baking soda can't make them magically disappear, it can be used to discourage weeds and to control them in your garden. To make an effective remedy, simply sweep or pour baking soda in a thick layer into the cracks of your sidewalk and patios. The baking soda is effective in killing smaller weeds and preventing new ones from appearing.

Get Rid of Cabbage Worms

Another thing you can do with baking soda is to control cabbage worms in your garden. Mix equal parts baking soda and flour. Mix everything together well, unmixed baking soda can damage or burn the leaves. Dust plants infected by cabbage worms (cabbage, kale, broccoli, etc.) This mix is effective in killing them.

Get Rid of Gnats

Baking soda can be used to get rid of gnats in soil and fungus on leaves. To make an effective mixture against this problem, take 4 teaspoons of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of biodegradable soap and 1 gallon of water. Mix everything together and spray the affected foliage as well as soil.

Get Rid of Crabgrass

To get rid of crabgrass, simply wet and pour baking soda on the weed. The crabgrass should start dying in a few says. When pouring baking soda, make sure not to apply it on your grass because it can burn it.

Cleaning

Baking soda is an effective cleaner you can sue to cleanse and sanitize your hands. A long day in the garden makes you hands very messy and dirty, and a regular soap just can't clean all of it. To clean your hands fully, use baking soda. Simply rub and scrub wet hands with baking soda and rinse.

Photo credit: Willis Lam