Baking Soda

[Cornelius_Gotchberg]

While I'm sure Arm-n-Hammer'd like to see this gain traction, anyone ever apply baking soda to their Tomato Plants, and if you's did, were there verifiable results? https://www.thekitchn.com/garden-tip-us ... oes-174895

The Gotch

[Paulf]

To answer this question properly would require a full blown essay. Regarding changing the flavor of tomatoes by sprinkling baking soda on the soil around a tomato plant to alter the soil pH…genetics and weather conditions along with the soil conditions throughout the entire growing cross section of the soil plays a more important role in determining flavor. Will a surface sprinkle change the acid/sweetness profile of a tomato? Most likely not.

[Shule]

I would worry about the sodium in sodium bicarbonate. A little sodium chloride (not sure about sodium bicarbonate) can make pepper plants less finicky about drought, but too much can kill your plant and invite disease, root rot, water intolerance, and such. The line between helpful and death to the plant seems to be pretty narrow (there don't really seem to be any indicators that you're approaching the line until you've crossed it).

[Shule]

Potassium bicarbonate should be a lot safer.

[Shule]

If you want sweeter tomatoes, what I recommend is warming your soil. Of course, it not only makes them sweeter, it makes them more acidic-tasting, too.

[Cornelius_Gotchberg]

If you want sweeter tomatoes, what I recommend is warming your soil. Of course, it not only makes them sweeter, it makes them more acidic-tasting, too.

Soil Warming is subbed out to El Sol...

The Gotch

[Cornelius_Gotchberg]

(there don't really seem to be any indicators that you're approaching the line until you've crossed it).

Yoikes! THAT casts a certain gloom over things...

The Gotch

[pepperhead212]

Potassium bicarbonate should be a lot safer.

This is what I use all the time, as an atifungal spray, and what drains into the soil an added fertilizer. And no sodium buildup in the soil.

[rxkeith]

only ever use baking soda for english muffin bread, cleaning purposes, and absorbing odors like when
goose crapped all over the back seat of the car when i rescued him. worked good.


keith

[MissS]

If I'm reading this correctly, then what they are saying is that alkaline soils produce sweeter tomatoes. If this is true, then anything that lowers a soils PH would produce sweeter tomatoes than if they were grown in acidic soils. I don't know it this is a true statement or not. From my experience, a garden will produce tastier tomatoes if it has enough minerals in the soil.

[worth1]

@MissS
You mean raising the pH don't you?

[Ginger2778]

@MissS
You mean raising the pH don't you?

This!

[Yak54]

Those of us that feed our plants with a nutrient mix usually Taylor the ph between 6.0 & 6.5 ph when we make up the mix then feed it to the plants on a daily basis. Works very well.

[MissS]

Yes I do mean raising the PH. Thank you for pointing out the error of my ways!

[MrBig46]

Last year, I tried to water the tomatoes with water with the addition of potassium salt (KCl), which increases the electrical conductivity of the solution, to which the roots react by reducing water intake, and thus the tomatoes should be sweeter with a significantly better taste. It really seemed to help, but maybe that was just a subjective feeling. I want to try again this year. I also want to buy an electronic device for measuring the conductivity of solutions. I will compare according to the measurement of sweetness with a refractometer.
Vladimír

[worth1]

The last thing I need is a higher pH of the soil.

[JRinPA]

I was looking up recently what to use for making bone meal, other than bones. One page did say to mix baking soda in with baked, powdered bones. 1/2 cup bone powder, 1/2 cup baking soda, 1 qt water. Bring to a boil and cool for liquid fertilizer.