The internet is filled with TikTokers, bloggers, and just about everyone else singing the praises of cure-alls you already have at home—and baking soda is one of the biggies. If you're a gardener and have seen some of the amazing claims attributed to this mundane miracle ingredient, you may be wondering, "Does baking soda kill weeds?"
Our gardening experts have sifted through what's fact and fiction about using baking soda for plants you want to get rid of. Here's what you need to know before you take this common kitchen ingredient into your garden.
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Does Baking Soda Kill Weeds?
As gardeners, we're always looking for effective, easy, and inexpensive ways to grow better gardens and control weeds. But an increasing number of home growers are also now looking for ways to garden sustainably. That's why so many people are turning away from traditional herbicides and looking for safer, natural methods instead.
The internet is rife with suggestions for natural weed control methods or weed killers, but are they actually better for the environment? In the case of using baking soda for weed control, the answer is not clear cut.
Yes, baking soda can kill weeds. But it may also kill plants you want to grow in your garden as well. Any chemical (yes, baking soda is made of chemicals just like everything in the universe) that can kill a living organism, like a weed, can kill other similar living organisms, like your beloved peonies.
Baking soda is cheap and easy to find—you probably have some in your cabinet right now—so it's appeal is obvious. Many gardeners use baking soda to make a natural homemade fungicide or to treat black spot on roses. It's also touted as "safe" for plants, people, and pets. But is all that really true? Let's look at the how baking soda kills weeds and what else it may do to your garden.
What Baking Soda Does to Weeds
- Baking soda is poisonous to plants because it is full of salt which dries out the plant's foliage.
- It is water soluble, which means it will also enter the surrounding soil, possibly to the detriment of nearby plants.
- Baking soda can linger in the soil and cause prolonged growing issues for desirable plants even after the weeds are gone.
- While baking soda desiccates foliage, it doesn’t necessarily kill the roots of the weed, meaning it will likely rebound and then you’ve got weeds again.
Ultimately, baking soda is much safer for humans to use than traditional herbicides that include glyphosate. So if you're looking for safe alternatives to Roundup, baking soda is a good ingredient to try. Just be aware that "safer" doesn't mean totally harmless. Use baking soda on weeds with caution.
How to Use Baking Soda to Kill Weeds
If you want to try using baking soda to kill weeds, dilute the baking soda at a one-to-one ratio of baking soda to water in a spray bottle. Our experts love the Cleo Sprayer Set from Crescent Garden for indoor and outdoor gardening uses like this. Next, simply spray only the weeds you wish to eradicate and be sure to saturate all the foliage.
Try to keep the baking soda mixture from spraying on other plants and part of the garden that are unaffected by weeds. As stated above, baking soda can kill good plants as well as weeds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does baking soda kill weeds permanently?
No, baking soda will not permanently kill most weeds. It will crisp up the leaves but likely won’t affect the roots of the plant unless the weed is very tiny and immature. This means the weed might look dead for a bit, but as resilient weeds do, the plant will likely rebound as healthy or healthier than it was before treatment.
Which is better for killing weeds - vinegar or baking soda?
Vinegar is a better “natural” solution to killing weeds than baking soda. Baking soda doesn’t affect the root system of the weed to kill it permanently. Vinegar, when applied directly to the weed on a sunny day, will indeed eradicate your weed nemesis entirely.
What can I mix with baking soda to kill weeds?
Adding vinegar to your mixture of baking soda and water can up your game in the battle to kill weeds in a more environmentally friendly manner. Dissolve 1½ cups (350 mL) of baking soda and 2 tablespoons of vinegar (30 mL) in a gallon (3.8 L) of water and use the mixture in a spray bottle to treat weeds.
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