Minerals and lime in soils can be a very good thing for your garden, but as they say, sometimes you can have too much of a good thing. If you garden in a space with a high mineral content or hard water, or if it has been over-limed or lime applied to an area of the garden that the subject plants will not appreciate—for example, lime should not be applied to the soil at planting time where seed potatoes are being planted, or it can cause scab on skins , a simple application of vinegar can help correct the situation.
As we know, vinegar is a good cleaning agent that breaks down hard minerals and salt deposits and can help to increase soil acidity, thereby counteracting a base like lime.
These potatoes are going to taste great in a few months! Funguses on plants can also benefit from a natural, at-home vinegar preparation. This can be used to help fight things like downy mildew and spot diseases on a variety of garden plants and vegetables.
Mushrooms are a great sign in the garden, but you really don't want them there. You may also apply this spray to soils in pots or around the base of the plant to help control spores. Remember it is always wise, when using any vinegar-based solution, to spot-test on a leaf or small area of the plant first to test its ability to withstand the acid since in strong concentrations vinegar is a plant and foliar killer, too. Not just for garden tools, vinegar is a very good household cleaner, and that includes as a natural, food-safe cleanser for your fruits and vegetables, too!
Giving your veggies a bit of a wash after you pick them can have a big benefit. Though initially, you will detect some vinegar odor, this will dissipate as the fruit or vegetables dry and your food will not end up tasting like vinegar. This solution helps to kill mold, bacteria like salmonella, listeria, and e. Vinegar also is a very good remover of dirt, debris, wax, and grime. After use, store dried produce as you normally would.
Finally, there is a very good use for vinegar for you, too, after all, your garden and food-preparation labors. You know those stubborn stains some vegetables and many fruits and berries can impart?
Leaving you looking green around the fingernails or something akin to an axe murderer? Vinegar is a great way to remove those stains! Ditto for those vegetables and foods that leave behind, let us say, less than attractive scents?
Do garlic and onions ring a bell? To rid yourself of those unsightly, unseemly stains and smells, simply rub your hands with straight household vinegar, then rinse and wash with soap. This may be somewhat drying, especially if you have sensitive skin, so it is wise to apply a good hand lotion immediately after and of course, discontinue the practice if it proves too troublesome!
You would never know vinegar is being used in this garden. The recipes and uses included here use primarily distilled white vinegar, which is typically five to six percent acidity. This vinegar will work and is really all you need for any one of these recipes or uses.
There are some other vinegar options that can be useful for some of these applications mostly noted in the recipes above. Ten Percent Malt Vinegar is effective and can be used in recipes such as weed killers or cleaning soaks to increase acidity.
Horticultural Vinegar is available, but harder to find and certainly more expensive. Take care when using it—it can burn both you and anything it touches and can be quite uncomfortable to inhale. No matter what type of vinegar or recipe you choose, it is wise to always use reasonable precautions, spot test recipes, and solutions before applying to larger areas, and follow labeling on products when applicable. With care and caution, vinegar may just be your next great garden solution!
The Vinegar Recipes, great stuff! Some of these remedies remind me of my grandmother who did not believe in commercial chemical remedies. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Skip to primary navigation Skip to main content Skip to primary sidebar Search.
Keep your flowers fresh longer with vinegar. Isn't this bottle of vinegar adorable!?! Comments The Vinegar Recipes, great stuff! Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published.
Before their taproots succumb to starvation, the weeds often have a final flush of growth from the nutrients stored in the roots. Once the weeds are dead, you must bring the soil pH back to neutral.
Do this by adding 5 pounds of lime per square feet, in addition to a 3- to 4-inch-deep overlay of compost to restore microorganisms. Mary Simpson began her writing career in on a Dallas oil magazine. She holds a B. Home Guides Garden Gardening. Ants are a frustrating pest to battle!
Mix together equal parts vinegar and water, and spray at the entrance of their nest and on the paths and surfaces you find them on. The night before planting, soak your seeds in a solution of ml water and ml of vinegar to help them germinate better. Insects can cause an enormous amount of damage to your garden, and vinegar can help here too.
Spray it around the edges of your garden beds to repel them. In a bottle, mix together one cup of water, half a cup apple cider vinegar, a quarter cup of sugar, and one tablespoon of molasses, then hang the mixture in your fruit trees and wait for the pesky flies to get caught!
Households everywhere are switching from harsh cleaning supplies to all-natural ingredients that are more environmentally friendly. Not only is vinegar a great ingredient in organic cleaning products, but it also has multiple benefits in the garden as well, allowing you to move away from toxic chemicals and pesticides in favor of organic solutions.
Save plants from fungus Plants suffering from mold and fungus can be protected by spraying the affected areas with a solution of two teaspoons of vinegar mixed in with one cup of brewed chamomile tea. Remove weeds on walls and walkways Spray weeds that pop up in sidewalk crevices and climb walls directly with pure white vinegar to kill them.
Repel or kill ants To kill ants in your garden, mix equal parts water and vinegar either white or apple cider and spray directly on the ants. To repel them from entering your garden or home, spray the solution around your walkways, or anywhere the ants can enter.
Trap gnats and fruit flies Keep these pests at bay and away from your garden and fruit trees by trapping them in a jar filled with apple cider vinegar and some liquid dish soap. Increase soil acidity Unlike other plants and flowers, Rhododendrons, Gardenias, Hydrangeas, and Azaleas can benefit from increased soil acidity.
Give them a temporary boost with a mix of one cup white vinegar to a gallon of water when watering.
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