Protecting plants from weather, insects, and other threats is essential not only for gardeners and agricultural workers, but for everyone who wants to have well-groomed, healthy plants. For all these reasons, it is important to find solutions to hazards to protect our plants. One of the natural products used for this is vinegar, which is used to protect crops from insects and other threats. You will see that by using it properly, it will become your best ally in keeping your plants in good condition. Let’s see how to do it!
Vinegar, if you use it like this on your plants you will have them strong and healthy
Vinegar, whether wine, apple or white, has several properties that make it a great remedy for plants:
Antibacterial and antiseptic:
It is a disinfectant product. Adding to its great efficiency is its low purchase cost, making it accessible to all consumers. It kills bacteria and microorganisms harmful to plant health, such as fungi. It is widely used in the treatment of infections and fungi. The effectiveness of vinegar is very high on both surfaces and plants, household soil and the human body.
Soil pH regulator and limestone remover:
Because of its acidity, it helps regulate the pH of the soil, as well as that of the skin and digestive system when we take it. It also helps get rid of excess limescale from irrigation water and that which has accumulated in the soil.
Repellent:
The powerful aroma it gives off acts as a repellent to many animals, especially insects. Vinegar in plants, it is a strong herbicide, fungicide and insecticide. Here’s how to use it!
Using vinegar in the garden brings the following benefits to plants:
Disinfectant:
Used to clean seedbeds and pots to perfection before replanting plants in these containers.
Lime neutralizer:
The use of vinegar in irrigation water is used to counteract the lime in the water, which can cause chlorosis in plant leaves.
Acts as an herbicide, fungicide and insecticide:
Against the threats of weeds, fungi and insects, vinegar is the best natural ally. It can also repel many animals and thus prevent pests and other plant damage.
Enriches the soil:
Provides iron to the soil when given in small doses and in plants that tolerate acidic soils such as strawberries, lemons, blueberries and roses.
Vinegar, prepare this solution: it is an effective insecticide and repellent
Combining water with vinegar for aphids and other pests is very effective. You can do this in several ways:
Making homemade traps or repellents with water and vinegar helps keep insects, such as fruit flies, away. Making a fruit fly repellent with vinegar acts as an ally in fruit crops or gardens with fruit trees present, as well as keeping these and other small insects out of the pantry and kitchen. You can dilute the vinegar with water and sprinkle the soil of the plants or stones you put around them, or you can put bowls with water and a splash of vinegar around the plants or their pots.
If you do not know how to use vinegar as an insecticide or repellent for ants and aphids, we recommend spraying areas infested with these insects with vinegar. The product should not be diluted with water, otherwise it will lose its effectiveness. In areas with heavy infestations, you should apply vinegar two or three times to permanently kill ants and other insects, such as aphids. We also recommend doing this when the plants are not in the sun to prevent them from burning.
If you also want to use vinegar to ward off other animals from plants (rabbits, moles, cats, deer or raccoons), follow these steps:
- Soak old rags or cotton in a bucket with water and vinegar.
- Wait a few minutes for them to sufficiently absorb the product, which is unbearable for these animals.
- Spread the rags around the garden or orchard.
To protect the plants, repeat the previous steps every day or every other day.
Vinegar, if you use it this way you protect plants from fungi
Eliminating fungi from plants is possible of course. You have several options if you want to use vinegar as a fungicide, either as a treatment or prevention, but here we explain two of them:
- You can use it to sterilize tools and seedlings before using them on plants, in which case you should use it undiluted, and you can also use it to disinfect new seeds or seedlings by spraying with water and a little vinegar.
- You can also make a fungicide with two tablespoons of vinegar and chamomile. This mixture works effectively against various types of fungi on plants, while having a repellent effect on various pests and other animals.
Vinegar, use it like this to get rid of weeds
Although vinegar has good properties for plants, it can also be used to get rid of some weeds. For this use, it is most effective to use white vinegar, as it is more potent than the others. To use white vinegar as an herbicide, follow the steps below:
- Mix white vinegar with lemon juice to increase the acidity. Specifically, mix one cup of juice for every quart of vinegar.
- After mixing both liquids, pour the solution into a spray bottle or diffuser.
- Spray the areas with weeds you want to remove.
- The effectiveness of the mixture will increase if the plants are in direct contact with the sun and high temperatures.
