Question
Hello Again Mr. LIG, I was wondering your position in regards to using Baking Soda in an organic lawn care practice, Does it do more harm then good in regards to the soil organisms? I have experimented with sprinkling some on my crab grass and it did kill it, plus it turned some of the surrounding grass blades yellow, but in the end the crab grass came right back. I understand by keeping the grass tall and spreading CGM in the Spring can help, but was just curious if it should be used at all.

Thank you,

Joseph P.

Answer
Interesting question you pose.  Baking Soda (Sodium
Bicarbonate - NaHCO3) is one of those kitchen remedies that are so much fun to use.

Nevertheless, this is a SALT that you have to be very careful with.

As you see, it does some damage.  And as you DON'T see, it does OTHER damage - to microbes in your soil that are part of the natural balance.  Those microbes have everything under control, until you come along with concentrated fertilizer (SALT) or Baking Soda (SALT) and a whimsical idea about killing a Fungus or Mildew.  Or testing it on Crabgrass.

What I think you meant to say was that the Baking Soda damaged your Crabgrass; it did not kill it.

Corn Gluten Meal does no such thing.  There's no Salt in CGM.  There is a complicated explanation I came across that would be happy to send along if you like explaining how CGM works.

This CGM should not by the way be confused with Cornmeal.

Cornmeal works as a tasty treat for specific beneficial Fungi.  If you have a BAD Fungus, and you sprinkle a little Cornmeal on it, it's not the Cormmeal that's actually doing the damage to the Fungus.  It's the beneficial Fungi that you happen to culture by giving them something delicious and nutritious that just happens to be in a lot of kitchens.  Agricultural Cornmeal is also effective, even though we don't like to make muffins out of that.

And although you can make Corn Muffins out of Cornmeal, you cannot make Corn Muffins out of CGM.  They are close, they sound the same, they are NOT.

Baking Soda alters the pH of the environment when you add it to soil or put it on a leaf blade.  Spraying it on Roses, especially when you add something to get it to stick to the Roses, changes the acidic pH of the Rose leaf to a more basic environment, thereby making it impossible for certain Fungi spores to grow.  That's how Baking Soda works.  Same thing happens when you put it on your Lawn.  The Grass blades become too alkaline for many pathogenic Fungi to grow.  And if you have a Fungus attack it is a good way to get it under control.  But it will also destroy beneficial Fungi.  And THEY are TERMINATORS of many bad Fungi.  You don't want to wipe out your good Fungus population; they're the most reliable bodyguards ever built, and they terminate Bad Fungi before you ever know they're there.

Bottom line:  Keep Baking Soda in your repertoire, but use it selectively.  On mildewed Roses, on mildewed Lawns, and next to the Cornmeal in your Corn Muffins.  Thanks for writing.