"Baking Soda" Update

Many readers have expressed an interest in the use of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) as a preventive fungicide.

For some time now, both sodium bicarbonate and potassium bicarbonate have been registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as active ingredients for use as fungicides. The problem is that none of the registrants have taken the next critical steps: label approval, product formulation and marketing. Just when we thought we may never see an actual product on the shelves, a June 5 Federal Register notice indicated renewed commercial interest. After making a few phone calls, two potassium bicarbonate products of interest were identified.

Within the last few months, Monterey Lawn & Garden Products Inc. began marketing the fungicide Kaligreen, a soluble powder formulation containing 82% potassium bicarbonate. The label and unit size (2-1/2 pounds) indicate that this is not a product for homeowner use. Monterey does offer many fungicides for use by homeowners, but the company’s market focus is on the west coast.

In the near future, Bonide will begin marketing a product named Remedy. The registrant (H & I Agritech) is currently formulating the product (82% potassium bicarbonate) and securing state registrations. What does Remedy control and when can you buy it? We have been told it will have a broad homeowner landscape focus for use against a variety of leaf pathogens, particularly powdery mildew. If demand is sufficient, retailers may carry this product next year. A few Illinois garden centers and retailers carry other Bonide products.

In the meantime, one strong reminder: Any product we (Extension employees) recommend to control a pest must be a registered pesticide. In other words, the product must be approved by the EPA and must bear an EPA registration number on the product label. Thus, we cannot recommend a "home remedy" to control a pest.

Source: Bruce Paulsrud, Home, Yard & Garden

Autumn 1998
Powdery Mildew Thrives Now | "Wet Feet" of Shrubs, Trees & Flowers | Baking Soda Update | Some Tips on Buying Firewood | Lawn Care Caldenar | Bug Bites: Slugs | Cybergarden Sites | Hort Shorts | Hort Tips | Refrigerator Storage | Locally Grown: Edible Flowers | Pre-Washed Salad Greens | Foodborne Illness: What Consumers Need to Know | Health & Household Tips | Did You Know?

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