Uses of Borax in farming | Organic farming|

Hi everybody !

          Here we will discuss about the uses of Borax in organic farming. We will  also discuss on Boric Acid powder that we use for playing carrom board game. We also overview how Boric acid powder different from borax. Also at the end will give will give you a tip on how to make an Ant Trap and get rid of ants using borax.

This is all about what we are going to see in this context. So read the full article so that you can get detailled information about Borax.

          Borax is a white powder made up of the element BORON, a naturally occurring mineral salt with acidic properties.

            It has been used for many years as a natural cleaner, laundry booster and disinfectant which you can buy easily from any grocery store. Borax is the common name for the chemical compound sodium tetraborate decahydrate, which contains sodium, boron, water and oxygen. Because this compound is produced as a natural residue from the repeated evaporation of seasonal lakes, it is suitable for the organic farming but utmost care and precautions should be taken because its uncontrolled use can damage your main crop.

       Firstly let's understand about difference between borax and boric acid or boric powder we use as carom board powder. In the most basic terms, borax is a mineral that is mined from the ground, and it turns into boric acid with further processing (usually exposure to an acid such as hydrochloric or sulfuric acid). And infact both have the same value in farming.

     Uses of Borax in farming
1. To Kill Weeds :- Add 1 teaspoon of borax powder to 1 liter of water and mix thoroughly and use a sprayer to coat the the unwanted weeds in your garden. Take precaution not to spray on any of your favourite plant. Because it will act as a weedicide and can also kill your main crop if not maintained properly. 

You have to be very careful using the borax at your fill, otherwise you can see bad results rather than good ones, so be careful!
We suggest you to use the borax under the supervision of the experts.

2. As a Fertilizer :-The element Boron is the second most widespread micronutrient deficiency problem worldwide after zinc. It improves plants health and growth. Its deficiency commonly results in empty pollengrains, poor pollen viability and a reduced number of flowers per plant. The lack of boron also causes stunted root growth. This is similar to zinc deficiency and also in humans the zinc deficiency is related to infertility issues like low sperm count and motility. The common symptoms to diagnose this problem of boron deficiency are dying growing tips, stunted growth, low productivity but these symptoms are very common.

Dissolve at the rate of 1 teaspoon of borax in 1 liter of water and apply the solution evenly with a water sprinkling can. Here also be careful while spraying, excess doses will be hazardous to the plant.
Always seek the help of the experts while using borax as the fertilizer, because it is the micronutrient and its excess quantity will be hazardous to crop.

3. Remove Rust from Tools :- Mix borax and lemon juice together to make a paste. Apply this paste to your rusty tools and allow it to set for at least 30 minutes, and then scrub off. Repeat again if necessary, and always rinse clean with water when finished. Another hack here is after use, always insert your garden tools into a pail of sand to prevent rusting.

4.Disinfect and Clean your Garden Tools and Surface :-
       Mix a tablespoon of borax in a liter of warm water. Make use of this solution to soak and scrub pots and tools. Once clean, rinse thoroughly and leave the items in sunshine to dry. You can also clean gloves using this. 

5. Ant Killer :- If you want to get rid of ants in your farm , try this borax bait trap and infact a recipe.

        For this, you will need of course borax powder, honey or sugar syrup. Depending on the quantity of ants you want to trap , you can make a small recipe or large recipe accordingly. For a small colony of ants, Take half teaspoon of Borax and mix well in sugar syrup. You can use 1 or 2 teaspoon of sugar and dissolve in 1 teaspoon of water to make sugar syrup. Mix everything well and place this in a bottle with holes in the lid or any container or cup like this with some small holes for the ants to enter into the trap, but not larger enough for honey bees to enter inside or you can also pour directly on the the affected spot if you are not concerned of honey bees which are natural pollinating insects of your garden.

Click here if you want to know the  Uses of Neem oil in organic farming

Note :- In this context we just have given the uses of Borax for farming, always seek the professional help to before using in the field . 

That's all about the borax and how it can be used in the field.

Comment if you have any queries!