This Household Item Could Be the Secret to 2x the Coneflower Blooms This Summer

Summer comes with many different colors and varieties of coneflowers in bloom, and it’s nice to keep these blooms going all summer long.

There’s been some chatter online that adding baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) to the soil can help increase coneflower (Echinacea) blooms by raising the soil’s pH, but gardeners caution that whether the hack is helfpul or not ultimately depends on your soil.

Should you use baking soda to boost coneflower blooms? Find out below.

Does Baking Soda Increase Coneflower Blooms?

The theory that baking soda can lead to double the coneflower blooms comes from the idea that adding baking soda to soil will increase its pH, making it more alkaline.

Coneflowers like neutral or slightly acidic soil, so using baking soda as a hack to help your coneflowers this summer will only actually be helpful if your soil is already extremely acidic.

If it’s not very acidic to begin with, you’ll make it more alkaline than echinacea can handle, and they’ll die.

The cautions against blindly adding any amendments to your soil without first conducting a lab soil test. These soil tests can give you a big picture idea of what is happening in your garden, and not only will they tell you everything you need to know about your garden’s soil, but you will also be given guidance on all the amendments and application rates you need to achieve your gardening goals long-term.

Knowing your soil before you start applying amendments, including baking soda, is the best way to ensure you don’t accidentally harm your plants.

Additionally, know that improper application of baking soda can be rather drying and damage the plant’s roots and foliage. (There’s a reason baking soda can be used to kill weeds, Addison cautions.)

Overall, this is a quick fix and not a solution, and experts say there are far better ways to increase coneflower blooms and, if necessary, raise soil pH.

Better Ways to Boost Coneflower Blooms

What can you do instead to boost your coneflower blooms?

Bring on the Sun

Addison says first and foremost, ensure your plant is getting enough light and is planted in the right soil. Coneflowers grow best in full sun conditions (at least six hours of direct light) and well-drained soils high in organic matter.

Lay Off the Fertilizer

She also cautions against smothering them with too much fertilizer. These hardy native plants can become leggy or overly foliage-heavy when given too much supplemental fertilizer, especially nitrogen-rich fertilizer.

Instead, try working some organic compost into the soil every spring to give coneflowers the boost they need.

Deadhead Regularly

Once these basics are covered, the best way to encourage more coneflower blooms is to stay on top of deadheading to keep your coneflower plants blooming throughout the growing season.

“Once seeds start setting, the plant will direct its energy to forming those seeds, not to growing new flower buds,” “If we want more blooms, we have to prevent that energy from being diverted to the seeds.”

Just be sure to leave some flowers on the plant at the end of the growing season for the birds to enjoy throughout the fall and winter.