Discover The Power Of Epsom Salt

Blossom Lady

Apr 06, 2021 07:37 AM

You’re probably familiar with the amazing, healing properties of Epsom salts. But did you know these minerals are a powerful superfood for your garden too? Learn how magnesium-sulfate, being a fast-acting affordable fertilizer, can boost plant health, deter pests, and bring a host of other benefits to your lawn, flowers, veggies, and more. Magnesium-sulfate (which looks like ordinary table salt) can help increase nutrient absorption in plants.

Epsom Salt is named for the town where it was discovered: Epsom, England. This product has been used to treat ailments and fertilize plants for more than a hundred years. Applying this mineral to your garden is an inexpensive fertilizer hack that has a big impact on your plants.

What is Epsom Salt Supposed to Do for Plants?

Epsom salt contains hydrated magnesium sulfate, two elements central to plant growth.

Sulfur (13%) is crucial to the inner workings of plants, but it is almost never lacking in the soil, thanks in part to synthetic fertilizers and acid rain.

Magnesium (10%) can become scarce in soil, usually because of erosion or depletion of the topsoil or a pH imbalance. Some plants, like lettuce and spinach, don’t mind going without magnesium. Others may exhibit symptoms such as leaf curling and stunted growth, although these symptoms could be attributed to more than one cause. Magnesium deficiency has even been blamed as a cause for bitter tomatoes, probably because the deficiency inhibits photosynthesis.

In general, magnesium plays a role in strengthening the plant cell walls, allowing the plant to take in the nutrients it needs. It also aids in seed germination, photosynthesis, and in the formation of fruits and seeds.

Before you consider applying Epsom salt to your garden, it is important to have your soil tested to determine whether it is actually magnesium deficient. Adding too much Epsom salt to your garden is adding excessive magnesium to your beds. Therefore, test the soil first and if you do have a deficiency, Epsom salt can help correct the problem, but it won’t be adequate for very large soil deficiencies. Magnesium deficiency in plants is usually seen as leaf yellowing, leaf curling, and stunted growth. An added magnesium component allows plants to better absorb nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen. Some plants, such as tomatoes and peppers, perform better with a consistent magnesium amendment. Here are specific ways to use Epsom salt.

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Soil
At the beginning of garden season, broadcast 1 cup of Epsom salt per 100 square feet of garden bed. Magnesium boosts seed germination by strengthening cell walls and providing increased energy for growth. Sulfur is easily lost during the germination process, so apply a drench of one tablespoon of Epsom salts for every gallon of water to the soil after seeding. Alternately, you can mix one tablespoon of Epsom salts into each hole before planting seeds.

General foliar spray

Epsom salt works well when diluted with water and applied as a foliar spray that is taken up quickly by the plant. Mix 2 tablespoons per gallon of rainwater and apply one time per month. Drench the base of the plants with any leftover solution at the soil level.

Vegetable plants

Tomatoes and peppers may show signs of magnesium deficiency late in the season when their leaves begin to yellow between the leaf veins and fruit production decreases. Shake 1 teaspoon Epsom salt around tomato plants or peppers to green up the foliage. For vegetable garden plants, apply 1 tablespoon of Epsom salt granules at the base of each plant. Follow that with a foliar spray of 1 tablespoon per gallon of water once per month.

Prevent Root Shock

Transplanted roots need tender care. To prevent root shock, which causes wilting and leaf discoloration, mix one tablespoon of Epsom salts for every one gallon of water and apply to the roots of newly re-potted plants until saturated. Or try adding one to two teaspoons of dry salts directly to the hole before transplanting a bush or flowers. After tamping down the soil, water thoroughly.

Deter Pests Naturally

Instead of using plain table salt to dehydrate and kill snails and slugs, banish the pests with Epsom salts and you’ll give roots and blooms a boost in the process. For general pest control, mix one cup of Epsom salts with five gallons of water and spray onto foliage. For slug and snail control, sprinkle dry Epsom salts in the garden around the base of plants.

Roses

Rose growers, in particular, are strong advocates for using Epsom salts. They claim it not only makes the foliage greener and lusher, but it also produces more canes and more roses. In a bucket, soak rose roots in a solution of 1/2 cup of Epsom salt mixed with 1 gallon of water. Top-dress roses with 1 tablespoon of Epsom salt around the root area of the plant. A word of caution: Epsom salts sprayed on leaves can cause leaf scorch. Do not over apply and do not spray on hot, sunny days.

epsom salt, soil quality

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