You may already know, but if you don’t, Epsom salt is a miracle cure that can treat whatever ails you. The main ingredients of the substance is magnesium sulfate that offers a lot of benefits for people including drawing out toxins from the body, sedating the nervous system, reducing swelling, relaxing muscles, helping to remove splinters, removing excess oil and hairspray from hair, a method to add more volume to hair, and a whole lot more.
Some of that whole lot more includes providing wonderful benefits to your garden plants.
Gardeners favor the use of Epsom salt on rose bushes because it makes the flowers greener and lusher.
(Courtesy: Karen&2Mutts at flickr.com)
It appears that the same ingredients that make it a miracle cure for us humans also makes it a miracle cure for our plants.
It just so happens that the magnesium sulfate in Epsom salt is ideal for plants. For example, sulfur is considered to be a crucial element for the internal workings of plants. It’s already in the soil due to synthetic fertilizers and even acid rain.
Magnesium is also a crucial element for plants. However, it can become scarce in soil due to erosion, reduction of the topsoil or a pH imbalance. Although it is true that some plants can survive well without magnesium, other vegetation could suffer many problems including leaf curing, stunted growth, and even bitter tomatoes.
What is so good about magnesium is that it helps to strengthen a plant’s cell walls permitting it to digest the nutrients it needs.
Other benefits include help in seed germination, photosynthesis and formation of fruits and seeds.
Many gardeners who know about the benefits of Epsom salt for plants have tossed a handful of the stuff when planting. However, some gardening experts suggest that you test your soil first. They argue that Epsom salt is not going to cure an extreme lack of magnesium deficiency in the soil, but it could improve an imbalance of too much acid in the soil.
Epsom salt is often touted as a major benefit for tomatoes, peppers, and roses.
Rose growers are strong supporters of the use of Epsom salt on roses because it makes the flower greener and lusher. They favor using the material on existing rose bushes. What they do is either mix half a cup of Epsom salt into the soil around the rose bush and water the area well or dissolve it in half a cup of water that they pour on the rose bush. It is suggested that this be done in the spring as the buds are beginning to open. Rose gardeners have also been known to mix 1 tablespoon of Epsom salt per gallon of water and apply the substance as a foliar spray.
However, there is one caveat. Rose gardeners warn that spraying Epsom salt on rose bushes can cause leaves to scorch. They caution that you not over use it and do not apply it on hot, sunny days.
Gardeners who grow vegetables advocate the use of Epsom salt for tomatoes and peppers. These vegetables often show a deficiency of magnesium late in the growing season. As a result, their leaves to yellow between the leaf veins and fruit production decreases. Although there are a lot more reasons why there may be more and/or larger fruits besides Epsom salt, using it before the vegetables start their decline can be a benefit. It is suggested that you mix in 1 tablespoon of Epsom salt into the soil at the bottom of the planting hole when transplanting or mix 1 tablespoon in a gallon of water, then water the seedlings. It is then advised that you follow up with a foliar spray consisting of 1 tablespoon of Epsom salt per gallon of water and apply when the plants begin to flower and when the fruit starts to form.
Epsom salt benefits tomatoes and peppers because it repairs a magnesium deficiency that may be in the soil.
(Courtesy: John Verive at flickr.com)
There are some gardeners who favor adding Epsom salt at planting time. There are others who like to water or foliar feed Epsom salt every other week. If you favor every other week, then prepare a more diluted solution, mixing only 1 teaspoon of Epsom salt per gallon of water. You don’t want excess salt build up in the soil or run off into the water supply.
