Epsom Salt in the Garden?

[dconklin]

I was recently reading up about Epsom Salt because I was looking to soak my aching feet. Well along my readings I have found that some people say that it is a great fertilizer in your garden. It even has it listed as the uses on the bag that I bought.

Supposedly Epsom Salt provides plants with the perfect mix of nutrients. Has anybody tried this? It just sounds odd to me to use something with the name salt in it in the garden, but if others have tried it I am open to it.

I also read that if you mix it with sugar and sprinkle it around your tomato plants that they will produce a lot and they will be good tomatoes.

 

[Chuck]

I was recently reading up about Epsom Salt because I was looking to soak my aching feet. Well along my readings I have found that some people say that it is a great fertilizer in your garden. It even has it listed as the uses on the bag that I bought.

Supposedly Epsom Salt provides plants with the perfect mix of nutrients. Has anybody tried this? It just sounds odd to me to use something with the name salt in it in the garden, but if others have tried it I am open to it.

I also read that if you mix it with sugar and sprinkle it around your tomato plants that they will produce a lot and they will be good tomatoes.

Epsom salts are an important part of organic gardening. It really isn't a fertilizer because it is classified as 0-0-1. However, having said that I can testify without qualm that in Texas alkaline soils it is very important in preventing blossom end rot in tomatos, peppers, melons, eggplant and many others. What it does is release potasium in the soil enabling the plants to take it up into their root systems. I don't know the effect it has in other soils but here it is almost mandantory. As for the sugar, molasses mixed 2 oz per gallon of water is much cheaper and has a much greater impact on you plants because it also gives you plant a little jolt of nitrogen

 

[Trellum]

Woah, Chuck! I'm sure not many of us had the slights idea this was the case! I also hail from Texas. Now I'm living a bit south to the border, so I guess epsom salts could be helpful preventing rot in my edibles. Wonder if it works the same in a colder weather?

 

[Chuck]

Woah, Chuck! I'm sure not many of us had the slights idea this was the case! I also hail from Texas. Now I'm living a bit south to the border, so I guess epsom salts could be helpful preventing rot in my edibles. Wonder if it works the same in a colder weather?

Epsom salts is strange. I guess one would have to be some kind of chemist to really understand why it does what it does but it seems to be able to somehow enable micro-nutrients locked up in the soil to become available. I have heard that in Australia it is a mainstay in their gardens also. I think it would be an excellent soil amendment in any climate. All I know for sure is what it does here

 

[headfullofbees]

Epsom salts is not a fertiliser.
Epsom salts is magnesium sulphate.
Magnesium is a Potassium antagonist.
Too much potassium prevents plants from taking up enough nitrogen.
If the leaves on your tomato plants are yellowing, ES can be diluted in water and used either as a soil drench or as a foliar spray.

 

[Chuck]

Epsom salts is not a fertiliser.
Epsom salts is magnesium sulphate.
Magnesium is a Potassium antagonist.
Too much potassium prevents plants from taking up enough nitrogen.
If the leaves on your tomato plants are yellowing, ES can be diluted in water and used either as a soil drench or as a foliar spray.

I don't understand what you mean by Pot. antagonist. In studies here it has been found that too little Pot. take up in plants causes the end of the fruits to blacken and finally rot. And that when ES is applied to the plant the fruits that are affected will still rot but any new fruit will be OK. I think it must have something to do with alkalinity of our soil but I don,t really know the science behind it all. Here, when we set out tomatos, peppers etc we spread about 1/4 cup of ES all around the plant and water it in. Right now I have 2 squash plants that have a few yellowing leaves I will go out and give them another dose of ES and see what happens. I don't think it is either too much pot. or not enough pot. in the soil here that is the problem we have. I think it is the plants themselves that somehow are incapable of taking up pot. due to some other factor, and that ES fixes it every time. It also seem that tomatos are the most affected and that it is varietal also. For instance the Roma types are very susceptible while Celebrity not so much. Anyway it works and I am interested in finding out what ES does in other locations.

 

[LindaKay]

I love soaking in Epsom salts. I have never thought about using them in the garden, though. Thanks for sharing; I'm going to look into this.

 

[headfullofbees]

I don't understand what you mean by Pot. antagonist. In studies here it has been found that too little Pot. take up in plants causes the end of the fruits to blacken and finally rot. And that when ES is applied to the plant the fruits that are affected will still rot but any new fruit will be OK. I think it must have something to do with alkalinity of our soil but I don,t really know the science behind it all. Here, when we set out tomatos, peppers etc we spread about 1/4 cup of ES all around the plant and water it in. Right now I have 2 squash plants that have a few yellowing leaves I will go out and give them another dose of ES and see what happens. I don't think it is either too much pot. or not enough pot. in the soil here that is the problem we have. I think it is the plants themselves that somehow are incapable of taking up pot. due to some other factor, and that ES fixes it every time. It also seem that tomatos are the most affected and that it is varietal also. For instance the Roma types are very susceptible while Celebrity not so much. Anyway it works and I am interested in finding out what ES does in other locations.

I think (although I don't know for sure) the effect is slightly different when there's too much potassium present.
Apparently, this causes difficulties with the production of chlorophyll, and a yellowing of the leaves.
Magnesium is needed for this process, and it helps redress the balance, and aid nitrogen uptake.

 

[Chuck]

I think (although I don't know for sure) the effect is slightly different when there's too much potassium present.
Apparently, this causes difficulties with the production of chlorophyll, and a yellowing of the leaves.
Magnesium is needed for this process, and it helps redress the balance, and aid nitrogen uptake.

Interesting. I am going to do some side by side tests on different types of plants in my garden and see about this nitrogen enhancement with ES. I will start it today while they are still young. In fact I have some big leftover tomato plants that I didn't want to plant but will find room for. I will take pics and post

 

[Trellum]

Epsom salts is strange. I guess one would have to be some kind of chemist to really understand why it does what it does but it seems to be able to somehow enable micro-nutrients locked up in the soil to become available. I have heard that in Australia it is a mainstay in their gardens also. I think it would be an excellent soil amendment in any climate. All I know for sure is what it does here

I understand, Chuck. I guess the only way to truly know is by trying it nyself . I might do it if I move abroad, or if I stay over here and find a new place to live. It's worth trying.

 

[headfullofbees]

Interesting. I am going to do some side by side tests on different types of plants in my garden and see about this nitrogen enhancement with ES. I will start it today while they are still young. In fact I have some big leftover tomato plants that I didn't want to plant but will find room for. I will take pics and post

Interesting. I am going to do some side by side tests on different types of plants in my garden and see about this nitrogen enhancement with ES. I will start it today while they are still young. In fact I have some big leftover tomato plants that I didn't want to plant but will find room for. I will take pics and post

I'm only talking about solving deficiencies, I'm not sure about enhancement.

 

[Chuck]

I'm only talking about solving deficiencies, I'm not sure about enhancement.

Maybe we are talking apples and apples here. If I have a nitrogen deficiency because of a failure to uptake pot. and ES solved it woudn't that mean ES is a nitrogen enhanser?

 

[revolvingtoast]

I've used epsom salts for my tomato plants. I haven't seen any results yet but I've only applied the mixture a couple of times. I'll let you know how it goes

 

[Pat]

Very interesting, I have used ES to help relieve aches and pains in the joints before. I looked up an article that gives very good advice on how to use ES in the outdoor garden and indoor plants. Enjoy the read.http://www.saltworks.us/gardening-with-epsom-salt.asp#houseplants

 

[davbonpol]

How do you know if you need this or not? My vegetable garden doesn't have any plants with yellow leaves, but I live in Alabama so don't know if es is needed in this area.