The reason you use Epsom salts or magnesium sulfate is because magnesium stimulates basal breaks. Is your soil deficient in Mg?...the only way to know is to do a soil test. I do not use Epsom salts because my soil test indicated high levels of Mg & I don't want to add more because too much Mg can impact the uptake of other fertilizers.

I love it's multi-purpose use.

...which reminds me of Starbucks:

Ask for free used coffee grounds....every now & then, they promote the campaign...few know about it

earthworms love coffee grounds....I don't love earthworms...
I love my roses and they love me back :)

This post was edited by mauvegirl8 on Sat, Feb 9, 13 at 14:23

A soil test is the best answer to this question, but understand that if you live someplace where the soil was once an ocean floor, you probably have plenty of magnesium already, and thus adding more is just another way to waste $$$. That would pretty much cover SoCal.

I might give my roses a tablespoon or two--a few of my healthy established bushes--Memorial Day, Mr. Lincoln, and Betty White--I'm talking to you--are overdue for new canes.
Hoovb, no disrespect of scrunchies was intended; I'm wearing one now, even as I type. I'm well beyond being concerned about being passe, but I'm delighted to see scrunchies are making a comeback. (Everything old is new again, and the elastics in my "vintage" ones are at the end of their shelf life.)
For me, spending a lot of time over manuscripts and over a keyboard means that something has to be deployed keep the hair off the face. It's either a scrunchie or one of those lavender rubber bands off the bundle of asparagus.

Kay

Yup. Our hillside was once ocean bottom. We gots LOTSA Magnesium here. No more needed.

kstrong is right ... this is true for much of SoCal. Which makes me feel pretty silly about the epsom salts we used, years ago.

Jeri

Just reinforcing wirosarian's point that, if your soil is already high in magnesium, applying substantial amounts of epsom salts is actively harmful. If your soil is low in magnesium, it is helpful. If you have used dolomite lime (the most common kind) to raise the pH of acid soil, that is a long-lasting source of Mg. Epsom salts would be the preferred source of Mg if a soil test shows both low magnesium and a pH above, say, 6.2.

Plants use Mg in the chlorophyll molecule. The symptom of Mg deficiency is paleness at the leaf margins with wide bands of normal green along the central vein and several of the large lateral veins. The normal green forms a shape like a stylized drawing of a Christmas tree. The shortage of chlorophyll can reduce overall vigor.

I doubt that extra magnesium would cause extra basal breaks.

If a soil test or leaf symptoms show Mg deficiency, an appropriate dose would be 2-4 TB of epsom salt every few months.

If not epsom salts how do you induce basal breaks? I've inherited a handful of stick roses from previous owner and never knew what to do - low pruning just resulted in a new stick.

This is how I now use Epsom Salts...for me, not the roses. Especially after a rough day gardening....

Epsom Salt Baths: An Old-School Way to Feel Better Fast?

Good for you Buford. Me too!

buzzy, I think a number of us here use alfalfa to encourage basil breaks. It comes in cubes (large bag from your local grain feed store). Some get alfalfa meal, but I've never found any around here.

Water the cubes well so that they start breaking down.

Wonderful on just about anything that grows.

Kate

I use Epsom Salts as a soak for horse hooves with absesses. During winter months absesses are common, and nothing like a nice 1/2 hour soak with hot water and epsom salts prior to wrapping with a duct-tape bootie and iccthamal (the old "black salve") to fix the problem.

I have some fancy velvet and lace scrunchies that the elastic is stretched out on, they look good over gloves on the wrist area when you've got your coat on. The white lace ones look good over lacy sox. I had all the lace gloves, hats, leather dresses with boots- you name it- in the 80s. I could never give my scrunchies up.

I use epsom salts for a soaking bath, too! With some liquid soap for a surfactant, and a nice smelling fragrance oil added, it's a great muscle relaxer (if you stay in it for 30 minutes, that is).

Well, it also gets put on my roses and citrus at least once a year.