Was there a post here about Epsom salt in the garden?

pattico_gw

14 years ago

I can't find it and wanted to send it to my daughter.

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Comments (8)

luckygardnr
14 years ago
* Houseplants: 2 tablespoons per gallon of water; feed plants monthly.

* Tomatoes: 1 tablespoon per foot of plant height per plant; apply every two weeks.

* Roses: 1 tablespoon per foot of plant height per plant; apply every two weeks. Also scratch 1/2 cup into soil at base to encourage flowering canes and healthy new basal cane growth. Soak unplanted bushes in 1/2 cup of Epsom Salt per gallon of water to help roots recover. Add a tablespoon of Epsom Salt to each hole at planting time. Spray with Epsom Salt solution weekly to discourage pests.

* Shrubs (evergreens, azaleas, rhododendron): 1 tablespoon per 9 square feet. Apply over root zone every 2-4 weeks.

* Lawns: Apply 3 pounds for every 1,250 square feet with a spreader, or dilute in water and apply with a sprayer.

* Trees: Apply 2 tablespoons per 9 square feet. Apply over the root zone 3 times annually.

* Garden Startup: Sprinkle 1 cup per 100 square feet. Mix into soil before planting.

* Sage: Do not apply! This herb is one of the few plants that doesn't like Epsom Salt.
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magic_arizona
14 years ago
What does it do?
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Anyone use epsom salt as fertilizer for houseplants?
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Comments (20)
Since no plants use N, P, and K in THE 1:1:1 RATIO supplied by 20-20-20, you can do better. Supplying fertilizer in the ratio at which your plants actually USE the nutrients offers some significant advantages, not the least of which is the ability to keep the level of dissolved solids (fertilizer/mineral salts) at their lowest w/o having to suffer the effects of deficiencies. After the calculations are done for how P and K are reported on fertilizer packages, you'll find that 3:1:2 ratio fertilizers like 24-8-16, 12-4-8 (Miracle Grow makes All Purpose fertilizers in these NPK %s) or 9-3-6 supply NPK at almost exactly the ratio at which the average plant uses the nutrients. I use Foliage-Pro 9-3-6 by Dyna-Grow almost exclusively for that reason and others, which include the fact that FP 9-3-6 includes ALL essential nutrients plants normally take from the soil (including Ca & Mg which most soluble fertilizers lack (MG 20-20-20 lacks these elements/nutrients) and FP 9-3-6 gets most of it's N from nitrate sources and no N from urea. The later fact helps keep plants compact and full. Also, your nutrient supplementation program is usually dictated by your soil choice and watering habits. Soils that retain too much water (like most off the shelf brands) require much more attention to detail than soils that you can water freely w/o concern that the soil will remain soggy so long it impacts root health/function. Root health is a key factor that determines whether or not a healthy organism is even possible - to the degree that good root health is a prerequisite to a healthy plant. Never apply Epsom salts willy nilly, that is to say w/o good reason. Unless it has been determined your plant is suffering a Mg deficiency OR there is an excess of Ca in the soil causing an antagonistic deficiency of Mg, you're probably 10X more likely to create limitations than resolve them by adding Epsom salts. You might find this Basic overview helpful. It will help you avoid all of the most common issues all container gardeners encounter early in their journey toward greater proficiency. Al
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Calcium to enhance Austin roses' sex appeal and epsom salt
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Comments (12)
I have not located the original posts supporting this idea, but I do have to wonder if something else is going on. As a plant physiologist, I have trouble believing that you could get enough calcium into a cut flower, in so short a time, to make any difference. On the other hand, the citrate could be used by the flower as a source of energy, and we know that helps -- commercial flower preservatives almost always have citrate in them for precisely that reason. Also, those preservative solutions almost always strongly acidify the water, which makes we wonder, again, about a calcium-based substance that would at best be neutral pH, but in most cases, alkaline. So I'm wondering if the effect being seen here may be due to the citrate. That would still leave the question of why Tums works (CaCO3) -- I tend to doubt that it does, but as I said, have not found the reference about it. Over the years, we've done quite a lot of research on floral preservatives. Generally the often-recommended aspirin has no effect at all. One of the best materials we ever found was one part Sprite (regular, not diet -- you want that high-fructose corn syrup!) to 3 parts water, then with a couple drops of Clorox in a quart of the solution. That mixture gives excellent life to cut flowers. Sprite has citric acid (Hydrogen citrate), simple sugars, and is rather acidic -- the three things we want in a preservative solution.
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Question on Epsom salts
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Comments (5)
I have used both sul po mag and epsoms just sprinkled around the plant and worked into the soil. Now is a good time to give your plant strength for the winter as nitrogen is not wanted after August. I think Jack has a more scientific approach to his plants. I would rather surf than work so I often go easy in the garden. When I looked again at that picture taken in June I realized the plant had grown a foot as it now is taller than the fence. Bill
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Epsom Salts on Tomatoes
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Comments (1)
TAMU Problem Solver is no help until we see your stuff. Need pictures of what's going on at your place.
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OklaMoni
14 years ago
My friend Liz proclaims it makes the soil/plants take all other nutrients better.
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nicole__
14 years ago
It's magnesium sulfate. Makes things green. Quote follows:

In agriculture and gardening, magnesium sulfate is used to correct magnesium deficiency in soil, since magnesium is an essential element in the chlorophyll molecule. It is most commonly applied to potted plants, or to magnesium-hungry crops, such as potatoes, roses, tomatoes, peppers and cannabis. The advantage of magnesium sulfate over other magnesium soil amendments (such as dolomitic lime) is its high solubility.
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Nita__AZ
14 years ago
Patti, is this the post you were looking for?

Here is a link that might be useful: GW Post
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pattico_gw
Original Author
14 years ago
I've got the measurements of how much to use for what plant...but the one I saw had pictures of plants on how they looked with and without.

Wondering if I put Epsom salts in a search and found it there.

gee I hate getting old.
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joyfulguy
14 years ago
If you get "bound up" (and I'm not referring to a plant being "pot-bound"), try some of them.

Not too much - and don't get far from a "bathroom" (and that applies even if you "bathed" within the hour).

ole joyfilled
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petaloid
14 years ago
I'm a rose nut, and they only need a dose of Epsom salt once each spring. As others have indicated, the magnesium helps chlorophyll form to green up the leaves and the sulphur acidifies the soil a bit.
0

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Was there a post here about Epsom salt in the garden?

Comments (8)

luckygardnr

magic_arizona

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OklaMoni

nicole__

Nita__AZ

pattico_gw
Original Author

joyfulguy

petaloid

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Was there a post here about Epsom salt in the garden?

Comments (8)

luckygardnr

magic_arizona

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OklaMoni

nicole__

Nita__AZ

pattico_gwOriginal Author

joyfulguy

petaloid

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pattico_gw
Original Author