Yes. It's a salt, so the more there is in the soil solution, the harder it is for the plant to take up water. If there's much too much, it literally pulls water from plant cells by exactly the same mechanism curing salts pull water from meat cells (bacon, ham, etc). You should never dose with Epsom salts unless you have a very good reason to believe the only thing wrong with your plants, nutritionally, is a magnesium deficiency. In nearly 100% of all cases for plants in containers, it would be better to simply flush the soil and fertilize with an appropriate fertilizer containing magnesium and all other essential nutrients. Overdosing with Epsom salts because it has the potential to make your plants greener is very poor practice, and FAR more likely to be limiting than helpful. Hi, Linda! If you're still active of the forums. It's been a while since your name's popped up. I hope you're faring well. Al

Just type in calcium nitrate and gogooled it.

I sprinkle some on the beds in the spring. Later on in the growing season I foiliar feed my tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, etc., few times. It is all natural harmless substance, that you can even use as drink(proper dosage), you can bath in it, soak your feet in it. BER??? As far as I know, it is not a cure for BER. But it can make your plants lush green and healthy. For BER, disolve some calcium tablet in water and pour it at the base of your tomato plants.(Thats what they say). But I have found out from my own experience and have read about aothers, that ROMA, and SAN MARZANO are suseptible to BER. You can say that they are calcium deficiency sensative.

<This is not an argument about the value of compost.> Why does it have to be an argument? Can't it simply be a discussion? Can I tell you that I have never learned anything from someone who always agree with me? And it also seems the discussion is a moving subject from < I've never understood the value of compost tea,> to <But it contains almost no nutrients.> referring to compost not compost tea. To <Sorry. That's wrong. You can look up the NPK of various kinds of compost, and the numbers are miniscule.> To <The original question was how to fertilize without using commercial fertilizers. So I'm assuming we're talking about how much NPK such fertilizers will contribute.> To <Compost is fantastic, and I use a lot of it. The issue was whether compost tea could be considered a fertilizer. Compost supplies little nutrients but it can supply the bacteria that will help convert organic materials into future nutrients> Let me offer this here (bolding is mine) - In addition, compost contains micronutrients and trace minerals that are often missing from commercial fertilizer, such as: Sulfur Carbon Magnesium Calcium Boron Copper Iron Iodine Zinc Manganese Found here - What Nutrients Can Be Found in Compost? And point out that one of the OP's original questions was <Is there anything else I can feed to my tomatoes avoiding commercial fertilizers?> You immediately pointed to what? Also if you would like to continue discussing your disdain for compost perhaps that would be better discussed over in the soil forum under your own topic. http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/soil