How to Use Epsom Salt for Plants

[Reesacat]

Melanie Watts, eHow Contributor
No Date

Epsom salt has been credited with producing lush, green plant growth.
Gardeners have been advocating the use of Epsom salt to feed plants for years, asserting that it produces lush, green growth, increased fruit production and plant hardiness. The practice is not without its critics, among whom are those who say plants do not typically require the nutrients that Epsom salt provides.

Epson salt contains sulfur and magnesium, essential micronutrients for plant growth. Some gardeners dig the product into soil around the plant base or dissolve it in water and either use it as a foliar feed or apply it when watering the plants. The Epsom Salt Council suggests several "garden usage tips" for Epson salt. Instructions for use with plants are sometimes included on the packaging.


Read more: How to Use Epsom Salt for Plants | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5701688_use-epsom-salt-plants.html#ixzz1qttfWHyV

[StephenX]

I have preached this for years. The solution to end rot on tomatoes and tomato blooms is to put some Epsom's salt into the hole when you set out your plants. Most soil has sufficient calcium; but lacks in magnesium. Same goes for human beings.

[sollyb]

I wonder if that is a way to get sulfur into the soil here (very alkaline) other forms of sulfur have failed.

[Katee]

As the doctor advised Epsom's salts baths for me - i can't do an entire bath but i was doing a foot bath/soak a couple of times a week - i gave it a try. I can't do it more often as the sulfate gives me problems. I was careful not to use another product in the foot bath (like a salt scrub or soap) and then saved the foot bath water to give to our roses and fruit trees.

[Aaltrude]

A word of caution, an epsom salts bath or foot bath should not be used by anyone who is intolerant of sulphates.

[Islander]

Some soil additives, like diluted human urine, are great nitrogen fertilizers for green leafy plants like lettuce, chard, collards. Magnesium in epsom salts is useful for fruiting plants, especially peppers (capsicum). I follow the instructions on the package (a tablespoon or two worked into the soil at transplanting time)..

[Julieanne]

I only use epsom salts when leaves show a need for it, mainly on citrus. I nearly lost my Seville orange a while back, when the leaves went very yellow. A feed with e.s. and it was soon back on its feet - er, trunk, roots?

There are a lot of good websites that will show you images of nutrient deficiencies so you can be sure you are adding the right element.

sollyb, have you tried iron sulphate? I use it to make sure the soil for my bluberries (in pots) is acid enough. I recently bought some potting mix that was so alkaline it actually killed new plants! I added iron sulphate to it in two or three gradual doses, and now plants are thriving in it.

[sollyb]

I don't remember trying any iron sulphate........will look for some to try. Thanks!