Topic: Epsom Salts in the Garden?

[Peggy]

I was shopping today, in the Cottage Grove Walmart store....  and discovered that Epsom Salts are used as a fertilizer in the garden!   

I did not know this...

So, I had to come home and research it.  The first place I looked was that wikipedia thing..and I learned so much about how helpful this non salt is to our everyday lives!!

One of the references for the article there as the Epsom salt council's website:
http://www.epsomsaltcouncil.org/garden_usage_tips.htm


I'll copy and paste what little I see here about garden uses:

Part I: Garden Benefits

Studies show that magnesium and sulfur, two components of Epsom Salt may:
Help seeds germinate
Make plants grow bushier
Produce more flowers
Increase chlorophyll production
Improve phosphorus and nitrogen uptake

Part II: Why It Works

Magnesium and sulfur are the two major components of Epsom Salt. Crop researchers have determined that magnesium is:

A critical mineral for seed germination.
Vital to the production of chlorophyll, which plants use to transform sunlight into food.
An aid in the absorption of phosphorus and nitrogen, two of the most important fertilizer components.

Sulfur, the other major component of Epsom Salt, is also an important plant nutrient. Sulfur may:

Contribute to chlorophyll production.
Make the primary nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) found in most fertilizers more effective.
Although magnesium and sulfur occur naturally in soil, they can be depleted by various conditions, including heavy agricultural use over time. But unlike most commercial fertilizers, which build up in the soil over time, Epsom Salt is not persistent so you can't overuse it. Tests by the National Gardening Association confirm - roses fertilized with Epsom Salt grow bushier and produce more flowers, while the compound makes pepper plants grow larger than those treated with commercial fertilizer alone.


Part III: Garden Usuage Tips

• 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.

45- and still got's lot's to learn!!! Peg   

[patches]

Actually Peg, I've been using Epsom Salts in and out of the garden for years.  I have always used it on my plants in the garden,  then I use it in my bath water after I have worked out all day in the yard and garden :rofl1:because it takes away all the aches and pains.   Hey, it really does work for both places.  I found out about Epsom Salts by accident many years ago, when I went with a friend to the Mum Festival they have at Southeast Missouri State University's Charles L. Hutson Agriculture Greenhouse in Cape Girardeau, Missouri every the fall.  Boy, I learned all the ins and outs of Epsom Salts when I was there.    It was a wonderful learning experience, plus I bought some gorgeous mums while I was there! 

[duh]

I use it both ways too.  Right now I'm out and not buying any because of the up and comming move.  No reason to pack more than I need to.  But as soon as I get settled I'll definitely be getting it at the store.

[patches]

Well, I finely got smarter last year and started buying it in larger quantities.  You can actually save quite a bit by doing it that way. 

[duh]

I'll have to check that out.  I buy it over in health and beauty.  It's cheaper than the stuff in gardening.

[patches]

Yes, Duh, you'll save a lot if you use it as much as I do.   I love using it in the garden, and I have been very pleased with the results.   

[Jim]

Do you order it off the net Patti or have a local supplier that deals in larger quantities?  I found several on the net but so far we haven't found any suppliers locally for any larger quantities than what you see in the health and beauty sections and that don't go far when you are adding it around 30 tomato plants!

We do have a Southern States Feed Store here that usually has lots of that type stuff so I will probably check there before ordering off the net and having to pay shipping.

[barleychown]

I have the local feed store order me a 50 pound bag of it every year. The price is usually near 30 cents a pound.

Your local feed store can also order you big bags of bone meal, kelp meal, blood meal, feather meal, alfalfa meal and many more.

Roses really like epsom salt, as do peppers and tomatoes. I find adding a handful to compost tea is a great way to give plants a boost mid-season.

[Bonnie]

One time I thought about growing asparagus, and the guy in the feed store told me to use epsom salt.

[patches]

Do you order it off the net Patti or have a local supplier that deals in larger quantities?   

No, Jim, if you order it off the net the shipping and handling is almost as much as the Epsom Salts.      My friend that had the garden shop got it for me wholesale at one of the places she ordered from in St. Loius.  It was just added to her order and if the order was over $250.00 the delivery was always free.   She still orders from them and gets wholesale prices, but her orders usually never qualify for the free delivery, so her husband will just drive over to pick up what she needs, and I can still have her get it for me.   

[Pharmerphil]

good suggestions, we will have to check around to try and find a bulk source, we buy it at wally world too.  we use it every two weeks, 1 teaspoon per foot of plant height,

one small word of caution though.
This can have an adverse effect, due to the sulphurs effect on soil Ph, lowering Ph and making it more acidic. It works slowly at doing this, so always err on the cautious side in yer applications

so, It's always good to start with a soil test.

[christy]

   good info! ive only used it on my roses, looks like ill be buying more   

[Jim]

We found some 4 lb bags at Wal-Mart the other day for $2.12.  Not as good as the feed store price that Sarah mentioned but better than the health and beauty price.  I haven't had a chance to go by the feed store yet to see if I can get a 50lb bag.

[barleychown]

I feel that I should mention that I do not USE 50 pounds a year on my gardens. I also use it in my baths, to soak my horse's hoof boo-boos, and any nasty cuts on any other critters.

[Jim]

I thought I got a deal with the 4 lb bag but as it turns out at Food Lion the 4 lb milk carton is $1.99.  Guess I didn't look hard enough before I bought.

[patches]

I also use it in my baths 

Me too, Sarah, I go through quite a lot of it in the spring, summer and fall!   It sure does take away all the aches and pains acquired by working in the yard!   

[Peggy]

Wow, and I never knew! I'm so glad I found that article and posted it, cause you all answered and now look at all the other hints there are! I'll have to try it on my roses, asparagas, tomatoes, and peppers....

and I'll have to find that cheaper stuff. Right now I buy it out of the Walmart pharmacy, and I think that is cheap! LOL.

I buy it also for making "bath salts" for my little one to make gifts this christmas. Last christmas, I let her and a friend color them, and they didn't let the salts dry before putting them in the jar.  The colors mixed and folks got army green (puke green?) bath salts for christmas.  So, I buy a box when I go into walmart and color the NOW, so they'll be dry by winter! ho ho ho!
Now the girls can layer the colors and the jars will be really pretty! 

Geez!

Hugs, Peg

[Hillhound]

If you grow any tuberous rooted plants such as Dahlias etc and lift them for overwintering indoors then it is good to soak them in a solution of Epsom Salts before replanting in spring, it seems to make the "eyes" open much faster and lead to far more stems/cuttings being produced.

I had a mate who swore he got better potato crops by soaking his tubers for an hour before planting too.
Don't have any proof of this one though.

[Peggy]

Wow, that's a good thing to know, Hillhound .... thanks for sharing!! Peg