Uses of Epsom Salt in the Garden

Uses of Epsom Salt in the Garden

Epsom salt is a popular supplement in organic gardening. For those interested in “green” living, Epsom salt is an ideal component in an organic garden. Epsom salt is an affordable, gentle and green treatment for your well-tended plants—both indoors and out.

With a chemical structure unlike any other, EPSOM SALT (also known as Magnesium Sulfate) is one of the most economic and versatile salt-like substances in the world. Epsom salt has long been known as a wonderful garden supplement, helping to create lush grass, full roses and healthy, vibrant greenery. It is considered a gardener’s secret ingredient to lovely, lush gardens, trees and lawns. Just as gourmet salt works with its companion ingredients to enhance flavors and bring a meal to its full potential, Epsom salt enhances fertilizer and soil vitality.  Casa De Amor Epsom Salt is the highest quality Epsom salt available, and is widely celebrated for its positive impact on household plants, shrubs, flowers, lawns, trees and even fruit and vegetables.

Why Epsom Salt Works in the Garden

Composed almost exclusively of magnesium sulfate, Epsom salt is intensely rich in these two minerals, which are both crucial to healthy plant life. These same minerals which are so beneficial for bathing and household tasks are also great for your garden, helping it reach its fullest potential and creating a lush and vibrant outdoor space. Unlike common fertilizers, Epsom salt does not build up in the soil over time, which makes it safer than using chemical soil supplements.

Magnesium

Magnesium is beneficial to plants from very early on, right when the seed begins to develop. Magnesium assists with the process of seed germination, helping to strengthen the plant cell walls so the plant can receive essential nutrients. Magnesium also plays a crucial role in photosynthesis by assisting with the creation of chlorophyll, used by plants to convert sunlight into food. In addition, it also allows the plant to soak up phosphorus and nitrogen, which serve as vital fertilizer components for the soil. Believed to bring more flowers and fruit to your garden, magnesium can increase the bounty, as well as the beauty of your space.

Sulfate

Sulfate, a mineral form of sulfur found in nature, is an equally important nutrient for plant life. Sulfate is essential to the health and longevity of plants, and aides in the production of chlorophyll. It joins with the soil to make key nutrients more effective for plants, including nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Sulfate works in conjunction with magnesium to create a blend of minerals, nourishment and health for your garden

How to Use Epsom Salt in the Garden

Epsom Salt for Houseplants

Perhaps the most natural and easiest place to start with Epsom Salt is with the potted plants that are dispersed around your house and porch. Adding Epsom salt is a simple way to increase the health of their blooms, and is something that you can include easily as a part of a normal routine. For potted plants, simply dissolve two tablespoons of Epsom salt per gallon of water, and substitute this solution for normal watering once a month.

Adding this Epsom salt solution to houseplants that have been potted for a long time is especially useful, due to the buildup of natural salt, which can accumulate in the soil and clog the root cells of the plant. Epsom Salt can help to clear up this accumulation of natural salts in the pot, and can help improve in the plant's health and vibrancy. It is also useful for a newly potted plant, as it will more easily receive the proper nutrients and have a healthy start in life. Most plants need plenty of sun to receive the benefits of Epsom Salt (and photosynthesize), so be sure to keep houseplants in sunny areas unless instructed otherwise. Using Epsom Salt with vegetables can also be beneficial because it can increase the amount of produce you receive from the plant. This is particularly beneficial to apartment dwellers and those with little or no personal yard space, as Epsom Salt can help you receive a large bounty within a confined space. It is a wonderful way to easily and effectively grow food, even from an apartment balcony!

First Planting with Epsom Salt

Prep garden soil by sprinkling up to one cup of Epsom Salt per 100 square feet, and then work it into the soil before seeding or planting. This helps the seeds to germinate and start with a strong, healthy growth. It can also aid more mature plants that will be added to your garden, since the transition can be difficult for their growth and health.

Vegetable Gardens & Epsom Salt

Epsom salt can help you refresh and revitalize an established garden—or create a healthy beginning for a new one. Epsom Salt does not accumulate in the soil or harm any plants when used, so it can be used safely and effectively during any stage of the plant’s life. For general purposes, Epsom Salt works well as a saline solution for a tank sprayer. Simply fill your tank sprayer (commonly available at gardening and home improvement stores) with one tablespoon of Epsom Salt per gallon of water. Spray your garden after the initial planting, then again after a month or so, and lastly when the vegetables begin to mature. It is believed that this practice will give you healthier vegetables, and a lush vegetable garden. Please note that Epsom salt can be used with any plant, except for varieties sage. Consult your local gardener for more information about best practices.

Epsom salt can be especially beneficial to vegetable gardens with tomatoes and peppers. See below for more specific information.

Tomatoes & Epsom Salt

Tomatoes are prone to magnesium deficiency later in the growing season, which can show with yellowing leaves and diminished production. Epsom Salt treatments at the beginning of their planting and throughout their seasonal life can help to prevent and remedy magnesium deficiency in your tomato plants. Simply add one or two tablespoons to the area before planting seeds or transplants. As the tomato plant matures, you can work in one tablespoon of Epsom Salt per foot of plant height around the base of each tomato plant, or use the tank sprayer solution previously mentioned and spray plants every two weeks.

Peppers & Epsom Salt

Like tomatoes, peppers are prone to magnesium deficiency. Epsom salt can be used just as efficiently with pepper plants as with tomato plants. By adding one or two tablespoons to the area before planting for seeds, starter plants and full-grown plants, and then adding it twice a week based on the height of the plant (see above), you can give your pepper plants a much-needed magnesium boost. A study conducted by the National Gardening Association revealed that four out of six home gardeners noticed their Epsom salt-treated peppers were larger than those that were untreated. Many gardeners credit their healthy, vibrant peppers and tomatoes to Epsom salt.

 

Flower Gardens & Epsom Salt

Like vegetable gardens, flower gardens bloom lushly with the use of Epsom Salt both in the soil and as a liquid solution. Epsom salt helps your garden become the calming, serene environment you envision, and will increase the beauty of your home and landscape. To use, follow the guidelines outlined in the First Planting section for both brand new seedlings and more mature plants. Next, fill a tank sprayer with a liquid solution containing one tablespoon of Epsom Salt per gallon of water. This solution should be used after the initial planting, then later when you see growth, and finally when they bloom. If you don’t have a tank sprayer, you can create this solution in a watering can with one tablespoon of Epsom Salt per gallon of water.

Roses and flower bushes have some additional tips concerning the use of Epsom salt:

Rose

Roses & Epsom Salt

Roses truly thrive when enriched by Epsom salt. Adding it to plants is said to make foliage greener, healthier and lead to more roses. To get the most of your roses, start by soaking unplanted rose bushes in half a cup of Epsom Salt per gallon of water before planting, to help strengthen the roots. When planting, add one tablespoon of Epsom Salt per hole before inserting the rose bush. After the roses are planted, make the same Epsom Salt solution in a tank sprayer or watering can, or simply work in one tablespoon of Epsom Salt per foot of the plant. Once during the beginning of the season, it is also advised to work half a cup of Epsom Salt into the base of the plant to encourage blooming canes and healthy basal cane development.

Shrubs & Epsom Salt

Epsom salt can improve the blooms of flowering and green shrubs, especially evergreens, azaleas and rhododendrons. Work in one tablespoon of Epsom Salt per nine square feet of bush into the soil, over the root zone, which allows the shrubs to absorb the nutritional benefits. Repeat this every two to four weeks for optiml results.

LB

Lawn Care & Epsom Salt

Epsom Salt can revitalize not just your garden, but your lawn, as well.

Epsom salt is particularly useful for preventing a yellowing lawn and creating lusher, softer, greener grass. It can be applied using a tank sprayer, a lawn spreader, or by using a hose and spray attachment. Use three pounds per 1250 square feet (25’ x 50’), six pounds per 2500 square feet (50’ x 50’), and twelve pounds per 5000 square feet (50’ x 100’). If using a tank sprayer or a hose and spray attachment, make sure to dissolve the salt by diluting it in plenty of water, so that it is a concentrated solution.

Trees & Epsom Salt

Trees, the largest and longest standing part of your garden, can also benefit from Epsom salt. By adding it to the soil, tree roots can absorb more minerals, giving you strong, healthy trees to enjoy for years to come. If your trees bloom or produce fruit, Epsom Salt can increase the production of both flowers and produce. Work in two tablespoons per nine square feet into the soil over the root zone three or four times a year. Planning to complete this at the beginning of each season is a great way to prepare the tree for changes in weather; it also strengthens them and makes them healthier in the weeks to come.

 

For buy online, please click the link 

https://casagardening.com/products/epsom-salt-by-casa-de-amor

 

Back to blog