This gardening season I am watering liberally with Epsom salt. It's one of those old wives tales that I heard somewhere, at some unknown time. This year it surfaced in my brain and I decided to try it. I am just putting a teaspoon in the large watering can and watering the plants. This is just like planting the banana. A partial, faded memory with no clear direction if I am doing it right or wrong.
So far the results have been mixed. Some of the plants have perked up considerably. Of course it could just be that I am watering them. But the roses, and peonies seem happy, and filled with blooms. The upside down hanging tomato is way bigger and bushier than the ground tomato. This is the largest and most solid crop of milkweed I have ever had. The spearmint is growing taller and sturdier than is reasonable. The porch ferns are a little over four feet tall now so I am expecting that they will top my five foot height soon. The rhubarb seems to appreciate it and has had a recent growth spurt. My other herbs don't seem to care and are just being normal.
From the internet, I finally looked it up. I learned that using Epsom salts in gardens is not new and farmers learned long ago that magnesium sulfate fed plants become greener. The magnesium helps plants to absorb nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. Which in turn helps in the creation of chlorophyll, vital for photosynthesis and leads to the plant having more healthy blooms and fruit.
So magnesium is one of the nutrients plants need to grow but, it's a minor nutrient which means plants don't need very much of it. The sulfate consists of sulfur and oxygen but it is also only a minor nutrient for plants.
According to what I read, we should all have our soil tested in the spring so we will know what needs to be replenished for better gardens. Farmers rotate their crops but home gardeners have a strong tendency to plant once and then leave it alone until the plant makes its unhappiness known by not blooming or growing.
Fortunately, for me, Epsom salt cannot be over done and its safe for almost all plants. I have been adding a teaspoonful to the water every other day or so. Now I learn I'm only supposed to be adding it to the water once or twice a month at the most. Oops!
I also learned that my beans, kale and lettuce are perfectly happy and prefer soil with low levels of magnesium. That could explain a lot! Roses, tomatoes and peppers love magnesium. This could be a good thing but perhaps its time to put the bottle of Epsom salts back in the cabinet.
These are the directions on how to use Epsom salt in your garden correctly from the web site https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/epsom-salt-gardening.htm
When diluted with water, Epsom salt is easily taken up by plants, especially when applied as a foliar spray. Most plants can be misted with a solution of 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of Epsom salt per gallon of water once a month. For more frequent watering, every other week, cut this back to 1 tablespoon (15 mL). With roses, you can apply a foliar spray of 1 tablespoon per gallon of water for each foot of the shrub's height. Apply in spring as leaves appear and then again after flowering. For tomatoes and peppers, apply 1 tablespoon of Epsom salt granules around each transplant or spray (1 tbsp. or 30 mL per gallon) during transplanting and again following the first bloom and fruit set.
Happy gardening!
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