How to Use Epsom Salt in Your Garden

Epsom salts carry a lot of benefits for a variety of situations. Whether you simply need to take a restoring bath for aches and pains or you want to liven up your vegetable garden, knowing how to use these salts will give you an edge on healthy living. Don’t currently own a tub of Epsom salt? The best place to purchase it is from this page on Amazon.

And best of all? You can gain all of these benefits naturally and toxin-free.

What are Epsom salts?

Epsom salt gets its name from the saline English spring from which it comes. It is not really a salt as we understand table salt, but is a naturally occurring mineral compound made up magnesium and sulfate.

How does Epsom salt help the health of your plants?

Magnesium and sulfate are both critical in successful growing. Magnesium is important for all living things from humans to plant life, and a low amount in the soil can mean weak, poor fruit and flowers as well as a low nutritional value. Sulfate is vital for the nutritional absorption and also flushes toxins from organisms. A helpful tip in almost any garden is to enrich your plants with magnesium and sulfate by using Epsom salts.

A solution made of dissolved Epsom salt and water can invigorate your plants by providing them with an extra dose of these critical nutrients. Simply dissolve and pour into the base of the plant, letting the mixture soak into the soil. You can also use a bit of this solution to ready the soil before planting. You can use this mixture to invigorate a variety of plant life from your vegetable garden to your landscape. By diluting and dissolving in water, you make the minerals in these salts more accessible to your plants. Common effects of this natural “fertilizer” are stronger blooms and better flowering.

What specific plants do Epsom salts improve?

This practice can be especially useful when planting tomatoes which need a lot of magnesium. When tomatoes lack this in their soil, the fruits will end up not as sweet and not as healthy.

Peppers

also need magnesium to grow large and to produce greater quantities.

A boost of magnesium in the soil can also help your fruit trees produce stronger and more delicious results. Adding just a little bit around the roots can even make the fruit itself more nutritious. Apply about 3 times a year to see and taste improvement.

Roses

Also benefit from an extra dose of minerals that Epsom salts provide. Veteran rose growers champion the benefits of Epsom salts which make roses more vibrant, colorful, and stronger. Magnesium is an important player here, but so are the sulfur, nitrogen, and phosphorus levels that Epsom salts will increase.