Whats the best way to apply epsom salt? On the leaves or directly into the soil? Also should it be mixed with water prior to putting around the plant or just misxed into the soil?
Thanks
Thanks
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Epsom Salt Question
- Thread starter FadeToBlack
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AlabamaJack
Extreme Member
yes....not being a smart ass...just saying I do it all three ways...
use 1 Tbsp per gallon of water for foliar feed and watering....I am to the point where I am just adding about a 1/2 tablespoon to the top of the soil every couple of weeks then watering it in...
use 1 Tbsp per gallon of water for foliar feed and watering....I am to the point where I am just adding about a 1/2 tablespoon to the top of the soil every couple of weeks then watering it in...
AlabamaJack
Extreme Member
I only grow in containers...magnesium is very water soluable so IMO when you water your plants, you are washing out vital nutrients...thats why I top dress with 7-14-7 and a dash of Epsom salts every couple of weeks...seems to be working for me...
Check out this site for some good info... according to them you can't over do epsom salt... sounds too goo to be true though...
http://www.epsomsaltcouncil.org/
"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."
http://www.epsomsaltcouncil.org/
"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."
I have used Epsom salt quite a bit myself. I do just a hair more than 1Tbsp/gal but I would still stick with that. I use a 2gal sprayer so I drop in the Epsom salt and fill to 2gal. shake then spray. I wont say it "best" to spray leaves but I will tell you that when you do spray leaves it allows for much quicker/instant absorbtion of what ever you are spraying the plant with. When you spray the ground where the plant is then it will get absorbed by the roots and will take longer for the plant to absorb. I my self do both methods. This way (in theory) the plant will quickly absorb the stuff I sprayed on the leaves while the stuff at the roots takes it time to get into the plant.
Hope this helps.
Hope this helps.
I have watered and sprayed the plants, thanks for the responses
I spray the leaves and water it in. The other day when I was potting I added a teaspoon to the root zone area to see if that would help also?
I have used them in the past with great success. However, this year I tried to add a little bit more than usual to each pot (about 4-5 teaspoons) and over the next few days each plant had about 20% of it's leaves turn yellow and die. So I most certainly overdid it. All of the plants recovered though.