Using Epsom Salts In Gardening...

[Tussiemussies]

Saw this article on how beneficial it is to use Epsom salts in gardening, has anyone tried it?

http://wakeup-world.com/2012/05/05/gardening-with-epsom-salt/

[herbgeek]

I put Epsom salts around my roses every year. I had my soil tested, and happened to be low on magnesium, which is the main ingredient in Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate, I think). Lots of blooms this year since I remembered to do it early.

[peggy]

I've used it in watering my lime tree, but that is all.

[Tussiemussies]

Thanks for shaing about your experiences. Am going to try it!

[iforonwy]

I have used it diluted in a spray to water pepper plants and also around the compost bins in my "wild garden area" to deter foxes.

[Tussiemussies]

I have used it diluted in a spray to water pepper plants and also around the compost bins in my "wild garden area" to deter foxes.

Hi iforowy, how did it work for you? Do you think it deterred the foxes?

[iforonwy]

I'm not sure that it did. It rains so much here that I am sure it all washed away. We are in by UK standards a semi-rural area here but I have not seen evidence of the fox for about 12 months now.

[CathyA]

I always heard that if you put some in the holes before you plant your tomato plants, its good. But I've never tried it.

[Tussiemussies]

Interesting to hear about others' experiences with this. When we move and I finally have a garden again I think I will try spraying it but not sure, don't want to wind up with a ruin for the season!:)

[Tussiemussies]

I'm not sure that it did. It rains so much here that I am sure it all washed away. We are in by UK standards a semi-rural area here but I have not seen evidence of the fox for about 12 months now.

Glad for you iforonwy that your fox friend is now gone. Do they also typically eat garden goods?

[iforonwy]

Not that I know of. They just make a mess and will scavange in the compost and rubbish bins. I have only seen the calling card that this one leaves although my neighbour has seen is sitting on the front lawn early in the mornings but that was last summer.

[Tussiemussies]

I guess if you had chickens they would be even more of an issue. We don't get any foxes in our neighborhood but I'm sure in the surrounding areas there are. We are in a developed neighborhood.

By the way what does your online name mean?

[iforonwy]

Yes they would be a problem if we had chickens. When we lived in a very rural area we kept goats and our neighbours on both sides kept chickens. But the goats always knew when they were around and would kick up a fuss that scared them away.

My on line name is just a Welsh girl's name. Sort of the female version of Ifor or Ivor.

[Tussiemussies]

Iforonwy, well glad for the goats, would they have gone after a larger animal than the self?

Neat online name -- are you Welsh?

[dado potato]

I believe Epsom Salts have a role in relieving the gardener of

his aches and stings.

[Tussiemussies]

Agreed dado, there is nothing as comforting than a Beth with Epsom salts in it. :)

[Gardenarian]

I top-dress my entire yard in the fall (when the rains have started) with compost. I usually mix in epsom salts, and it does seem help things green-up faster.

[Tussiemussies]

Thanks Garderarian for letting me know, when we buy our next house, we are renting now, I am going to try this out.

[iforonwy]

I agree dado potato. Before I started to garden myself I thought that Epsom Salts were only used for aches and pains. I think that they are a main ingredient in those "Bath Bombs" that you can buy to add to the bath water. They fizz and soften the water.

Yes I am Welsh but living in exile in Cornwall with a large (to me) garden where I grow fruit and veg but I am nowhere near self-sufficient at it as yet. My parents grew lots of fruit and veg back in the 50s and as there were only 3 of us we always had a surplus of potatoes and apples to share with friends and neighbours. At the moment I am sharing rhubarb left, right and centre! Later in the year it will be apples that I have a surplus of.

[Tussiemussies]

That is neat Iforonwy that you are Welsh. I bet you could share a lot of ethnic recipes in the food forum that would be really interesting and nice to try.

Great that your parents were gardners, did you learn a lot about gardening from them? What are you growing?

[iforonwy]

I don't think there is much extra to Welsh cookery than normal UK cookery. There are lots of regional variations though that involve leeks, lamb and lots of regional cake recipes.

At the moment I am growing lots of different herbs, I started a new herb bed this year, oregano, lemon balm, 2 types of thyme, marjoram and golden marjoram. I wanted them to spread over an area that I had cleared. There is another area with sage, chives, rosemary and winter savoury. We have a grape vine but it has only ever given us 1 bunch of grapes but this year has lots of teeny tiny bunches on at the moment. I have 3 different varieties of rhubarb and raspberries, autumn and golden, black currants, red currants and three blueberry bushes. And of course potatoes. We are growing a stronger hedge around our garden and one part of it is made up of culinary bay and cultivated, thornless blackberry.

Last year I planted some organic Jerusalem artichokes in a very large pot, most of my gardening is done in pots and containers, and left some to come again this year. They are up about 3 foot at the moment. I also planted horseradish in a large pot for the first time this year. I have tomatoes, again in pots, and peppers.

We have two apple trees one Jonagold and the other is a very old Bramley apple tree. We have a pear tree, a cherry tree and a fig tree but these are only about 4 years old and so far we have managed a handful of cherries, that I beat Mrs Blackbird to much to her chagrin and 5 or 6 figs and one single solitary pear!

Yes I learned a lot from my parents as money was tight in the 50s and Dad built our house and added a garden that would at least yield some food for us. We had apple trees that my great-uncle had planted for us. He was a gardener on the Hawarden Castle estate - home of W E Gladstone the Victorian Prime Minister - and the trees came from the estate. I expect that the current owner of the house has grubbed then out to concrete over some of the garden area.

My parents also grew lots of flowers that they sold to folk who could not afford the high prices sometimes charged for funeral tributes.

My apologies if I seem to have taken over this thread somewhat.

[toxcrusadr]

It seems the article linked in the original post was a shill for the sellers of Ultra brand Epsom Salt. So I take what it said with...dare I say it...a grain of salt.

Anyway, one thing I wanted to mention is that soils vary a lot in their mineral composition, so unless you know what's in your soil, adding supplements is a crapshoot. I had my garden and lawn soil tested by my local University Agricultural Extension lab, and learned a lot for <$20. My garden soil is rich in everything and has a perfect Ca:Mg ratio, something you should look at (along with pH) before adding Mg or Ca. Just my humble opinion.