Epsom Salts Can Be Great Nutrient
By Digging In TRACEY HOBSON For the Journal
Q. My daughter and I were discussing fertilizers a while ago and she mentioned epsom salts being a fertilizer. Is that true? I’ve always thought that was a wives’ tale.
A. It’s true. Epsom salts may be applied as part of a balanced diet. Not really a “fertilizer,” think of its application as a multivitamin for the plant kingdom.
Fertilizers consist mainly of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Those are the three “biggies” for plant needs. Epsom salts consist of magnesium and sulfur — two necessary elements for getting the biggies to work as needed. In an antiquated gardening book I received years ago by patrons, Janette and Steve, it defines magnesium as: an element which is useful in correcting soil acidity. With that I see where the use of epsom salts originated.
As colonists came to shore here, having applied epsom salts to their crop land in Europe, they carried the practice to the New England area and their crops flourished, as the soil in that neck of the woods is predominantly acidbased. Now it is known that magnesium “forms the core of every chlorophyll molecule in the cell of green leaves.” In other words, magnesium is a vital element when growing healthy plant life.
The plant needs sulfur so it can utilize the nitrogen applied in the fertilizer to enable it to feed the cells and allow for the production of more plant cells. Also, the sulfur helps correct alkalinity, which runs so rampant in our soils here.
Looking at the package of epsom salts that I have — and use predominantly for soaking away achy feelings — it does have application ratios for use as a fertilizer. It is recommended for lawns, tomatoes, roses, shrubbery, trees, soil amendment, and even houseplants. So using epsom salts isn’t just a wives’ tale. Those two elements are very useful when applied as a multivitamin used in conjunction with a balanced fertilizer!
Q. Every afternoon when I get home from work by 4, the veggie garden looks wilted. I water it then, go in and later go back out in the evening and everything is all popped back up! Am I not watering enough or what else could be going on?
A. Perhaps the garden is reacting to not enough water, but I think you need to make sure. The garden could be just showing signs of “heat wilt.” I know I wilt during the day and then “pop back up” as the sun relents. You just need to figure out which malady you are seeing!
Next time you get home in the afternoon and the garden looks wilted, wait to water and see if it doesn’t pop back up in the evening on its own. If it isn’t popped back up by dusk, then go ahead and water. If it does pop up, then all is well. See if you can water less often but longer when you do, and still have the garden pop back up.
That is healthier for the plants.
When I say longer, I mean a good soaking slow water! Set out a soaker hose among the rows and let it go for three-quarters of an hour to an hour at a fairly slow run. That way the soil gets wetter deeper and the roots are better able to store more water and prevent the “needs water wilt.” You might even consider laying newspaper along the rows to reduce evaporation. It’s a good cheap mulch!
Whatever wilt you’re seeing, you can rectify the situation. Heat wilt? No problem! Needs water wilt? Most fixable with a smidgen more care from you! Either way, have fun watching your garden grow!
Happy Diggin’ In!
Need tips on growing your garden? How much to water those bushes? How to transplant a tree? Tracey Hobson is a certified nurseryman. Send your garden-related questions to Diggin’ In, West Side Journal, P.O. Drawer J, Albuquerque, NM 87103.
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