Epsom salt is the mineral compound of magnesium and sulfur which looks similar to normal table salt like tiny and colorless crystals.
It is known as magnesium sulfate which is an inorganic salt with chemical formula MgSO4.7H2O.
It consists of 10% magnesium and 13% sulfur which helps in seed germination, chlorophyll production, improving the uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus and also helps in producing of enzymes, vitamins and amino acids which aids in formation of large and pulpy fruit.
How To Make Epsom Salt?
Process 1
Magnesium sulfate mostly found in oceans and seas.
Distill seawater to get kieserite. Dissolve kieserite in water and allow it to dry in the sun to form crystals. Collect those crystals and send them to centrifugal process to produce Epsom salt.
Process 2
- Magnesium hydroxide and magnesium carbonate reacts to form magnesium oxide.
- After formation of magnesium oxide, react it with sulfuric acid to form magnesium sulfate.
- Thus formed magnesium sulfate is purified with crystallization.
Epsom Salts For Plants:
Foliar Spray:
To prepare foliar spray dilute 1 table spoon of Epsom salt with 4 liters of water. Don’t use foliar sprays on sunny days.
Use diluted solution of Epsom salt.
Tomatoes
If your tomato plant is 12 inches tall, sprinkle half table spoon of Epsom salt at the base of plant because it helps in healthy growth of plant.
Apply fertilizers at the base of the plant i.e., avoid direct interaction of fertilizers with plant leaves and stems.
Slug Repellent
Slugs are very harmful to the plants. So, you should keep them away from garden. Just sprinkle Epsom salt around your garden to irritate the slug’s body.
When you water the garden, this sprinkled Epsom salt dissolves in water and mixes up with soil.
Increased Yield
Apply the Epsom salt at the base of plants because it helps to increase the flower growth and yield. Epsom salts makes the cells stronger which helps to increase the yield.
Higher yields in peppers are observed when they are fed with Epsom salt. So, sprinkle 1 table spoon of this salt around the pepper plant. You will observe best results of Epsom salt mostly in tomatoes, peppers and roses.
Preserve Decorative Flowers:
Mix two aspirin tablets and 1 table spoon of Epsom salt in water to preserve the decorative flowers for longer periods.
Heal The Wounds
Sometimes we transfer plant from one pot to another. In new pot, sprinkle 1 table spoon of Epsom salt which helps the plant to heal it root wounds and adapt to new environment.
Boost The Seedling Growth:
Some gardeners uses Epsom salt spray before planting the transplants.
Introduce Epsom salts at the bottom of planting hole and then plant the seedling.
Decreases The Magnesium Deficiency
Importance Of Magnesium In Plants:
Magnesium helps in strengthening the cell walls thereby strengthening the seedlings and leads to increase the nutrient uptake by the plants.
Magnesium plays a vital role in chlorophyll production and aids in healthy growth of leaves.
Reasons For Magnesium Deficiency:
- Magnesium deficiency is observed in light, sandy and acidic soil. Some times it is even observed in clay soils.
- Intensive cultivation is one of the reason of magnesium deficiency.
- Rainfall and some irrigation methods leeches the minerals in the soil.
- High levels of potassium in the soil will not allow the roots to absorb magnesium.
- Addition of nitrogen to the soil, lowers the potassium levels and helps intake of magnesium by the plants.
- Trees with high level of nitrogen will not have the problem of magnesium intake.
Magnesium Deficiency In Tomatoes
Some plants like tomatoes should be often fed twice with Epsom salts when compared to other plants. Most of the tomato fertilizers are concentrated with calcium to prevent blossom end rot. These higher concentrations of calcium(when compared to magnesium) reduces the magnesium absorption of the plant.
So, mix 2 table spoons of Epsom salts in four liters of water and spray it for every 15 days.
Effect Of Magnesium Deficiency:
- Magnesium deficiency will not effects the plants like lettuce and spinach.
- But most of the plants don’t accept and show the magnesium deficiency symptoms.
- Magnesium deficiency in tomatoes results in bitter fruit.
- Leaf curling is a symptom of magnesium deficiency.
So, add 1 spoon of Epsom salt to 4 liters of water and spray the solution at the roots of unhealthy plants to reduce magnesium deficiency.
Before Applying Epsom Salts Check Calcium Levels:
Potting soil is low in calcium. Applying the excess amounts of Epsom salt leads to blossom end rot. But, Before applying Epsom salts make sure that the potting soil is having sufficient amount of calcium levels.
