When & how to use Epsom salt on plants

The science is there for the human benefits of Epsom salts, but the plant ones? We asked some horticulture experts to get the scoop.

The logic behind using Epsom salts on plants.

Plants, like people, need magnesium to function. "Magnesium is one of the essential macronutrients a plant needs to photosynthesize," Summer Rayne Oakes, the plant authority behind Plant One on Me, tells mbg. "If you go back to biology days, you may recall that Mg is the central ion in chlorophyll, so plants need it to make food. It's also needed in RNA and DNA synthesis, binds with lots of important enzymes, and assimilates phosphorus, which is another vital macronutrient." The sulfur in Epsom salt is also beneficial, helping plants form important enzymes and proteins.

The healthiest and most resilient plants are the ones that are getting just the right amount of all the essential nutrients—from magnesium and sulfur to nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. That's why it's important to fertilize plants regularly, especially if their soil has any known deficiencies.

Epsom salt is not a complete fertilizer, so while it can boost the magnesium and sulfur count in soil, it won't add any of those other nutrients a plant needs to grow strong.

So, like coffee grounds, the value of Epsom salt as a garden additive has been slightly exaggerated. Unless your soil is deficient in magnesium and sulfur, certified professional horticulturist and author Leslie F. Halleck, M.S., says that the salts won't do all that much. "And if you already have quite a bit of available magnesium in the soil," Oakes adds, "then it can cause complications for the uptake of other nutrients."

Source: Mbg Lifestyle

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Source: Mbg Lifestyle