Epsom Salt(s)

[fredx]

Any one use this on your tomatoes??

If so-- how and @ what rate

Thanks
fredx

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by fredx

Any one use this on your tomatoes??

If so-- how and @ what rate

Thanks
fredx

Nope, never.

It's magnesium sulfate and if your soil is lacking in Mg++, primarily, it might be useful, but most soils do not lack Mg++.

It does have one good use that amuses me. The central component of the chlorophyll molecule is Mg++, and I know it's sprayed on the Palm trees there to green them up befre tourist season.

And yes, you will find some folks here who do use Epsom Salts for tomatoes, not Palm trees.

Carolyn

[jerryinfla]

I'm currently using Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) as an amendment to soil in all my beds because I have a magnesium deficiency. I would not be using it or any other mineral element if I had not had my soil tested and I highly recommend you also have your soil tested before adding Epsom salts or any other element to it.

[bughunter99]

Don't add stuff to your soil unless you a deficiency demonstrated in a soil test.
The soil test will then tell you how much to add.

[ginger2778]

The only time I ever added it was to seedlings still in their expandable peat pellets, and that was only after their leaves yellowed following my adding not dilute enough liquid fertilizer. I never added it once in the ground, or in containers, but I will say that the seedlings yellow leaves returned to green within 2 days.
I used one tablespoon to a gallon of H2O.didnt use nearly the whole gallon.
Marsha

[WVTomatoMan]

Response: Yep, I have used Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate). Some of the old timers around here use it, especially those that like to brag that they have the biggest greenest tomato plants. That's how I heard about it. The only hard and fast rule I have with gardening is that I have no hard and fast rules. So, sometimes I use it - sometimes I don't.

Application methods and rates: A tablespoon can be added to the planting whole. A tablespoon can be applied as a side dressing (most commonly a couple of weeks after transplanting). And, due to its high solubility it can be used as a foliar spray at a rate of one tablespoon per gallon.

Warning: Be careful! Only use it once or twice per year. If you over use Epsom salt you'll get a big, beautiful, dark green tomato plant, but no fruit.

Agricultural Uses: 1) Epsom salt can be used to correct magnesium or sulfur deficiencies in the soil. 2) Magnesium is important in chlorophyll. 3) Commonly appied to magnesium hungry crops like tomatoes, potatoes and peppers.

My use: I use it when I feel a plant or plants need or may need a little something extra. Kind of like fertilizer. My soil isn't deficient of NPK, but I still generally side dress twice a year with organic tomato fertilizer.

One final note - above all else heed my warning.


Randy

[livinonfaith]

I had a bad experience with Epsom salts the year I tried them. Sprayed all of my tomatoes once when I put them in. Went to spray the second time a few weeks later (as recommended on the site I had read) and decided to just spray half of them. I wanted to see how much of a difference the Epsom salts were making.

Well the ones I sprayed the second time were nice and green, but they didn't put out another piece of fruit! (Other than a couple of stragglers late in the season) Apparently my soil just didn't need it and the second spray was too much.

Thank Goodness I didn't spray them all!

On the other hand, I do know that some people have used it for years and swear by it. You just need to be very careful with any kind of additive. Especially if you are putting it in your soil.

Many of us have heard stories about someone adding stuff to their garden and then having to spend a lot of time and money trying to get the soil back to where it will grow things well again. (sometimes even organic stuff can mess you up if it isn't balanced. It still has chemicals in it.)

[Vespertino]

I've been using a cup and a half of epsom salt in my two 18 gallon earthtainers. So far the plants seem very happy. Then again it's not the only thing in the container mix, I added dolomite lime and some tomato & pepper food.

Out of curiosity, what are the plant signs of epsom salt over-use? It seems gardeners are polarized over whether to use it or not. Since I'm a novice I don't know the reasons behind the differences of opinion.

[paulgrow]

I agree with Bughunter, I don't add anything unless a soil test warrants it!

[ChrisK]

Linked from the horticultural myths thread:

Epsom Salt

And if you are REALLY interested:

References

[RayR]

Originally Posted by Vespertino

I've been using a cup and a half of epsom salt in my two 18 gallon earthtainers. So far the plants seem very happy. Then again it's not the only thing in the container mix, I added dolomite lime and some tomato & pepper food.

Out of curiosity, what are the plant signs of epsom salt over-use? It seems gardeners are polarized over whether to use it or not. Since I'm a novice I don't know the reasons behind the differences of opinion.

I don't believe there are toxic symptoms of over-use of MG or S, although some plants may be sensitive.
Epsom Salt (MgSO4) is Magnesium Sulfate which when hydrated becomes MgSO4·7H2O. It easily dissociates into the cation MG+2 and the sulfate anion SO4-2, both plant available forms, but you can't assume that all those ions remain as they are and will be available to the plant. Some ions will get bound to particles in your mix, some will recombine with other elements to form new compounds, some of which will be insoluble.
The more likely scenario of negative effects of over-use is competition with other nutrients. MG competes with other major cations.
You already add dolomite to your mix which is a more practical source of MG since it will be made soluble over time instead of all at once. Adding large amounts of Epsom Salts may be just a waste of time and money. If you don't have signs of MG deficiency what benefit is there to adding more MG?

[RebelRidin]

This might be helpful...

http://www.eplantscience.com/botanic...and_excess.php

[WVTomatoMan]

@livinonfaith: That is not the experience I had. Being one who likes to experiment I wanted to see what happened if you over use Epsom salt. I applied foliar spray once a week to a single experimental plant. I also had a control plant of the same variety which of course did not receive the Epsom salt treatment. I used the equivalent of 2 tablespoons of Epsom salt per gallon of water - in just applying to one plant I didn't mix a whole gallon. The experimental plant was bigger, bushier and darker green in color. During the next fruit cycle the experimental plant didn't set fruit. The control plant did. I stopped applying the foliar spray to the experimental plant and the next fruit cycle it set some fruit. The following fruit cycle it set fruit in much the same fashion as the control plant.

Vespertino: A cup and a half seems like a lot to me, but I don't really know because I haven't done what you're doing. I would be interested in your results. The only sign of over use that I am aware of is fruit set failure.

-------------------------------------------
"Epsom Salt is recommended by Master Gardeners and used regularly by commercial growers around the world. Tests by the National Gardening Association confirm that roses fertilized with Epsom Salt grow bushier and produce more flowers, and it also makes pepper plants grow larger than those treated only with commercial fertilizer."

Here is the link:
http://www.epsomsaltcouncil.org/news..._gardening.php

The above link comes from the epsomsaltcouncil and some may argue that they have a vested interest. So here is an article from the National Gardening Association:
http://www.garden.org/articles/artic...p?q=show&id=68

Like a lot of things for every negative article/link/study there is one that is the opposite. I've used it and had good success. Of course I'm one who tends be cautious, use things sparingly and only apply to a small sampling to study the effects. Basically, it comes back to one of my sayings, as a gardener you have to find what works for you.

Randy

[Urbanfarmer]

My question would be......what has prompted you to think your tomatoes need magnesium sulfate? Do you have a soil test indicating your soil is deficient in magnesium and/or sulfur? If your soil isn't, then you can easily end up doing more harm than good.

Tomatoes need a properly formulated, fully complete nutrient. Provide that, and you won't be guessing any longer.

[Vespertino]

Originally Posted by WVTomatoMan

Vespertino: A cup and a half seems like a lot to me, but I don't really know because I haven't done what you're doing. I would be interested in your results. The only sign of over use that I am aware of is fruit set failure.
Randy

Here's a link to the thread that explains a little more about what I'm doing. I've planted brandwines (pl) and sungolds in two 18-gallon earthtainers. Texas had really wonky cold snaps well into april, while I brought the tomatoes indoors overnight they were outside in 40 degree weather. From the cold I had a lot of blossom drop and stunted growth. The past 2-3 weeks have finally warmed up for good, and the tomato plants are responding with a growth spurt but it's too early to tell about fruit set- though they do have them. My sungolds are setting fruit well, while my brandywine is a slow-poke (only 4 fruits growing so far). The brandywines had a head-start on the sungolds, so they're bigger and have very lush, green leaves and thick stems. This is my first time growing tomatoes so I'm excited to see how things work out. I have an ongoing picture thread of my newbie tomato growing attempts if you want to see what the plants look like.