I tested Epson salt on my tomatoes and lime trees as a foliar spray and after a couple of weeks I saw a big difference on the color of the leaves, my tomato plant grew much stronger leaves and the fruit was much larger, same to my lime tree, I will continue to use it, it did work for me....
I first hand have seen the difference in regards to applying epsom salts to my cherry tomatoes. Calcium and magnesium compete, but as long as you apply a small amount it works 100%. This guy simply doesn't understand the benefits. It 100% scientifically works also. There are many, many studies that suggest the benefits.
Thatâs because no one ever puts blossom end rot and magnesium sulfate in the same sentence - it has zero to do with BER. I surprised it was one of his talking points. Iâve never seen that as a proposed remedy for BER
ââ@@epicgardeningBut not when you've just gotten a whopping 10" of rain from a single storm, like people here did. Most of my plants are destroyed.
I live in New Zealand under a volcano and our soil is said to be deficient in magnesium and thatâs why a lot of people use it. Also if lemon trees look a bit dull it always seems to make it greener
I have experimented with Epsom salts this year and I do notice a subtle difference in the production of my plants. My ornamentals LOVE it and I've NEVER had better cucumbers! I haven't noticed a big difference in my tomatoes though. I use it sparingly of course. Too much of anything is a NO. And I think the takeaway at the end of the day is that it's definitely NOT a panacea. You still have to work with your plants and your soil in a number of manners. Don't ever depend on any one element to save your garden. It should ALWAYS be an integrated system of checks and balances.
I feel like every gardener should read Charles Dowding's 'gardening myths and misconceptions', he goes into detail and even explores the history behind myths so you know why they came about and what works well in stead!
I had 6 Anaheim pepper plants that were stunted and doing nothing. After adding Epson salts, they sprang to life and produced magnificent show quality peppers as well as bountiful numbers.
@@spoonypoon7998 I can grow year round in South Florida, and stunted plants donât bother me. Eventually theyâll come back, even stronger than the ânormalâ growing plants. Of course, this is a big issue for people with a short(er) growing season, but even the runtsâŠif you overwinter them insideâŠcan certainly become great producers the following season.
So in other words save the epsom salt to soak your feet in. đ. 40 years I lived in Cypress California. We learned it had been a dairy farm and then housing took over. Cerritos next door still had dairy farms. Eventually they were gone too. We had a big plot in the back where we grew our veggies. There was nothing I couldnât grow and I never used anything. The soil was so rich. The only thing I did use was the huge leaves from the tree across the street. I would dig it in, in the spring. One year I had tomatoes that were huge and so sweet and good. Everything grew and with very few problems. An occasional tomato worm was about it. All natural. Ask me if I miss that. đą. Plus the soil was full of big juicy earthworms. All natural gardening is the only way to go. Canning time was work but well worth it. Thanks for another great video. đđ»
I like to dig in some comfrey leaves, about 3, near the bottom of the tubs I grow my tomatoes in, they will break down over the season giving plenty of food. I do give some applications of comfrey tea too. A friend said tomatoes love nettle tea early in the season as well as using sheep manure when you plant them or top dress with it.
Dee E, I lived in Rossmoor. We planted year after year flowers, bushes, trees. Our soil went from clay to perfect soil over the years. We lived there from 1960 to 2006 and moved to Houston, TX. This soil is black gumbo. Yuck.
Iâve been a gardener for 20 years Iâm 29 years old. Iâve used Epsom salts on peppers, tomatoes, and corn multiple times. Peppers respond to it here in Illinois from the seedling stage, corn and tomatoes somewhat. What a real response to all crops is epsom salt and sugar foliar application. My climate and soil is very different than yours in California. So you need to do your homework and do your research and experiments. Love your channel and your content.
Many universities have done peer reviewed studies on the use of Epsom Salt and come to the same conclusion that unless you need Mg in your soil then it can inhibit the uptake of calcium. If you have questions contact your local Horticulture or agriculture extension agent to get there input and do a soil test to see if there is any deficiency of Mg. I'm sure the agent answers this question will have answered this a hundred times.
I love all of the comments sharing the actual experience of gardeners that completely contradicts the âBut there are no studies!â drivel repeated in this video. Iâm finding that I much prefer it when CZcamsrs speak from their own personal real-world experience rather than act as unpaid mouthpieces for the Bayer/Monsanto/etc. party line. If something is cheap, readily available, non-patentable, and it WORKS, chances are good that it WONâT have been âstudiedâ. Thank you everyone who was willing to speak up and share your actual experience in your own garden!
Thatâs great. Just to whom are you referring though? This channel only ever uses Espoma & Natural organic fertilizer, has never promoted Monsanto/Bayer fyi He is relating the dangers. đ Epsom salt is NOT a fertilizer it is exactly what it says: MAGNESIUM SULFATE⊠if you have those deficiencies, go for it but that does not make it an actual âcheap easy fertilizerâ Yes all the people⊠like the guy in the video who does have multiple gardens, helps design& care for othersâ, as well as a homestead, works WITH other youtubersâŠ đ€Ł I love how everyone is so ready to pounce when clearly they either didnât listen to the vid⊠or have some comprehension defect
Personal experience is often very biased. You will find people that find magic spells working for them. These comments say "it works for me, my tomatoes got bigger". Of course they did, that's what tomatoes do! To claim Epsom salts work for you, you need a control group of plants that you don't treat with salts. And a group that you treat with salts. If you find that your salt tomatoes are bigger than the control tomatoes, that means Epsom salts work in your context. If you think these types of easy remedies have not been studied, I encourage you to run the experiment and publish your results!
I used it on my fruit trees... and the leaves were the greenest they ever were. I did get an increased fruit yield. These were plumb tree, apricot tree and an apple tree. The apple tree did not produce apples, until after the epson salt. But i did it ONCE. Along the weep line, i dug small holes and put a handful around it. That has been my ONLY visible experience with epson salt in my garden. Other than that, i did not see anything significant. It kills leaves if you soray them on. I tried that for aphid control.... never again.
Epsom salt/borax has literally saved my garden, haha. Everything was dying because it's been so hot. I saw a comment on a watermelon growing video from a woman whose family specializes in watermelon's and that was her recommendation. Now everything is flourishing.
@@aceacebedo5300 I'd have to search through my watched videos, but for now I'll send you the info I wrote down. "Water at the base. Use the mix when the melons start vining and again when there's a one inch melon . 6 1/2 tbsp Epsom salt and 3 1/2 tbsp Borax in 5 gallons of water. I wish there was a way to post pictures, I'd just post the screenshot.
@@aceacebedo5300 Ok, here's the video. It's not the person who made the video but a commenter. I also realized I don't know if the person is a man or woman, but the commenter's name is "Everyday Heroes." The person should be the second comment down, at least that's how it is when I look at the video. czcams.com/video/Gid6hMTXpOA/video.html
I use Epsom salt foliar spray on my houseplants that are outdoors now for the summer and it makes them a much richer green and im not sure who did the study about the roses but I also use the foliar spray on them and there is a very noticeable difference in their performance afterwards. No one really taught me about it as no one in my family gardens but I did some research on it a few years back and experimented with it on about half of my plants as I do with anything I try in the garden just to see if it actualy works or is a bunch of crap and there were significant differences in the plants I used the spray on. Maybe try it on some of your plants but not to make your tomatos bigger or anything like that lol and just see if it makes a difference đ
I'm not sure about Plants, but in animals Magnesium aids in the absorption of Calcium which is why you'll often find Cal+Mag supplements at GNC etc. If I had to guess, this is probably why it aids in calcium deficiencies in plants although as you pointed out, it's rare that calcium deficient soil is the root of the problem one is trying to treat using epsom salts.
I love your stuff. I appreciate one of the last lines of this video: "Let your garden do the work." I think plants are more self-sufficient than a lot of gardeners think (including myself sometimes). Just like animals, a plant will generally be able to absorb enough nutrients to accomplish what it needs to. The big limiting factors that I have found in my own experience are light and water. All the others are basically secondary to plant growth and productivity. That said, I DO use MgSO4 in very small quantities maybe once a year, just a little sprinkle. Like you said, I find it works for me. Keep up the awesome work!
Great video! A very good explanation of how Epsom salt can be misused in the garden; However I would argue that there are benefits to using Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) in very specific circumstances. Magnesium actually aids in the transfer of carbohydrates from one part of the plant to another and also assists in phosphorus uptake. So while not directly influencing the production of fruit it does so by allowing the plant to absorb more phosphorus thus giving a plant larger blooms and/or fruit. It also aids in the production of chlorophyll which is what is responsible for a healthy green appearance of a plant. Epsom salt is widely used in the citrus industry here in Florida because of these factors and any citrus farmer will tell you that if your fruit is bitter the best solution to sweeten your oranges is to give the tree Epsom salt.
Iâve started a local San Diego aquaponics company and the chemistry knowledge of soil is necessary for this type of farming as well. Micro biology is awesome! Makes me question my own personal gut micro biome and if Iâm helping it like I would plants and Aquaponics water.
Love the myth busting! As someone who doesn't fertilize really at all (go compost, go compost!), I will say that Magnesium's importance should NOT be understated. Its the central atom of the entire chlorophyll molecule. I'd rather be a touch saturated in Mg than a touch deficient. :-) But, EPIC as always....busting myths AND saving people $$. What's not to love?
@@epicgardening You are right I put 80% of water 10% Epsom salt 10% dishwashing liquid in my sprayer sprayed my 5 foot tomatoe plant, sweet potatoe leaves an several other fruits an vegetables that I just planted from seedđĄđ«đ« mostly all the leaves are burnt on everything only thing that made it was the sweet potatoe Vine an the tomatoe plant but 30 to 40 blooms but no fruit it's been 3 months. I told myself just keep burying fruits,eggshells and banana peels around the plants an cover it with compost an water it cause before I sprayed it "mostly" all my plant leaves were good now I'm paying the price Thank you for this video your saving an enormous amount of people's plants an lives SHALOM to you an family.
@@is-chitown-rael4551 its probably due to the 10% dishwashing soap,thats waaaay too much....about a teaspoon for every litre of water seems to do the job well for me,and spray only when theres no sun
@@elephantsong7782 Charles(Manly an a Free man) that's what our name means Thank you that's probably what it was to much dishwashing liquid an the heat was to hotđ€ŠââïžThank You SHALOM to you an family
TO ALL OF THE GODS, OLD AND NEW. PLEASE!! I've literally harvested just ONE squash this year. I've tried all of the suggestions out there, finally set up an indoor space with grow lights about a month ago. Determined to get a good harvest, one way or another!
I found your channel about two weeks ago and I've been bingeing non-stopđ€Thank you so MUCH for this content! My mom had SUCH a green thumb but mine has always been black. She passed away on Christmas Day two years ago and getting into gardening is giving me something that feels like a connection with her. *didn't mean to bring the comments section down lol* but your info is SO CONCISE and, after I research, ACCURATE. I really can't thank you enough!! I started out just sprouting seeds for the nutritional benefit and well....now I'm down the rabbit hole with mature plants and seeds ordered online...a plotted out a garden plan for my tiny apartment plot of soil.... welcome to the green, huh? I've learned so much from you.
Have had very good luck with epsom salts. Gives me 2-3x more tomatoes than without, seems to have a bigger impact later in the year. I put maybe 1/4 tsp around each plant around June. Did an A/B test this year and while not completely scientific I would say epsom salts are a game changer. Disclaimer: 40 years ago my garden was farmland and probably had been for a very long time.
The magnesium is neded for the chlorophyll in plants. And the gardener sweating out in the sun needs it the most. All the vitamin D from the sun canât be activated if you donât have enough magnesium. Hence the headaches from beeing out in the sun for too long. I do footbaths with Epsom salt every evening and the leftover i give my plants. No migraines and no heart palpitations here. Itâs the best mineral for energy and good relaxing sleep đ„° Calcium contracts and magnesium relaxes the muscles.
As a massage therapist, I'm way fond of suggesting my clients use Epsom salts for footbaths! About 80% of folks in the USA are deficient on magnesium, and our dark leafy greens can be one good source - that's the place I add some Epsom salts đ
In my area, Epsom salts are a benefit to our gardens, I have spent a couple of years without using them and I have gone back to using them. It really just depends on where you are at, what is your soil make up, what are your pests and beneficial bugs and what the climate is at the location. Right now, we have been in a drought since April. The addition of the salts to the soil has helped our plants thrive through this desolate period. It has provided food at their root-soil when other forms of nutrition from compost on top of the soil are slow and hard to come by due to the lack of rain to moisten the soil and allow those nutrients to reach the roots. We are on strict water control, only allowed to water at a certain times of day and on specific days. But this is what is working for us in our area.
@@JAVONEETHEMOMMY Nebraska. We Live on top of the Ogallala Aquifer, and we are not allowed to collect rainwater, all rain has to go to the ground to be absorbed into the aquifer. This region of water covers our whole state plus parts of all our neighbouring states. This isn't new. We have been doing this with the cycles of drought and rainy years. We just have to watch, and be mindful of what and how much we can plant during these times. But, it has made us more aware of how our plants grow, what they need, what they don't need, what not to plant during these drought years and be respectful of mother nature.
I used some this season on my tomatoes. I only used it once along with a diversity of other nutrients. Its hard to tell if it worked better but I think it did help by giving it magnesium which your tomatoes do need.
@@frumbert Magnesium helps you to fall asleep, so soaking in it won't remove the fatigue. If you're not getting your other electrolytes (sodium, potassium in particular) and enough water, the cramps will continue regardless of the epsom salt because your muscles are dehydrated and need stretching. đ
It doesnt mean it totally waste product it has benefits too Its protect the plants from transplant shock and increase chlorofil overall good flowers and fruits
Great video!! As new gardens it's so easy to get off track. One thing I've observed is great gardens and gardeners focus on great great soil. When we started we bought cheap soil so we could buy more plants. They struggled and we spent money on fertilizers and other "instant fix" products with disappointing results. Ever since we focussed on feeding our soil with good compost and stopped adding synthetics it's made a huge difference. I'm no expert but in our context it works.
It's been 2 years since you commented on this...I'm curious if you've gotten to the point of using cover crops yet!? I use clovers for N and buckwheat for P. I have the first crop of buckwheat going now, but this is the 2nd year I've used clover and the soil looks incredible. My garden is mostly in-ground, but the property was a farm prior and the soil needed a LOT of help. I make my own eggshell fertilizer and have a compost going to cut costs and keep things as 'clean' as possible. When I have weeds that are invasive like creeping charlie or if they have gone to seed, I make liquid weed fertilizer from it, then compost it. I don't dare compost that stuff without making sure it;s dead lol. I think I've bought one bag of granular fertilizer (lobster shell, kelp and worm poo) in the past year since starting all this. It's a lot to learn, but the results are so obvious! I hope you're still at it, 2 years later!
@kdeminck hold my beer !! Lol We've sowed Buckwheat 7 days ago as phosphorus fixer for our winter barassicas, used hairy vetch and daikon. We moved 3,500 kms and built a new garden from scratch. Had an epic Sumner, worm tea casting, bokashi, LAB, and heavy mulching have all contributed to an epic Sumner. Have not used synthetic fertilizer for a couple years. If you have a minute come see for yourself:)) Let's gooooo!!
@@lindseymiller8368 she is right. more than 8 liters at a time of water has the potential to kill you. First thing they do in the service is make you drink so much water you puke while doing jumping jacks. Ps. - i don't miss it.
love the video! I have used epsom salt powdered milk and pelleted lime when i plant tomatoes and peppers seedlings but never during the growing season and never in very large quantities.
Love your videos! I use epson salt regularly in my garden and on my Bougainvilleas, I have tremendous luck. I am zone 9a with tons of heat and humidity so while one may not work for one gardener itâs a life saver for another. And itâs cheap so I can buy better soil âșïž
@@zaria5785 mhmm! I also enjoy putting soothing herbs like comfrey and calendula in my bath (and/or tea bags after I'm done drinking the tea during the bath :P) so I like reusing the water in the garden afterwards whenever possible!
Yes I do this too, and save some of the bathwater for bottom watering some houseplants that seem a bit lacklustre despite adequate fertilizer and light.
Coming from a planted aquarium background, your advice holds true in terms of the micro and macro nutrients. Always love watching your channel, thank you for sharing good knowledge.
I have to say that the crowd mentality Iâve been seeing this past few years is absolutely stunning. Following advice, blindly and rabidly (in some cases). Here in the southern United States, we grow a beautiful shrub call a hydrangea. Applying Epsom salts can actually cause a novel change in the color of the blossoms. At the moment, the other garden addition can cause another color change in the hydrangea blossoms. One turns them a deep shade of pink and the other a deep shade of blue. Whenever I see a fad take off like Iâve seen here lately, not just gardening, I have to sit back and watch the final outcome. Thank you so much for sharing this video, it hopefully helps us keep our selves from totally losing our collective minds.
This was so interesting! Great video and I had no idea. I've been using Epsom salt for yrs and never seen or had a bad reaction from it. I mostly use it as a foliar spray these days, but every now and then not very often.. I'll have to keep this in mind next time. Thanks for sharing this with us! Its always such a please seeing you and hearing your thoughts on things.
So well explained. I know this is one a lot of people struggle with, but your so right, it will never help blossom end rot lol. Blossom end rot is usually caused by a Calcium deficiency or by too much heat and humidity in my case growing here in Florida. I do use it in my containers sometimes, when I'm starting up a new growing container but only about a tbs or so.. Now, I mostly mix in blood meal bone meal, earthworm castings and some compost into my soil to start my containers. The Epsom salt does work pretty well when I use it as a foliar spray. I used to mist my plants about every 2 weeks or so, but now I use it monthly, if that much. Great video! Thanks again! I hope you have a beautiful day! đ±đ»
This video couldn't have come at a better time as I was going to try adding some Epsom salt into my tomato garden after work today! Thanks for busting this myth!
Lifelong gardener here, 60+ years. The story I heard long ago about Epsom Salts and roses is that it would stimulate the bush to push new primary canes.
My friend told me to add it to each hole I dug for the transplant of tomatoes to help them adjust and avoid transplant shock. I tried it for the first time this year and they were fine. Not sure if that did it or if the tomatoes would have been just been fine on their own.
So I use Epsom salts a couple times a year and it does wonders but I am planting in sandy soil in the desert southwest...I appreciated the fact that you included that it depended on the soil..
The broader problem with all chemical fertilizers and pesticides is leaching into the surrounding environment and into our water sources⊠great last point. In my view, this is why focusing on building healthy soils full of organic matter and beneficial microbes that have the ability to âunlockâ the nutrients as required and give it to the plant âon demandâ is what we need to be focusing on.
When I feed my tomatoes epsom salt, they turn darker green. Magnesium is part of the photosynthetic molecule. There are lots of research studies showing that epsom will stimulate shoots and encourages flowering.
Macro nutrients are most important but micro nutrients are where the problems lie for a lot of advanced growers. A farmer can reuse his soil for a couple of seasons maybe with 4-4-4 and compost additions but eventually things like the Calcium, Magnesium, Sulfur, Silicia will be used up. Epsom salts is the half of the organic solution to that problem. Definitely havenât heard it used as pervasively as these examples but there is still a small place for it I think beyond just âtraditionâ.
I've never used it in the garden, for the tomatoes I just use bone meal or add eggshells dissolved in vinegar. I also make sure the pH is where it should be as this is normally what causes BER, that along with infrequent watering
I use it only in my containers. The soil mix that i buy is mostly coir with some vermiculite and what looks like some fine woody matter. I know that there isn't a whole lot of nutrients in there. So when I add in the bone meal, I also add the Epsom salts for the magnesium that is needed to help move the calcium. Anything in the ground just gets a balanced fertilizer. I haven't seen a need for Epsom salts there.
Why not just use other organic granular fertilizers that provide it, standard all purpose organic mixes have it in ample amounts. Then you're not mixing a hyper soluble mg with slower-release...every other nutrient.
I love how in the Epic Gardening FB group, when someone posts a pic of a hornworm, everyone basically responds by hissing in unison. XD Itâs so bad for garden plants - but definitely seems like the only way to take care of an infestation is to search often and hand remove them.
There's another issue with BER in tomatoes that is often overlooked, especially for us in San Diego. Nutrient lockout is a big problem caused by pH issues. Our water here is 8.0-8.5 on average, and that pH locks out calcium (and other nutrient) uptake due to chelation. Soil naturally buffers watering for a while, but in containers *especially*, that buffering potential quickly diminishes. Most water has plenty of calcium to stop BER in its tracks, but it needs to be dropped to ~6.5 in order for the plants to use it efficiently.
I've been using Epsom salts (dissolved in water) for the tomatoes growing in our porch since someone told me it would make the skins of the fruit less tough, and as a tonic for plants that are struggling after they've been transplanted. So far I can report good results from both applications.. But here's another home remedy to test: horsetail 'tea' as a tonic for plants susceptible to aphids, or mildew. It's supposed to toughen the plants' stems and leaves up, so the aphids/ fungi don't like them anymore.. but I don't know how long you are supposed to apply the mixture for, or how strong it should be. Anybody know about this?
Make the horsetail solution. (Boil 20 mins. Let sit 24 hours ?) Add 1 c. to 5 gallons water. Spray on leaves every day. 10 days in a row. Something like this.
did not watch the video through yet and had to post this, but blossom end rot requires calcium, we crushed egg shells added banana peels and some Epsom salts. a 90 year old lady taught me that
Which electrolytes are in epsom salt?? What are the electrolytes plants need?? He literally explained the macro and micronutrients plants actually need.
I had no idea that was a movie reference. I just thought you were being weird. Maybe you should add a little tag at the end of your movie references so people will know what you're talking about. Also - There's really no need to belittle someone for not knowing what's in your head.
All I know is my peppers and one tomato plant had BER and after 1 tablespoon epsom salt sprinkled around the plant they all got better đ€·đŒââïž
@@epicgardening almost like the watering and plant care got improved after noticing the blossom end rot and the topical application of epsom salt invests you enough to keep paying the plant good attention.
Its absolutely Stewpendous to see two channels we're subscribed to, commenting on another we're subscribed to, and for good reason. I really appreciate the work you all do. My hope and prayer is to spread the knowledge you all share, in my local community, as well as on our own channel, and to do it as successfully. -Stew
I was told to spray my pepper and tomato plants as they started to blossom out. It was supposed to help get more blossoms. It was a epsolm salt water mix. It seemed to help??? Who knows. Other years, I didn't use it and did not seem to get as many.
I add a little bit of Epsom salt in my fertilizer mix that I add into the garden beds and containers in the winter, along with compost, when 'refreshing' them in preparation for the next growing year, or when prepping newly built beds. That's really the only time I use it in my garden because I have never noticed any sign of my plants having any magnesium deficiencies.
For the first time I added epsom to my tomato & pepper pots. I'm using aquaponic water as the fertilizer. No end results as of yet. I also use chopped hair as a slow release nitrogen. Also, when I water, I sometimes water 3 times a day. I often pick up the pot to determine how much I want to add. If the pot is heavy, I might skip watering that time.
@@andybuckthorn8042 If you watched the video, if you don't have a deficiency and you give them too much magnesium, you can cause a calcium deficiency. If you're in the US and you're worried about your soil, check what testing is available through your county extension office. They can help with your actual soil chemistry.
Well, a hot Epsom salt bath is a way to increase blood levels of magnesium without eating it, and nearly all North Americans are deficient in magnesium. The bath also helps with muscle recovery and to help you sleep. I take about three buckets of the leftover bathwater and put some under plants, especially tomatoes and other edibles, so I'll get more edible magnesium in my food. And I also recycle my urine for the fruit trees.
Great video Kevin, I Foliar spray with Epsom last week in july right as the cannabis plants start to transition(stetch) from veg to flower. ( I definitely would NOT put it in the soil) Seems to give them a boost. But maybe not lol.đłđđ€đł
I have a sandy - totally sandy - area that I want to transform. Would Epsom salt be beneficial in that situation? It is about 15 x 5 feet. Currently, I have a rosemary plant growing there, along with daffodils (which will be moved).
Epsom salt is fantastic, one just needs to keep in mind that it adds salt to the soil and it shouldnât be your only source of magnesium! Excess salt can cause a nutrient lockout.
I've heard of using epsom salt in the garden, but I've never done it myself. I think you hit the nail on the head with the "tradition" thing...Grandma did it, Great Grandpa did it, so I should do it too. They also tilled their rows 8"-10" deep and ended up with huge crops of weeds competing with their veggies(like my 78 year-old next door neighbor, lol). Just because something has been done for generations doesn't mean it's necessarily the right thing to do.
Thanks for clearing up the myths, Kevin đ I have long suspected Epsom salt does little to the garden. The only plants I have actually noticed a difference after adding small quantities of Epsom salt were potted pepper plants and our in ground citrus trees. The rest of the plants seemed to not care for the addition of magnesium to the soil.
I've heard of someone sprinkling their whole garden beds with high K osmocote and epsom salt. What's your take on using slow release fertilisers for edibles? I'm new to gardening, my first round of seeds mostly died, only a basil plant survived :D Then i found your videos! and have started another batch of seeds, so far so good, we shall see if they take to transplanting soon.
I learned water till moist, don't over do it and ph is everything. If ph is too high or 2 low your stuff just dies. Oh n no nutrients for first 3 weeks which I didn't know. 5 days old and I'm over here throwing all kinds of stuff that I thought would be good. Lol no absolutely not. Burned my plants n had to transplant to different medium. Now using smart pots n so far I've never over watered now it evaporates quick. I can't win. N showing signs of mag deficiency that I now know to add this epsom salt. Cheers to ya
One of the greatest things I learned really well in middle school was how the scientific method really works... and then in HS I had a really good statistics and probability course. So useful in gardening.
I've been using it for many years & it does have it's place. I don't apply it to everything, but it does wonders for my tomatoes & roses. I will continue to use it as it's proven itself many times over. âșïž
Haha oh you're gonna hate me if you ever visit my garden lol. Why i don't do anything but water and make sure its growing the right place lol. Oh ya ants mushrooms but there fine and um 113 heat for 5 days In a row now I forgot to water for 4 days now ill do that later tonight đ . Oh I got potato cucumbers sunflowers beats watermelon gords corn and pumpkins all in the same bed oh kewano melon lol. Oh ya I use cow poo and nothing else to feed my plants well dead plants to and if I got dead corn they stay tell they fall from the roots decaying away lol
Epsom salts is used to balance soil deficiencies. A balanced soil will grow healthier plants. I suggest you learn some soil chemistry and the plants will be what results from a healthy, productive soil.
I have never heard any of these myths! My mom did have one though; she insisted that epsom salt and water in the bottom of the hole will prevent transplant shock. Don't know if it's true or just the benefit of root watering, but I did notice that the few plants I would inevitably forget to Bless would wilt while the rest in a row would be fine. Again, I doubt it's the epsom salts making the difference, but it is one superstition I have kept though the years anyway!
The Epsom salt is to add Magnesium to you soil. 1 of many elements that help feed a thriving plant.Magnesium is the central core of the chlorophyll molecule in plant tissue. Thus, if Mg is deficient, the shortage of chlorophyll results in poor and stunted plant growth. Magnesium also helps to activate specific enzyme systems
There is no mirical drug for anything. If you don't understand how nutrients is up taken by plants and what helps what create what and what this and that gives to the plants to help it, doesn't meant its useless
I've used epsom salt to control blight on my tomatoes and other fungal diseases. Sulphur is often used to control fungal diseases in plants and the epsom salt has helped with that. Its less expensive than going to the garden store and buying actual sulphur. I've also noticed that plants when I give epsom salt they tend to flower more.
On the contrary Epsom salts are good for gardening. After a long, hard day in the garden, add Epsom salts to your bath water and have a nice long soak in it. The Magnesium relaxes those many overworked muscles :)
Thanks for making this video and these explainers. I actually donât buy any fertilizers or pest control items. I only purchased seeds and I work with nature, home made compost and try to plant in season Or microclimates.
What do you think about Epsom salts? Lemme know, I know this one's a bit controversial âŹâŹâŹ
It's part of my master blend nutrients. My plants seem to really like it.
As an agronomist, thanks for posting this.
Rubbish !
Interesting! Iâve always put a bit by my roses. Seemed to work but then I also fertilize with bananas and care for them overall.
It had done 000 for my plants
I tested Epson salt on my tomatoes and lime trees as a foliar spray and after a couple of weeks I saw a big difference on the color of the leaves, my tomato plant grew much stronger leaves and the fruit was much larger, same to my lime tree, I will continue to use it, it did work for me....
How often have you applied it?
Every 3 month, 3 spoons full to 2 gallons of water and spray the leaves, you will be surprised âŠ
I first hand have seen the difference in regards to applying epsom salts to my cherry tomatoes. Calcium and magnesium compete, but as long as you apply a small amount it works 100%. This guy simply doesn't understand the benefits. It 100% scientifically works also. There are many, many studies that suggest the benefits.
@@chasejones5770 You nailed it.
This guy is a fool.
I just use a little in my Gardening and it does help. The tomatoes and cucumbers fruit tastes sweeter when I do use it!
Watching this eating a Black Krim tomato from my garden, no Epsom salt used, no end rot. Consistent watering is the key. Keep up the good work.
Watering really is the #1!
Thatâs because no one ever puts blossom end rot and magnesium sulfate in the same sentence - it has zero to do with BER. I surprised it was one of his talking points. Iâve never seen that as a proposed remedy for BER
ââ@@epicgardeningBut not when you've just gotten a whopping 10" of rain from a single storm, like people here did. Most of my plants are destroyed.
I live in New Zealand under a volcano and our soil is said to be deficient in magnesium and thatâs why a lot of people use it. Also if lemon trees look a bit dull it always seems to make it greener
I have experimented with Epsom salts this year and I do notice a subtle difference in the production of my plants. My ornamentals LOVE it and I've NEVER had better cucumbers! I haven't noticed a big difference in my tomatoes though. I use it sparingly of course. Too much of anything is a NO. And I think the takeaway at the end of the day is that it's definitely NOT a panacea. You still have to work with your plants and your soil in a number of manners. Don't ever depend on any one element to save your garden. It should ALWAYS be an integrated system of checks and balances.
Exacto!!!
Like cooking in your own kitchen đ
spraying or flooding plz tell
I use Epsom salt on my chilli plants and they are growing really well with flowers and plenty of fruits.
I use it on my roses, and I get way more blooms when I use it, than not.
I feel like every gardener should read Charles Dowding's 'gardening myths and misconceptions', he goes into detail and even explores the history behind myths so you know why they came about and what works well in stead!
Magnesium deficiency is reasonably common when growing pointy leaved basil indoors and Epsom salts are very effective at reversing this.
I had 6 Anaheim pepper plants that were stunted and doing nothing. After adding Epson salts, they sprang to life and produced magnificent show quality peppers as well as bountiful numbers.
Same happened with my peppers Chris; gonna stick to it!
Interesting because my Anaheim's are stunted compared to the rest of my peppers...
@@spoonypoon7998 I can grow year round in South Florida, and stunted plants donât bother me. Eventually theyâll come back, even stronger than the ânormalâ growing plants.
Of course, this is a big issue for people with a short(er) growing season, but even the runtsâŠif you overwinter them insideâŠcan certainly become great producers the following season.
@@Ira88881 imin Montana... stunted peppers matter here lol
@@spoonypoon7998 Minnesota too. Our hot days of summer go from last week of May to 3rd/4th week of August, unfortunately.
When I want my plants to be salty I tell them they are gaining weight
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đ€Ł
Same tbh
But gaining weight for certain plants is definitely a good thingđ
My peppers are getting a bit round around the waist...
So in other words save the epsom salt to soak your feet in. đ. 40 years I lived in Cypress California. We learned it had been a dairy farm and then housing took over. Cerritos next door still had dairy farms. Eventually they were gone too. We had a big plot in the back where we grew our veggies. There was nothing I couldnât grow and I never used anything. The soil was so rich. The only thing I did use was the huge leaves from the tree across the street. I would dig it in, in the spring. One year I had tomatoes that were huge and so sweet and good. Everything grew and with very few problems. An occasional tomato worm was about it. All natural. Ask me if I miss that. đą. Plus the soil was full of big juicy earthworms. All natural gardening is the only way to go. Canning time was work but well worth it. Thanks for another great video. đđ»
Maybe there is extra calcium in the steer manure? More than tomatoes like calcium
I like to dig in some comfrey leaves, about 3, near the bottom of the tubs I grow my tomatoes in, they will break down over the season giving plenty of food.
I do give some applications of comfrey tea too.
A friend said tomatoes love nettle tea early in the season as well as using sheep manure when you plant them or top dress with it.
Dee E, I lived in Rossmoor. We planted year after year flowers, bushes, trees. Our soil went from clay to perfect soil over the years. We lived there from 1960 to 2006 and moved to Houston, TX. This soil is black gumbo. Yuck.
Iâve been a gardener for 20 years Iâm 29 years old. Iâve used Epsom salts on peppers, tomatoes, and corn multiple times. Peppers respond to it here in Illinois from the seedling stage, corn and tomatoes somewhat. What a real response to all crops is epsom salt and sugar foliar application. My climate and soil is very different than yours in California. So you need to do your homework and do your research and experiments. Love your channel and your content.
You sound like McGardener đ
And have you done controlled experiments? Weighed the plants with and without treatment?
Many universities have done peer reviewed studies on the use of Epsom Salt and come to the same conclusion that unless you need Mg in your soil then it can inhibit the uptake of calcium. If you have questions contact your local Horticulture or agriculture extension agent to get there input and do a soil test to see if there is any deficiency of Mg. I'm sure the agent answers this question will have answered this a hundred times.
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After pruning my roses every year, I add a handful around the rose bush, roses get bushy and blooms fantastic.
I love all of the comments sharing the actual experience of gardeners that completely contradicts the âBut there are no studies!â drivel repeated in this video. Iâm finding that I much prefer it when CZcamsrs speak from their own personal real-world experience rather than act as unpaid mouthpieces for the Bayer/Monsanto/etc. party line. If something is cheap, readily available, non-patentable, and it WORKS, chances are good that it WONâT have been âstudiedâ. Thank you everyone who was willing to speak up and share your actual experience in your own garden!
Thatâs great. Just to whom are you referring though? This channel only ever uses Espoma & Natural organic fertilizer, has never promoted Monsanto/Bayer fyi
He is relating the dangers. đ Epsom salt is NOT a fertilizer it is exactly what it says: MAGNESIUM SULFATE⊠if you have those deficiencies, go for it but that does not make it an actual âcheap easy fertilizerâ
Yes all the people⊠like the guy in the video who does have multiple gardens, helps design& care for othersâ, as well as a homestead, works WITH other youtubers⊠đ€Ł
I love how everyone is so ready to pounce when clearly they either didnât listen to the vid⊠or have some comprehension defect
Personal experience is often very biased. You will find people that find magic spells working for them. These comments say "it works for me, my tomatoes got bigger". Of course they did, that's what tomatoes do!
To claim Epsom salts work for you, you need a control group of plants that you don't treat with salts. And a group that you treat with salts. If you find that your salt tomatoes are bigger than the control tomatoes, that means Epsom salts work in your context.
If you think these types of easy remedies have not been studied, I encourage you to run the experiment and publish your results!
I grow indoors and have used Epsom salts as a foliar spray when Iâve had signs of magnesium deficiency. For that purpose it works great.
I used it on my fruit trees... and the leaves were the greenest they ever were. I did get an increased fruit yield. These were plumb tree, apricot tree and an apple tree. The apple tree did not produce apples, until after the epson salt. But i did it ONCE. Along the weep line, i dug small holes and put a handful around it. That has been my ONLY visible experience with epson salt in my garden. Other than that, i did not see anything significant. It kills leaves if you soray them on. I tried that for aphid control.... never again.
Kevin cleaning up the garden myths, one at a time đ§č
Hey James!!!! Glad to know I'm following all the greats on CZcams.
Hey James! Great to see you here!
What is James doing here?
Hey James! đđŸ
He is absolutely most appreciated âŒïžđđŒđđŒ
Epsom salt/borax has literally saved my garden, haha. Everything was dying because it's been so hot. I saw a comment on a watermelon growing video from a woman whose family specializes in watermelon's and that was her recommendation. Now everything is flourishing.
care to share a link of the video? I've been having the same issue
It killed and stunted my plants. So yeah. Not every garden flourishes
@@aceacebedo5300 I'd have to search through my watched videos, but for now I'll send you the info I wrote down. "Water at the base. Use the mix when the melons start vining and again when there's a one inch melon . 6 1/2 tbsp Epsom salt and 3 1/2 tbsp Borax in 5 gallons of water. I wish there was a way to post pictures, I'd just post the screenshot.
@@divinelotus19 I definitely can't answer for every garden, but we've been going through a massive drought so it was very much needed here.
@@aceacebedo5300 Ok, here's the video. It's not the person who made the video but a commenter. I also realized I don't know if the person is a man or woman, but the commenter's name is "Everyday Heroes." The person should be the second comment down, at least that's how it is when I look at the video. czcams.com/video/Gid6hMTXpOA/video.html
I use Epsom salt foliar spray on my houseplants that are outdoors now for the summer and it makes them a much richer green and im not sure who did the study about the roses but I also use the foliar spray on them and there is a very noticeable difference in their performance afterwards. No one really taught me about it as no one in my family gardens but I did some research on it a few years back and experimented with it on about half of my plants as I do with anything I try in the garden just to see if it actualy works or is a bunch of crap and there were significant differences in the plants I used the spray on. Maybe try it on some of your plants but not to make your tomatos bigger or anything like that lol and just see if it makes a difference đ
I'm not sure about Plants, but in animals Magnesium aids in the absorption of Calcium which is why you'll often find Cal+Mag supplements at GNC etc. If I had to guess, this is probably why it aids in calcium deficiencies in plants although as you pointed out, it's rare that calcium deficient soil is the root of the problem one is trying to treat using epsom salts.
My understanding is that even though you need both, it is better for absorption of each if you take them at different times.
I love your stuff. I appreciate one of the last lines of this video: "Let your garden do the work." I think plants are more self-sufficient than a lot of gardeners think (including myself sometimes). Just like animals, a plant will generally be able to absorb enough nutrients to accomplish what it needs to. The big limiting factors that I have found in my own experience are light and water. All the others are basically secondary to plant growth and productivity. That said, I DO use MgSO4 in very small quantities maybe once a year, just a little sprinkle. Like you said, I find it works for me. Keep up the awesome work!
Great video! A very good explanation of how Epsom salt can be misused in the garden; However I would argue that there are benefits to using Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) in very specific circumstances. Magnesium actually aids in the transfer of carbohydrates from one part of the plant to another and also assists in phosphorus uptake. So while not directly influencing the production of fruit it does so by allowing the plant to absorb more phosphorus thus giving a plant larger blooms and/or fruit. It also aids in the production of chlorophyll which is what is responsible for a healthy green appearance of a plant. Epsom salt is widely used in the citrus industry here in Florida because of these factors and any citrus farmer will tell you that if your fruit is bitter the best solution to sweeten your oranges is to give the tree Epsom salt.
For sure - magnesium itself is crucial!
Thatâs exactly what I understood. Break down of other elements so that the plant can benefit from it.
Gotta love soil chemistry and the chemistry of nutrient uptake.
Fascinating stuff
Love it b!
Iâve started a local San Diego aquaponics company and the chemistry knowledge of soil is necessary for this type of farming as well. Micro biology is awesome! Makes me question my own personal gut micro biome and if Iâm helping it like I would plants and Aquaponics water.
Love the myth busting! As someone who doesn't fertilize really at all (go compost, go compost!), I will say that Magnesium's importance should NOT be understated. Its the central atom of the entire chlorophyll molecule. I'd rather be a touch saturated in Mg than a touch deficient. :-) But, EPIC as always....busting myths AND saving people $$. What's not to love?
Agreed on this entirely!
The title of the video should be epsom salt myths so people donât stop using it then see magnesium deficiencies.
@@epicgardening You are right I put 80% of water 10% Epsom salt 10% dishwashing liquid in my sprayer sprayed my 5 foot tomatoe plant, sweet potatoe leaves an several other fruits an vegetables that I just planted from seedđĄđ«đ« mostly all the leaves are burnt on everything only thing that made it was the sweet potatoe Vine an the tomatoe plant but 30 to 40 blooms but no fruit it's been 3 months. I told myself just keep burying fruits,eggshells and banana peels around the plants an cover it with compost an water it cause before I sprayed it "mostly" all my plant leaves were good now I'm paying the price Thank you for this video your saving an enormous amount of people's plants an lives SHALOM to you an family.
@@is-chitown-rael4551 its probably due to the 10% dishwashing soap,thats waaaay too much....about a teaspoon for every litre of water seems to do the job well for me,and spray only when theres no sun
@@elephantsong7782 Charles(Manly an a Free man) that's what our name means Thank you that's probably what it was to much dishwashing liquid an the heat was to hotđ€ŠââïžThank You SHALOM to you an family
Can we get a âCultivate that like button & I will vanquish all squash vine borers from your garden?â đ€Ł
YES
TO ALL OF THE GODS, OLD AND NEW. PLEASE!! I've literally harvested just ONE squash this year. I've tried all of the suggestions out there, finally set up an indoor space with grow lights about a month ago. Determined to get a good harvest, one way or another!
@@lindseymiller8368 We haven't even gotten one. Not one!! Our garden has been brutalized this year. It's been so depressing. Learning a lot, though.
I found your channel about two weeks ago and I've been bingeing non-stopđ€Thank you so MUCH for this content! My mom had SUCH a green thumb but mine has always been black. She passed away on Christmas Day two years ago and getting into gardening is giving me something that feels like a connection with her. *didn't mean to bring the comments section down lol* but your info is SO CONCISE and, after I research, ACCURATE. I really can't thank you enough!! I started out just sprouting seeds for the nutritional benefit and well....now I'm down the rabbit hole with mature plants and seeds ordered online...a plotted out a garden plan for my tiny apartment plot of soil.... welcome to the green, huh? I've learned so much from you.
Have had very good luck with epsom salts. Gives me 2-3x more tomatoes than without, seems to have a bigger impact later in the year. I put maybe 1/4 tsp around each plant around June. Did an A/B test this year and while not completely scientific I would say epsom salts are a game changer. Disclaimer: 40 years ago my garden was farmland and probably had been for a very long time.
The magnesium is neded for the chlorophyll in plants. And the gardener sweating out in the sun needs it the most. All the vitamin D from the sun canât be activated if you donât have enough magnesium. Hence the headaches from beeing out in the sun for too long. I do footbaths with Epsom salt every evening and the leftover i give my plants. No migraines and no heart palpitations here. Itâs the best mineral for energy and good relaxing sleep đ„° Calcium contracts and magnesium relaxes the muscles.
Glad it's worked for you! I am not a health expert, so I have no comment on its use for people
As a massage therapist, I'm way fond of suggesting my clients use Epsom salts for footbaths!
About 80% of folks in the USA are deficient on magnesium, and our dark leafy greens can be one good source - that's the place I add some Epsom salts đ
In humans Magnesium is a vasodilator and helps reduce high blood pressure. It can cause gastric upset and act as a laxative.
In my area, Epsom salts are a benefit to our gardens, I have spent a couple of years without using them and I have gone back to using them. It really just depends on where you are at, what is your soil make up, what are your pests and beneficial bugs and what the climate is at the location. Right now, we have been in a drought since April. The addition of the salts to the soil has helped our plants thrive through this desolate period. It has provided food at their root-soil when other forms of nutrition from compost on top of the soil are slow and hard to come by due to the lack of rain to moisten the soil and allow those nutrients to reach the roots. We are on strict water control, only allowed to water at a certain times of day and on specific days. But this is what is working for us in our area.
Where are u that u are restricted on watering ur plants? Also can u leave barrels n bins out for water collection in ur area?
@@JAVONEETHEMOMMY Nebraska. We Live on top of the Ogallala Aquifer, and we are not allowed to collect rainwater, all rain has to go to the ground to be absorbed into the aquifer. This region of water covers our whole state plus parts of all our neighbouring states. This isn't new. We have been doing this with the cycles of drought and rainy years. We just have to watch, and be mindful of what and how much we can plant during these times. But, it has made us more aware of how our plants grow, what they need, what they don't need, what not to plant during these drought years and be respectful of mother nature.
@@bdctrans70 very interesting about NE. Thanks for sharing. You guys arenât new to this farming business. Iâm definitely gonna listen to those who have been at this for YEARS! So many of our essential farmers â€ïž. Hope our govtâs agenda doesnât succeed in making their jobs harder. Sad that politics erodes every area of our livesâŠâŠ. butâŠ. back to gardening đ©âđŸđ€ đ±
I started using a DIY Epsom salt/ammonia fertilizer I found online specifically for palm trees and it works really well for that.
I used some this season on my tomatoes. I only used it once along with a diversity of other nutrients. Its hard to tell if it worked better but I think it did help by giving it magnesium which your tomatoes do need.
It IS good after a hard dayâs work in the gardenâŠ. in the bathtub!
@@frumbert Magnesium helps you to fall asleep, so soaking in it won't remove the fatigue. If you're not getting your other electrolytes (sodium, potassium in particular) and enough water, the cramps will continue regardless of the epsom salt because your muscles are dehydrated and need stretching. đ
It doesnt mean it totally waste product it has benefits too
Its protect the plants from transplant shock and increase chlorofil overall good flowers and fruits
Great video!! As new gardens it's so easy to get off track. One thing I've observed is great gardens and gardeners focus on great great soil. When we started we bought cheap soil so we could buy more plants. They struggled and we spent money on fertilizers and other "instant fix" products with disappointing results. Ever since we focussed on feeding our soil with good compost and stopped adding synthetics it's made a huge difference. I'm no expert but in our context it works.
It's been 2 years since you commented on this...I'm curious if you've gotten to the point of using cover crops yet!? I use clovers for N and buckwheat for P. I have the first crop of buckwheat going now, but this is the 2nd year I've used clover and the soil looks incredible. My garden is mostly in-ground, but the property was a farm prior and the soil needed a LOT of help. I make my own eggshell fertilizer and have a compost going to cut costs and keep things as 'clean' as possible. When I have weeds that are invasive like creeping charlie or if they have gone to seed, I make liquid weed fertilizer from it, then compost it. I don't dare compost that stuff without making sure it;s dead lol. I think I've bought one bag of granular fertilizer (lobster shell, kelp and worm poo) in the past year since starting all this. It's a lot to learn, but the results are so obvious! I hope you're still at it, 2 years later!
@kdeminck hold my beer !! Lol
We've sowed Buckwheat 7 days ago as phosphorus fixer for our winter barassicas, used hairy vetch and daikon. We moved 3,500 kms and built a new garden from scratch.
Had an epic Sumner, worm tea casting, bokashi, LAB, and heavy mulching have all contributed to an epic Sumner. Have not used synthetic fertilizer for a couple years.
If you have a minute come see for yourself:))
Let's gooooo!!
I didn't even check to see if you had videos! Doh! I'll be watching! Very cool!@@clivesconundrumgarden
How could something have all those benefits but also be a weed killer? Which is itâŠâŠ does it kill plants or make them epic and amazing?
Everything in moderation. Too much oxygen or water kills as well.
@@lindseymiller8368 she is right. more than 8 liters at a time of water has the potential to kill you. First thing they do in the service is make you drink so much water you puke while doing jumping jacks. Ps. - i don't miss it.
love the video! I have used epsom salt powdered milk and pelleted lime when i plant tomatoes and peppers seedlings but never during the growing season and never in very large quantities.
Love your videos! I use epson salt regularly in my garden and on my Bougainvilleas, I have tremendous luck. I am zone 9a with tons of heat and humidity so while one may not work for one gardener itâs a life saver for another. And itâs cheap so I can buy better soil âșïž
Do they flower more?
Just use epsom salts in your bath after a long day of gardening, for your muscles. :)
Yup. Then use that water in your garden around your fruit trees. I did this a few times one year and my figs were ginormous.
@@zaria5785 mhmm! I also enjoy putting soothing herbs like comfrey and calendula in my bath (and/or tea bags after I'm done drinking the tea during the bath :P) so I like reusing the water in the garden afterwards whenever possible!
Yes I do this too, and save some of the bathwater for bottom watering some houseplants that seem a bit lacklustre despite adequate fertilizer and light.
Coming from a planted aquarium background, your advice holds true in terms of the micro and macro nutrients. Always love watching your channel, thank you for sharing good knowledge.
I have to say that the crowd mentality Iâve been seeing this past few years is absolutely stunning. Following advice, blindly and rabidly (in some cases).
Here in the southern United States, we grow a beautiful shrub call a hydrangea. Applying Epsom salts can actually cause a novel change in the color of the blossoms. At the moment, the other garden addition can cause another color change in the hydrangea blossoms. One turns them a deep shade of pink and the other a deep shade of blue.
Whenever I see a fad take off like Iâve seen here lately, not just gardening, I have to sit back and watch the final outcome.
Thank you so much for sharing this video, it hopefully helps us keep our selves from totally losing our collective minds.
Iâve only ever used it in a pinch to treat Mag deficiency, but Cal-Mag fertilizers works better. Epsom is cheap, though.
This was so interesting! Great video and I had no idea. I've been using Epsom salt for yrs and never seen or had a bad reaction from it. I mostly use it as a foliar spray these days, but every now and then not very often.. I'll have to keep this in mind next time. Thanks for sharing this with us! Its always such a please seeing you and hearing your thoughts on things.
So well explained. I know this is one a lot of people struggle with, but your so right, it will never help blossom end rot lol. Blossom end rot is usually caused by a Calcium deficiency or by too much heat and humidity in my case growing here in Florida. I do use it in my containers sometimes, when I'm starting up a new growing container but only about a tbs or so.. Now, I mostly mix in blood meal bone meal, earthworm castings and some compost into my soil to start my containers. The Epsom salt does work pretty well when I use it as a foliar spray. I used to mist my plants about every 2 weeks or so, but now I use it monthly, if that much. Great video! Thanks again! I hope you have a beautiful day! đ±đ»
It saved my cucumbers one year. Used it ever since. Our soil here gets limed every year.
This video couldn't have come at a better time as I was going to try adding some Epsom salt into my tomato garden after work today! Thanks for busting this myth!
Its no myth plants really benifit from added magnesium from my own expericience and i dont agree with whatever this guys is saying!
Lifelong gardener here, 60+ years. The story I heard long ago about Epsom Salts and roses is that it would stimulate the bush to push new primary canes.
My friend told me to add it to each hole I dug for the transplant of tomatoes to help them adjust and avoid transplant shock. I tried it for the first time this year and they were fine. Not sure if that did it or if the tomatoes would have been just been fine on their own.
So I use Epsom salts a couple times a year and it does wonders but I am planting in sandy soil in the desert southwest...I appreciated the fact that you included that it depended on the soil..
The broader problem with all chemical fertilizers and pesticides is leaching into the surrounding environment and into our water sources⊠great last point. In my view, this is why focusing on building healthy soils full of organic matter and beneficial microbes that have the ability to âunlockâ the nutrients as required and give it to the plant âon demandâ is what we need to be focusing on.
Completely agree!
When I feed my tomatoes epsom salt, they turn darker green. Magnesium is part of the photosynthetic molecule. There are lots of research studies showing that epsom will stimulate shoots and encourages flowering.
Macro nutrients are most important but micro nutrients are where the problems lie for a lot of advanced growers. A farmer can reuse his soil for a couple of seasons maybe with 4-4-4 and compost additions but eventually things like the Calcium, Magnesium, Sulfur, Silicia will be used up. Epsom salts is the half of the organic solution to that problem. Definitely havenât heard it used as pervasively as these examples but there is still a small place for it I think beyond just âtraditionâ.
I would agree as I mentioned if you know you're low in Magnesium or Sulfur, there can be some uses
I've never used it in the garden, for the tomatoes I just use bone meal or add eggshells dissolved in vinegar. I also make sure the pH is where it should be as this is normally what causes BER, that along with infrequent watering
Epsom salt has made a lot of difference in my garden especially for my container grown plants were use a soil less growing medium.
That would make sense, if you're growing in an inert medium then the addition of anything containing nutrients plants need would have a boost
I've noticed an enormous improvement in several of my veggie beds with Epsom salt.
I use it only in my containers. The soil mix that i buy is mostly coir with some vermiculite and what looks like some fine woody matter. I know that there isn't a whole lot of nutrients in there. So when I add in the bone meal, I also add the Epsom salts for the magnesium that is needed to help move the calcium. Anything in the ground just gets a balanced fertilizer. I haven't seen a need for Epsom salts there.
100
Why not just use other organic granular fertilizers that provide it, standard all purpose organic mixes have it in ample amounts. Then you're not mixing a hyper soluble mg with slower-release...every other nutrient.
@@epicgardening because coco changes the electromagnetic charge of the calcium and hides it from the plant so coco requires more attention
@@epicgardening that is an option. The mg should quickly interact with the calcium though.
I put a fish under my tomato plant and I grew a fish tree.
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I love how in the Epic Gardening FB group, when someone posts a pic of a hornworm, everyone basically responds by hissing in unison. XD
Itâs so bad for garden plants - but definitely seems like the only way to take care of an infestation is to search often and hand remove them.
Omg I was in a FB garden group that didnât have very nice people and definitely donât be new to gardening. They bashed before helping people.
There's another issue with BER in tomatoes that is often overlooked, especially for us in San Diego. Nutrient lockout is a big problem caused by pH issues. Our water here is 8.0-8.5 on average, and that pH locks out calcium (and other nutrient) uptake due to chelation. Soil naturally buffers watering for a while, but in containers *especially*, that buffering potential quickly diminishes. Most water has plenty of calcium to stop BER in its tracks, but it needs to be dropped to ~6.5 in order for the plants to use it efficiently.
I've been using Epsom salts (dissolved in water) for the tomatoes growing in our porch since someone told me it would make the skins of the fruit less tough, and as a tonic for plants that are struggling after they've been transplanted. So far I can report good results from both applications.. But here's another home remedy to test: horsetail 'tea' as a tonic for plants susceptible to aphids, or mildew. It's supposed to toughen the plants' stems and leaves up, so the aphids/ fungi don't like them anymore.. but I don't know how long you are supposed to apply the mixture for, or how strong it should be. Anybody know about this?
Make the horsetail solution. (Boil 20 mins. Let sit 24 hours ?) Add 1 c. to 5 gallons water. Spray on leaves every day. 10 days in a row. Something like this.
did not watch the video through yet and had to post this, but blossom end rot requires calcium, we crushed egg shells added banana peels and some Epsom salts. a 90 year old lady taught me that
You can also use wood ash. It has calcium carbonate and a bit of potassium and works against some of the pests.
Epsom salt's got the electrolytes that plants crave.
Wait... you want me to put water on the plants? Like from the toilet?
Exactly my thoughts
Which electrolytes are in epsom salt?? What are the electrolytes plants need?? He literally explained the macro and micronutrients plants actually need.
Did you even watch or actually listen to the video??
I had no idea that was a movie reference.
I just thought you were being weird.
Maybe you should add a little tag at the end of your movie references so people will know what you're talking about.
Also -
There's really no need to belittle someone for not knowing what's in your head.
Ive started using in the last few years and see a huge difference in my plants. Ill keep using it
All I know is my peppers and one tomato plant had BER and after 1 tablespoon epsom salt sprinkled around the plant they all got better đ€·đŒââïž
All about amounts you use
The first fruits of the year often have it, then are resolved on their own through proper watering and care
@@epicgardening almost like the watering and plant care got improved after noticing the blossom end rot and the topical application of epsom salt invests you enough to keep paying the plant good attention.
Its absolutely Stewpendous to see two channels we're subscribed to, commenting on another we're subscribed to, and for good reason. I really appreciate the work you all do. My hope and prayer is to spread the knowledge you all share, in my local community, as well as on our own channel, and to do it as successfully.
-Stew
isnt just like organic magnesium?
Magnesium is an element...
I like the way you divided your video up into labeled sections I don't know if it's always been that way but that's helpful.
Glad it was helpful!
I was told to spray my pepper and tomato plants as they started to blossom out. It was supposed to help get more blossoms. It was a epsolm salt water mix. It seemed to help??? Who knows. Other years, I didn't use it and did not seem to get as many.
GREAT VIDEO.. showing how it is just good for one thing only. Bravo.
Glad you liked it!
I add a little bit of Epsom salt in my fertilizer mix that I add into the garden beds and containers in the winter, along with compost, when 'refreshing' them in preparation for the next growing year, or when prepping newly built beds. That's really the only time I use it in my garden because I have never noticed any sign of my plants having any magnesium deficiencies.
For the first time I added epsom to my tomato & pepper pots.
I'm using aquaponic water as the fertilizer. No end results as of yet.
I also use chopped hair as a slow release nitrogen.
Also, when I water, I sometimes water 3 times a day. I often pick up the pot to determine how much I want to add. If the pot is heavy, I might skip watering that time.
The only time u apply epsom salt is when plants show magnesium deficiency
I would rather feed them to prevent the deficiency in the first place. Why wait til they get sick?
Are they yellow?
Amen
@@andybuckthorn8042 If you watched the video, if you don't have a deficiency and you give them too much magnesium, you can cause a calcium deficiency. If you're in the US and you're worried about your soil, check what testing is available through your county extension office. They can help with your actual soil chemistry.
Well, a hot Epsom salt bath is a way to increase blood levels of magnesium without eating it, and nearly all North Americans are deficient in magnesium. The bath also helps with muscle recovery and to help you sleep. I take about three buckets of the leftover bathwater and put some under plants, especially tomatoes and other edibles, so I'll get more edible magnesium in my food. And I also recycle my urine for the fruit trees.
Great video Kevin, I Foliar spray with Epsom last week in july right as the cannabis plants start to transition(stetch) from veg to flower. ( I definitely would NOT put it in the soil) Seems to give them a boost. But maybe not lol.đłđđ€đł
It helps in moderation. You know the less is more
@@green_ghost_organics haha what's up grobro!đ»
Thank you Kevin for putting salt on some of my myth-believing wounds! đ. Keep it real.
Just realized that a lot of the blessings from Kevin actually came true! Lol
Everyone thinks they're a joke...
I have a sandy - totally sandy - area that I want to transform. Would Epsom salt be beneficial in that situation? It is about 15 x 5 feet. Currently, I have a rosemary plant growing there, along with daffodils (which will be moved).
Thereâs a study that shows 15g per liter of MgSO4 foliar sprayed under acid rain conditions increased flower production 28-36%.
Epsom salt is fantastic, one just needs to keep in mind that it adds salt to the soil and it shouldnât be your only source of magnesium!
Excess salt can cause a nutrient lockout.
I've heard of using epsom salt in the garden, but I've never done it myself. I think you hit the nail on the head with the "tradition" thing...Grandma did it, Great Grandpa did it, so I should do it too. They also tilled their rows 8"-10" deep and ended up with huge crops of weeds competing with their veggies(like my 78 year-old next door neighbor, lol). Just because something has been done for generations doesn't mean it's necessarily the right thing to do.
The ONLY place I use epsom salts is in my bath tub!!! Its not going anywhere near my garden!!! LOL
Use garden epsom salt magnesium sulfate. The beauty store epsom salt is not what you want fit growing.
I put a small handful of gypsum in my tomato planting holes. Solved my BER problem years and years ago.
Thanks for clearing up the myths, Kevin đ
I have long suspected Epsom salt does little to the garden. The only plants I have actually noticed a difference after adding small quantities of Epsom salt were potted pepper plants and our in ground citrus trees. The rest of the plants seemed to not care for the addition of magnesium to the soil.
One of the main ingredients in masterblend is epsom salt and the results are amazing!
I've heard of someone sprinkling their whole garden beds with high K osmocote and epsom salt. What's your take on using slow release fertilisers for edibles?
I'm new to gardening, my first round of seeds mostly died, only a basil plant survived :D Then i found your videos! and have started another batch of seeds, so far so good, we shall see if they take to transplanting soon.
I learned water till moist, don't over do it and ph is everything. If ph is too high or 2 low your stuff just dies. Oh n no nutrients for first 3 weeks which I didn't know. 5 days old and I'm over here throwing all kinds of stuff that I thought would be good. Lol no absolutely not. Burned my plants n had to transplant to different medium. Now using smart pots n so far I've never over watered now it evaporates quick. I can't win. N showing signs of mag deficiency that I now know to add this epsom salt. Cheers to ya
One of the greatest things I learned really well in middle school was how the scientific method really works... and then in HS I had a really good statistics and probability course. So useful in gardening.
Oh noooo I always use it... đ·đ„đ
Its good stuff..we're a family of competitive gardeners..n 4H tooo, that included using ES..I just UNSUBSCRIBEDđ±đ„
@@pdxwildchildroberts5586 Unsubscribed over epsom salt? đđ€Łđ
I've been using it for many years & it does have it's place. I don't apply it to everything, but it does wonders for my tomatoes & roses. I will continue to use it as it's proven itself many times over. âșïž
Thank you!!! I have been saying this to folks for ages, they all think I'm nuts and that I have no clue.
Haha oh you're gonna hate me if you ever visit my garden lol.
Why i don't do anything but water and make sure its growing the right place lol.
Oh ya ants mushrooms but there fine and um 113 heat for 5 days In a row now I forgot to water for 4 days now ill do that later tonight đ .
Oh I got potato cucumbers sunflowers beats watermelon gords corn and pumpkins all in the same bed oh kewano melon lol.
Oh ya I use cow poo and nothing else to feed my plants well dead plants to and if I got dead corn they stay tell they fall from the roots decaying away lol
Hey, if it's workin'!
@@epicgardening definitely vegas soil high ph 8.2 and 67% clay 25% limestone rest is sand so yep definitely lol.
Experienced gardener. I love epsom salts. Might use it tonight after a long day in the garden. I need a good soak!
Epsom salts is used to balance soil deficiencies. A balanced soil will grow healthier plants. I suggest you learn some soil chemistry and the plants will be what results from a healthy, productive soil.
I suggest watching the video and then re-commenting
@@epicgardening lmao damn the shade
I've known this for years. Trying to convince people about it is the difficult part. Thanks for sharing.
You just need to know when its appropriate to use.
I have never heard any of these myths! My mom did have one though; she insisted that epsom salt and water in the bottom of the hole will prevent transplant shock. Don't know if it's true or just the benefit of root watering, but I did notice that the few plants I would inevitably forget to Bless would wilt while the rest in a row would be fine. Again, I doubt it's the epsom salts making the difference, but it is one superstition I have kept though the years anyway!
The Epsom salt is to add Magnesium to you soil. 1 of many elements that help feed a thriving plant.Magnesium is the central core of the chlorophyll molecule in plant tissue. Thus, if Mg is deficient, the shortage of chlorophyll results in poor and stunted plant growth. Magnesium also helps to activate specific enzyme systems
There is no mirical drug for anything. If you don't understand how nutrients is up taken by plants and what helps what create what and what this and that gives to the plants to help it, doesn't meant its useless
I don't know much about plants, but I believe you.
I live in Arkansas and I have used it for about 20 years and I think it works on everything I plant.i only use it when I start my plants.
I've used epsom salt to control blight on my tomatoes and other fungal diseases. Sulphur is often used to control fungal diseases in plants and the epsom salt has helped with that. Its less expensive than going to the garden store and buying actual sulphur. I've also noticed that plants when I give epsom salt they tend to flower more.
On the contrary Epsom salts are good for gardening. After a long, hard day in the garden, add Epsom salts to your bath water and have a nice long soak in it. The Magnesium relaxes those many overworked muscles :)
And then drain the tub into your garden.
Thanks for making this video and these explainers. I actually donât buy any fertilizers or pest control items. I only purchased seeds and I work with nature, home made compost and try to plant in season Or microclimates.
I have had no issues and had great results..especially 4 the lawn.
MY ADVICE 2 OTHERS IS TO TRY IT FOR YOURSELF.
I use Epsom salts on my roses and they are beautiful and flower more when I use it đ