I was sent this article from one of my gardening center (IGC) . So thought I would send it on to you about Epsom salt and how it doesn't work as a fertilizer. Here is what he wrote.
I gotta say, while some of these have some merit (compost is great, wood ash can help in overly acidic soil, egg shells are alright when ground up as described, and coffee grounds can be helpful, although not to acidify the soil as described) I think you are leading your customers down a path of woo and pseudoscience with some of the most popular items on this list, and potentially creating some pretty major obstacles to their success as gardeners along the way.
Epsom salts is basically an old wives tale. Magnesium deficiencies are the only justifiable reason to use them, and such deficiencies are very rare and even harder to properly diagnose without a laboratory soil test. Even when faced with a proven deficiency, high phosphorous will inhibit mag uptake, so all you're doing is salting the earth. More on that here: https://www.gardenmyths.com/epsom-salt-for-plants/ and https://blog-yard-garden-news.extension.umn.edu/.../myth...
Vinegar as a soil acidifier - doesn't work. To actually make any meaningful change in the pH of the soil, you'd be applying so much vinegar that you'd be causing harm to the plant and other microbial life. https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/.../vinegar-a-garden.../
Here is the article mention above as gardenmyth.
Epsom Salt Myths in The Garden
Almost daily, I see a post in social media about using Epsom salt to cure all manner of plant problem. Planting a new plant; add Epsom salt to the planting hole. Are bugs your problem? Epsom salt will get rid of them. It also gets rid of diseases, and blemished on leaves. It makes tomatoes grow bigger, and produces a higher yield, with no Blossom End Rot. Roses are absolutely dependent on the stuff – you must put it in the planting hole every time.
If Epsom salt is such a miracle cure for plants, why is it that the scientific community does not know about it? Time to debunk this myth once and for all.
Epsom salt for plants
Epsom salt for plants – or is it best for a bath?
What is Epsom Salt?
Epsom salt is a very simple chemical consisting of magnesium, sulfate, and some water. The water is tied up in the crystalline structure of the chemical, and we can ignore it.
Magnesium is one of the nutrients plants need to grow. It is however, a minor nutrient which means plants don’t need very much of it.
Sulfate consists of sulfur and oxygen. Plants can absorb sulfate directly from the soil and use the sulfur molecule. It too is a minor nutrient for plants.
Epsom Salt Fertilizer
Epsom salt does work as a specific fertilizer. If your soil is deficient of magnesium or sulfur, it will add these nutrients to the soil. As far as garden soil goes neither of these nutrients is usually deficient. If you are adding any kind of organic material or organic mulch to the soil, your soil will likely have enough of both magnesium and sulfur.
Sandy soil and acidic soil may have a deficiency of magnesium (ref 1).
It should not be added to soil unless a soil test shows you that you need to add more. If you need only sulfur and not magnesium, then horticultural sulfur is a much better product to use.
Just to be clear – the NPK numbers for Epsom salts is 0-0-0.
taken from https://www.gardenmyths.com/epsom-salt-for-plants
till next time this is Becky Litterer
I gotta say, while some of these have some merit (compost is great, wood ash can help in overly acidic soil, egg shells are alright when ground up as described, and coffee grounds can be helpful, although not to acidify the soil as described) I think you are leading your customers down a path of woo and pseudoscience with some of the most popular items on this list, and potentially creating some pretty major obstacles to their success as gardeners along the way.
Epsom salts is basically an old wives tale. Magnesium deficiencies are the only justifiable reason to use them, and such deficiencies are very rare and even harder to properly diagnose without a laboratory soil test. Even when faced with a proven deficiency, high phosphorous will inhibit mag uptake, so all you're doing is salting the earth. More on that here: https://www.gardenmyths.com/epsom-salt-for-plants/ and https://blog-yard-garden-news.extension.umn.edu/.../myth...
Vinegar as a soil acidifier - doesn't work. To actually make any meaningful change in the pH of the soil, you'd be applying so much vinegar that you'd be causing harm to the plant and other microbial life. https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/.../vinegar-a-garden.../
Here is the article mention above as gardenmyth.
Epsom Salt Myths in The Garden
Almost daily, I see a post in social media about using Epsom salt to cure all manner of plant problem. Planting a new plant; add Epsom salt to the planting hole. Are bugs your problem? Epsom salt will get rid of them. It also gets rid of diseases, and blemished on leaves. It makes tomatoes grow bigger, and produces a higher yield, with no Blossom End Rot. Roses are absolutely dependent on the stuff – you must put it in the planting hole every time.
If Epsom salt is such a miracle cure for plants, why is it that the scientific community does not know about it? Time to debunk this myth once and for all.
Epsom salt for plants
Epsom salt for plants – or is it best for a bath?
What is Epsom Salt?
Epsom salt is a very simple chemical consisting of magnesium, sulfate, and some water. The water is tied up in the crystalline structure of the chemical, and we can ignore it.
Magnesium is one of the nutrients plants need to grow. It is however, a minor nutrient which means plants don’t need very much of it.
Sulfate consists of sulfur and oxygen. Plants can absorb sulfate directly from the soil and use the sulfur molecule. It too is a minor nutrient for plants.
Epsom Salt Fertilizer
Epsom salt does work as a specific fertilizer. If your soil is deficient of magnesium or sulfur, it will add these nutrients to the soil. As far as garden soil goes neither of these nutrients is usually deficient. If you are adding any kind of organic material or organic mulch to the soil, your soil will likely have enough of both magnesium and sulfur.
Sandy soil and acidic soil may have a deficiency of magnesium (ref 1).
It should not be added to soil unless a soil test shows you that you need to add more. If you need only sulfur and not magnesium, then horticultural sulfur is a much better product to use.
Just to be clear – the NPK numbers for Epsom salts is 0-0-0.
taken from https://www.gardenmyths.com/epsom-salt-for-plants
till next time this is Becky Litterer
