In my area there is an abundance of calcium due to limestone. So much so that water softeners are necessary to extend the life of house appliances and plumbing. Therefore i have used Epson salt in the garden and have had good results. Thank you for your informative video.
Yes i agree with you on watering regularly to combat blossom rot. I only got blossom rot when we had no rain for awhile and i didnt get a chance to water.
Hi, I only used it on geraniums/pelargoniums and highly diluted. I live in Romania, Europe, but I'm pretty sure the soil doesn't lack magnesium here either. 😅 They did seem to blossom more, but I may be wrong 😬. I even found epsom salt for sale in the gardening section of a store, but it does specify it's to be used for magnesium deficiencies in coniferous plants. Thank you for the video, great explanation! 😊🌱
Hello from Canada! That’s awesome. Fun fact flowering and flower colour is enhanced mostly by potassium (potash). But your mixture may have worked for you for a number of reasons! The beautiful thing about gardening is that everyone’s situation is different and you should never be loyal to just one persons info. Try out things and do your own experiments, in your case you may have had magnesium deficiency or the mixture may have altered your Ph enough to allow for Calcium to become more bioavailable. Keep growing & keep experimenting! 😊👩🔬
In my place (clay soil) in Malaysia. Im having problem with the heavy rain starting july till end of december. I noticed even after i put the calcium the plant just look ok, but don’t get greenish look and healthy. After i put a little bit of epsom salt, the plant start to get healthy look, greenish and new leaf bud coming out
I have ground egg shells and put them in a quart jar filled with vinegar and use the solution to balance the PH a bucket of water. Seems to help. My water has a PH of 8.2...
@@GardeningInCanada just thinking about it, it's obviously benefiting some growers looking at their results. Would it work to use it in a certain stage of plant development such as a sprinkle in the hole before planting out then no More. Will it be that as the plant has absorbed the magnesium it then absorbs calcium later in the growing stage but benefits from a fast early growing stage?
There are stages of benefits more from having magnesium but the concern is that salt portion. I know that people who say it works miracles are most likely under applying and watering consistently (washing it out of the system). I would assume that them trying to counteract rot is a combo of increased watering, possibly the epsom salt, bottom watering etc. Which means the combination of all these methods will yield results. If they would have just watered the results would be similar, plus they wouldn’t be harming the environment with the introduction of salt
How is your fence or partition made from glass? How have you not broken it? Whats the purpose of a partition you can see through? They are usually a privacy thing, arent they? Weird.
How did epsom salt become a thing? Grandma and grandpa used it and it was passed down is what I think. My European and American grandparents and my Mom used it. I never tried it until after my roma and san marzano tomatoes were a 90% loss to BER for three years in a row. For the past eight years we have used 1 tblsp. of epsom salt in a gallon of water for each plant and we have had no BER in any of our tomatoes. We test our soil every year from 3 different areas and have seen low magnesium... not in our no till or raised beds but in our grow bags that we grow all our tomatoes in. We dump the bags out at the end of every season and amend that soil before refilling them with it in spring. After a bad year with tomato horn worms we started planting borage... one for every three tomatoes and have had zero horn worms also for eight years even though neighbors lost most of their tomato plants to horn worms. It's all anecdotal and not backed by science but we will continue to use epsom salts and borage. I don't see us throwing an egg or a fish in the hole before planting a tomato plant in it anytime soon. Will say however that people we know who do that have beautiful plants that are heavy producers... so have definitely thought about it! Love your channel and have learned alot but when it comes to epsom salt I still think if something works why stop?
I would love to hear your take on all these things when used in an inert medium, I grow in 50% Peat,50% Vermiculite,Dolomitic Lime 40g per cubic foot,Gypsum 10 grams per cubic foot, at least indoors. I use Powdered eggshells soaked in vinegar, with epsom salts mixed in for a cal-mag supplment because the plant i grow requires a lot of both. If you have watched any of Dr Bruce Bugbee's videos, you will reconize this as the same blend he uses in his research lab at Utah State for Hemp research. Dr.Bugbee is the Director of the Crop Physiology Laboratory at Utah State University in their Plants, Soils & Climate Department. His Educational Background PhD, Crop Physiology, (Horticulture), Penn State University, 1981 MS, crop Physiology, (vegetable crops), University of California, Davis, 1978
Hi!! I use epsom salts for my seeds and seedings and it boost the germination and growth. However i only use in the early stages so i dont get any problems.
What about if you grow plants in pots the soil profile in pots may lack in magnesium also many people water their plants with tap water that's high in calcium?
It’s high in calcium carbonate which is not an available form of calcium unfortunately. Using compost and such will help ensure there is magnesium present
@@GardeningInCanada But calcium carbonate is used in agriculture. I bought a bag for my lawn. Then why is it sold if it is not bioavailable for plants 🤔? Is just to adjust acidity?
Here in Nova Scotia.., should I just use NPK fertilizer and stop worrying about calcium, magnesium, wood ashes, witch nose hairs, etc, etc, and also, etc. ??
Thanks a for watching! Let me know what your experience has been with Epsom salt in the environment. Where we are in Canada the chances of lack Magnesium is pretty darn low so I personally never fertilize for it. Same with the calcium present in the soil. My goal is always to help the bioavailability for plants and therefore the solution is generally checking the overall Ph of the soil.
Ok.. so your tip is to not apply espom salt to cure BER in tomato. Allright point taken. But what about if I want to apply it certain herbs like coriander or fenugreek..where I specifically want the leaves to gown greener and bigger. Applying espom salt as foilar spray does seem to make leaves green. My neighbour applies epsom salt to roses and they bloom like anything. I am not sure what would happen if he didnt apply epsom salt..but it doesnt seems to harm roses at least by visual inspection
Btw... since you are a soil scientist.. is it advisable to use heavily diluted vinegar to increase acidity of a soil in the container..say to grow blueberries. I know that application of vinegar cant permanently change ph of the soil..but it seems like a quick fix for the soil in a container. Would you agree?
yes so folliar spray is a lot different then directly to the soil. I see no issues with foliar spray because it doesn't impede the root site. and 100% agree it will cause more green foliage thats definitely something to expect & if thats what the aim is for over flowers or fruits then I again see not issue there. its not going to harm your soil permanently by any means.
I've never heard of this idea before but it certainly would change the Ph. I'm also not sure what it would do to the other root site areas. My immediate reaction is "well this would effect the rate of osmosis" and you may see a fertilizer burn effect. It would be a fun experiment to try at different dillusions
@@GardeningInCanada I have a little container garden and not so much place to experiment.. but I did try a weak epsom salt solution (approx. 1gm/litre) foilar spray to chilli, coriander, fenugreek and kale. An immediate effect is that coriander plants dropped dead over 24 hours..it seems like epsom salt foilar spray kind of sucked out water out of the leaves! I washed and heavily watered the coriander again and 50% seems to have recovered. Tip: probably not a smart idea to apply epsom salt foilar spray to coriander(cilantro).
Great, me going out into the rain at 10:40 at night to remove the soil that I put Epsom salt on and praying my large tomato plants with tomatoes survive! I already crushed tums and mixed with water to add a couple of days ago because of some blossom-end rot....I will just try to water more correctly! Geeze, trying to get a tomato sammy out of this is hard! :D
@@GardeningInCanada Funny, I went and bought some Lyme to make a slurry with and added to my plants just to make sure they had calcium since I was still losing tomatoes...all in the rain, still! lol... The investment I have made on these tomatoes is hilarious... Here's hoping for a good tomato sammy in the end :)
Hi im using loam soil here in the philippines mostly it has parts of vermicompost, rice hull, rice hull and garden soil... My basil leaves tend to crumple and small leaves growing after repotting with this soil mixture. Do you think it has a magnesium deficiency?
Are the newest leaves a bright or dark green? The reason I ask is because general with basal they show deficiencies in leaf colour moreso. When you have basal that has small leaves, that turn crispy I immediately think it’s a watering and lighting issue. So that’s usually the plants response to lack of sun (they need 6+ hrs full sun) & ensure the roots always have a source of moisture. Try to keep the soil around the same consistency of a damp sponge all day long.
A little background on using Epson salt baths. The human body can absorb magnesium through the skin. If you are low in magnesium in your body you’ll feel a rush. After I had hip replacement surgery I was low on magnesium and had a restless legs problem and used a Epsom salt foot bath to relieve the distress I was having. That is why in the old times people went to mineral baths and felt better after soaking in “natural” minerals springs. When I follow up with my surgeon I told him my findings and he was surprised and made notes so that he could tell his other patients if they had similar problems.
Yea! You should look them up they may help you a lot! I know it works good if I have a sore back or muscles unbelievable product really. Thanks for leaving that comment I think it’s important
Over the years I have fallen for all these garden hacks.... Using activated charcoal, egg shells,blood meal, bone meal, huge amounts of compost, cardboard, glacial rock dust, granulated fertilizer... At the point I wonder if I have possibility ruined my raised beds. One thing I never used much of in my beds was soil .... Now I'm wondering if I should just dump bags of topsoil into my beds to help them hold onto water better and be healthier?
Yea you definitely can. And for the container plants it maybe an issue because it’s peat based and technically soilless but I would encourage a more diverse soil rather then epsom salt.
So definitely don't water with Epsom salts every water? Just apply if needed? I see why now many companies use calcium and mag in the same application aka calmag
If you are growing peppers and/or tomatoes. They NEED magnesium. In fact they are heavy magnesium feeders. Peppers won't produce correctly without it. This video is kind of misleading.
Misleading? I don’t think it is at all, magnesium is incredibly high in soil and rarely ever deficient unless it’s a continuous cropping for production scenario. If you did a soil test and it comes back deficient I suggest finding a different method for application the Epsom SALT, salt is deadly to plants and will burn the leaves I can promise that. This is an article by a university if you still think I’m misleading anyone, it’s a professional standpoint on the subject not an “I think you should” gardening.usask.ca/article-list-soils/epsom-salts-are-not-recommended-for-tomatos.php
Thank you for this one. Blossom end rot is abundant in the American high desert, where regular watering is the best medicine our backyard gardens can get!
I do not go by anybody's reports or thesis I can only base experience off my gardening and since I started using Epsom salt that was the end of my blossom end rot problems
Thanks so much for that info! I have a question please. I moved into a community where the major landscaping/lawn maintenence is done for us. It includes putting wood mulch over all beds (for years). I tested the soil when my veggies did terribly (should have done that First) and the ph was way too acidic and there was almost zero N,P, and K in the soil! And I realized that though I watered regularly much of the water was running off under the mulch being repelled instead of soaking in (it's on a slope) . Help! I had dug large holes and filled them with potting soil as I planted and added compost. Should I use 20-20-20 now? Should I use the quick acting lime over the whole area? For some reason the bushes I planted did fine. Thank you for any advice.
@@GardeningInCanada We have layers; some inches of topsoil, then sandy soil with gravel, then sandy soil with bigger rocks, then thick, moister slower draining sand with bigger rocks, then a sandy clay. I sometimes have to use a crowbar to remove a rock for a perennial!
Your thesis about Epson salts is a little too simplistic. In years of gardening on the Canadian Prairies, I never encountered symptoms of shortage of either calcium or magnesium. However, after relocating the the West Coast I started encountering a lot of interveinal chlorosis especially in raspberries, beans and tomatoes. This was quickly rectified in new leaves with a small application of Epsom salts. This is probably the result of leaching from high winter rainfall and the relatively high sand content of many soils in the area. I soon discovered that dolomitic lime became abundantly available in the autumn as gardeners in this region have learned the importance of replenishing magnesium and calcium leeched away by the high and slightly acidic winter rainfall.
@@GardeningInCanada The U of S article you refer to is both superficial and directed mostly towards the soils of Saskatchewan which are derived mostly from glacial tills and subject to low rainfall. If you check the soils literate from a more global perspective you will find that the question is, in fact, much more nuanced. Magnesium is highly mobile and easily leached so deficiency tends to be associated with higher rainfall and sandy soils. Deficiencies also tend to become more apparent later in the growing season. Some soils publication say that light applications Epsom salts, or several other soluble sources of magnesium, specifically for countering the appears of deficiency symptoms(interveinal chlorosis) is effective as magnesium is readily absorbed as the Mg2+ ion. However, this is not the best way to manage deficiency. Incorporation of dolomite in the soil is recommended by many soil science departments and is more cost effective(often necessary in very large fields) and has the advantage of elevating calcium as well. However, this needs to be done at the time of soil preparation and is difficult to do once the growth of the plants are underway. There are about 20 plot where I have my garden. Some had applications of Epson salts for magnesium deficiency symptom and the rest not. Last year there was a very high incidence of blossom end rot even when calcium was still abundant in at least some plots. There was not difference between the plots in the incidence of blossom end rot in the same varieties of tomatoes. However, no plants in plots given very small applications of Epsom salts showed no chlorosis while some varieties of plants in most of the other plots did plots. I agree that many of the claims about the use of Epsom salts are not substantiated by research and ,because of the complex relationships between calcium, potassium and magnesium in the soil, care should be exercise before using much Epsom salts. However, small applications can be effective for short term remediation of magnesium deficiency when the specific symptoms are displayed by plants. (Check Mississippi State University publications as well as others)
Ooops....I just added 1 tablespoon of Epson salt with water to my cherry tree. What should I do it now? I wished I watched this video instead of the other
🌼🇺🇸Thank you for this info, you saved me from wrecking my garden!! I’m a semi new gardener so any Good scientific info is so much appreciated and welcomed. Please keep it coming! K.
Wouldn’t it just be better to use a small amount of your MAKING a soil mix raised garden bed from scratch rather than ADDING to the plants that are already established?
I know where this myth comes from liquid plant food recipe on the news: "Measure 1 ½ tablespoons of Epsom salt into a clean gallon jug. Add 1 ½ teaspoons of baking soda to the jug. Measure a scant ½ teaspoon of household ammonia into the jug. Fill the rest of the jug with plain tap water, screw the lid on tightly, and swish well to combine."
Hi Ashley, it's me again! Lol! I love your videos, very educational! I totally agree with the epsom salt thing. I also never thought about a plant not having a stomach to digest certain things. And, I learned something new...bio availability. So makes sense! I need your opinion on another thing I am dealing with in my garden. I planted blueberries last year and they barely grew. So this year I did some research and found out about aluminum sulphate. I do believe the soil is too alkaline. I know there are nutrients in the soil because I enriched it before I planted my blueberries, raspberries, and gooseberries. So I read the package and ended up putting 1 tablespoon to 3 gallons of water which was too much water, it was suppose to be to 1 gallon of water, but whatever! What's your opinion on this product and what do you think about the dose it says to give. It also says it will lower the ph instantly, really? How will I know if the ph is low enough for the blueberries? Is there such a thing as too low? Help!?!?
Please keep commenting! I love the conversation and it helps my algorithm on TH-cam 🙂. Yes so they do like alkaline soil and that’s all because of then nutrient profile they enjoy. For the product I would follow the instructions these companies are pretty dead on with their recommendations. For the instant/permanent Ph change I doubt that claim. Ph is really really hard to permanently adjust it’s almost like a DNA feature of the soil because that “info” comes from the parent material. I have a video coming out about parent material tomorrow! The most effective and permanent solution I’ve found for making a more acidic soil (only mildly more acidic) was peat moss. Unfortunately at times you’re simply constrained by what you have to work with.
Have you tried mixing in pine bark in the soil? That works well for me. Peat Moss is destroying a lot of our much needed marshes, so I tend to stay away from it.
What about for seedlings. A lot of channels recommend a little during the seedling stage. I have never understood a scientific explanation on this only “old wives tales” that it helps root strength
Seedlings are very narrow in the demands for nutrients. I can do a video on that actually but the main nutrient a seedling needs is phosphorus, and the nitrogen. But you shouldn’t fertilize until you see true leaves
@@GardeningInCanada yes I see that already in my tomato seedlings. What would you suggest to get a seedling phos but not over do it with the other things. I’m giving fish emulsion to everything bc it’s gentle and relatively affordable. I use it a lot on brassicas and my greens during the season too. But for phos for seedlings what would you recommend
Rock phosphate or bone meal will have more then fish emulsion. But I wouldn’t stress it too much. They aren’t mega hungry until they are flowering so fish emulsion would work fine. Just don’t overdue it’s because of the nitrogen.
Yea exactly. I don’t really work about it till stuff gets outside. The soil is pretty darn good at managing nutrients especially when there isn’t much growth wise
There is no benefit i know if and the effects are going to be based on how much you applied. If you think you’ve over applied then simply water the plant thoroughly in order to flush it out.
I never use Epsom salt because of salt buildup in the soil and know Miracle Grow is loaded with the stuff. I found good results by adding products from the ocean such as crab meal, kelp and stanky fish juice along with other inputs, and yes I may use chemical fertilizer at times.
Ashley, enjoying your videos! Quick question on epsom salt..what about home made container/raised bed soil? Peat moss, compost, potting soil..is there any benefit in adding magnesium sulfate and/or wood ash? Trying to get away from just winging it when I put together soil at home..
I wouldn’t worry about it to much because most potting soils are peat based but have a bit of top soil mixed in. Meaning you’re going to have magnesium. If you’re worried about it just mix in some manure, manure is high in both magnesium and sulphate. If you’re making potting soil from scratch using peat bales. Again make sure to use some manure in the mixture.
This is a big one used in the weed industry But there's special ways to do it and they use coco coir or potting mix When at budding stage you water with some Epsom salts like a teaspoon to a liter or less The salt actually cloggs up the roots causing damage! To the roots Then you flush with lots of water for a few days to wash out that salt Probably at this time is when the calcium gets picked up? Cuz it works The plant going through this shock will put out very nice buds because it wants to survive right so that is a big part of it People started using it for garden veggies but this is not what you want unless you want to damage the plant! Does this make sense? It's big in the cannabis industry
Haaaaayyyyy!!!!!! 😰😳😰😳 I’m guilty of epsom salt usage. I’m confused you can goggle epsom salt for plants and the abundance of information it’s great for plants 🌱🤔
Your video is false and you’re making strong absolute statements, which is just irresponsible. Magnesium absolutely does have a major function in soil & if you’re getting blight, it’s because you’re using too much. Keep it in balance and you’re good. Do not make strong statements either way when the answer is both. Please evolve past your good/bad ideology. Lastly, calcium is not more important to tomatoes than magnesium, they need both. Your irrational exuberance for calcium over magnesium is bad advice, please do your homework before speak authoritatively.
Appreciate your opinion but unfortunately I’m not going to change my stance. My thesis (which took years of research) was based on organic vs inorganic fertilizers with a particular focus on nutrient usage by plants. Magnesium is incredibly important to plants I didn’t say that once so please don’t misquote me. Magnesium is abundant in the soils of North America and does not need to be supplemented in the soil. So yes you’re correct using to much causes the blight, mean adding any will cause blight. Which goes right back to the whole idea of it occupying receptors on the plant roots that utilize calcium and again the position of element of the periodic table. I will not recommend Epsom salt in a garden & stand by the it’s bad ideology. If you want to learn more from a university feel free to check out this article. gardening.usask.ca/article-list-soils/epsom-salts-are-not-recommended-for-tomatos.php Thanks for the comment and interaction negative or not it really helps my channel grow 🙂
Nope. You're wrong and she's right. We're talking about blossom end rot which is caused by calcium deficiency or inadequate uptake of calcium. Magnesium will not help with "BER" and may make it worse as it competes with calcium in uptake by the plant. The lady knows what she's talking about.
You know what works better than epsom salts? NAOH drain cleaner! I mean at least it has nitrogen, ammonia, oxygen and hydrogen right? Those things are good for plants, and animals! Let's all eat some drain cleaner now!
Please annunciate...couldn't understand half of what you were saying....too bad...Was looking for some information on epsom salts in the benefits of gardening
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Awesome information. I just solved my deficiencies mystery. It's a calcium deficiency due to my over Epsom salts applications. Wow. This blew my mind.
that's awesome!
In my area there is an abundance of calcium due to limestone. So much so that water softeners are necessary to extend the life of house appliances and plumbing. Therefore i have used Epson salt in the garden and have had good results. Thank you for your informative video.
Wow that’s a crazy amount of hard water! At the farm we have that issue. It destroys all out pots and pans
I've lost count of how many places I have seen this being touted as the cure all in the garden. Thank you for posting this!
Yeaa it’s everywhere 😂
I know I am kinda off topic but does anybody know a good site to watch newly released tv shows online ?
@Cade Moses try FlixZone. You can find it on google :)
@Lochlan Elliot Yea, I've been using flixzone for since march myself :)
@Lochlan Elliot thanks, I went there and it seems like they got a lot of movies there :D I really appreciate it!!
Yes i agree with you on watering regularly to combat blossom rot. I only got blossom rot when we had no rain for awhile and i didnt get a chance to water.
100% makes sense
I wrote this hack down thinking it was a good one. How you explain and break it down helps alot. Thank you.
I do use Epsom salt diluted in water to spray my foliage at the beginning of the season but not in the soil.
Hi, I only used it on geraniums/pelargoniums and highly diluted. I live in Romania, Europe, but I'm pretty sure the soil doesn't lack magnesium here either. 😅 They did seem to blossom more, but I may be wrong 😬. I even found epsom salt for sale in the gardening section of a store, but it does specify it's to be used for magnesium deficiencies in coniferous plants. Thank you for the video, great explanation! 😊🌱
Hello from Canada! That’s awesome. Fun fact flowering and flower colour is enhanced mostly by potassium (potash). But your mixture may have worked for you for a number of reasons! The beautiful thing about gardening is that everyone’s situation is different and you should never be loyal to just one persons info. Try out things and do your own experiments, in your case you may have had magnesium deficiency or the mixture may have altered your Ph enough to allow for Calcium to become more bioavailable. Keep growing & keep experimenting! 😊👩🔬
@@GardeningInCanada Thank you! 😊
Absolutely anytime! 😌
In my place (clay soil) in Malaysia. Im having problem with the heavy rain starting july till end of december. I noticed even after i put the calcium the plant just look ok, but don’t get greenish look and healthy. After i put a little bit of epsom salt, the plant start to get healthy look, greenish and new leaf bud coming out
I dont even understand why people put it in their baths. Does it really relax muscles? Sounds like magic to me.
I believe it absorbs through your skin actually lol
It works. Unlike soil, humans tend to be deficient in Mg
I have ground egg shells and put them in a quart jar filled with vinegar and use the solution to balance the PH a bucket of water. Seems to help. My water has a PH of 8.2...
I have seen nothing but good results and appreciate the video.
That’s awesome!
Wish I watched this before I bought some..... Thank you
Hahah that’s a win!
@@GardeningInCanada just thinking about it, it's obviously benefiting some growers looking at their results. Would it work to use it in a certain stage of plant development such as a sprinkle in the hole before planting out then no More. Will it be that as the plant has absorbed the magnesium it then absorbs calcium later in the growing stage but benefits from a fast early growing stage?
There are stages of benefits more from having magnesium but the concern is that salt portion. I know that people who say it works miracles are most likely under applying and watering consistently (washing it out of the system). I would assume that them trying to counteract rot is a combo of increased watering, possibly the epsom salt, bottom watering etc. Which means the combination of all these methods will yield results. If they would have just watered the results would be similar, plus they wouldn’t be harming the environment with the introduction of salt
@@GardeningInCanada that makes sense. Thank you
@@joshuadelisle yea any time good luck!
How is your fence or partition made from glass? How have you not broken it? Whats the purpose of a partition you can see through? They are usually a privacy thing, arent they? Weird.
Hahaha it’s pretty strong!
Thanks a lot again. I am starting to like epsom salt. I have just bought one. Then, this eye opener came. Happy planting to all.
Haha oh no, you can always experiment as well!
How did epsom salt become a thing? Grandma and grandpa used it and it was passed down is what I think. My European and American grandparents and my Mom used it. I never tried it until after my roma and san marzano tomatoes were a 90% loss to BER for three years in a row. For the past eight years we have used 1 tblsp. of epsom salt in a gallon of water for each plant and we have had no BER in any of our tomatoes. We test our soil every year from 3 different areas and have seen low magnesium... not in our no till or raised beds but in our grow bags that we grow all our tomatoes in. We dump the bags out at the end of every season and amend that soil before refilling them with it in spring. After a bad year with tomato horn worms we started planting borage... one for every three tomatoes and have had zero horn worms also for eight years even though neighbors lost most of their tomato plants to horn worms. It's all anecdotal and not backed by science but we will continue to use epsom salts and borage. I don't see us throwing an egg or a fish in the hole before planting a tomato plant in it anytime soon. Will say however that people we know who do that have beautiful plants that are heavy producers... so have definitely thought about it! Love your channel and have learned alot but when it comes to epsom salt I still think if something works why stop?
its because it used to the be most available for of convention fertilizer. epsom salt is just conventional fertilizer masked as Organic
I would love to hear your take on all these things when used in an inert medium, I grow in 50% Peat,50% Vermiculite,Dolomitic Lime 40g per cubic foot,Gypsum 10 grams per cubic foot, at least indoors. I use Powdered eggshells soaked in vinegar, with epsom salts mixed in for a cal-mag supplment because the plant i grow requires a lot of both. If you have watched any of Dr Bruce Bugbee's videos, you will reconize this as the same blend he uses in his research lab at Utah State for Hemp research. Dr.Bugbee is the Director of the Crop Physiology Laboratory at Utah State University in their Plants, Soils & Climate Department. His Educational Background PhD, Crop Physiology, (Horticulture), Penn State University, 1981 MS, crop Physiology, (vegetable crops), University of California, Davis, 1978
Hi!! I use epsom salts for my seeds and seedings and it boost the germination and growth. However i only use in the early stages so i dont get any problems.
That’s awesome
Yeah weed plants are awesome lol
Ive been saying this for years I use lime calcium carbonate to combat blossom end rot
Yes! Awesome advice
@@GardeningInCanada how would you apply lime calcium carbonate to help with end rot? Can you water it in? Or foliar feed?
What about if you grow plants in pots the soil profile in pots may lack in magnesium also many people water their plants with tap water that's high in calcium?
It’s high in calcium carbonate which is not an available form of calcium unfortunately. Using compost and such will help ensure there is magnesium present
@@GardeningInCanada But calcium carbonate is used in agriculture. I bought a bag for my lawn. Then why is it sold if it is not bioavailable for plants 🤔? Is just to adjust acidity?
Interesting,, some people said epsom salt is good for plant but don’t over use it . You said stop to use it .
Here in Nova Scotia.., should I just use NPK fertilizer and stop worrying about calcium, magnesium, wood ashes, witch nose hairs, etc, etc, and also, etc. ??
hahaah yes 100% just a good old fertilizer. might want to sprinkle some nose hairs still though i have heard great things 😂
Thanks a for watching! Let me know what your experience has been with Epsom salt in the environment. Where we are in Canada the chances of lack Magnesium is pretty darn low so I personally never fertilize for it. Same with the calcium present in the soil. My goal is always to help the bioavailability for plants and therefore the solution is generally checking the overall Ph of the soil.
Ok.. so your tip is to not apply espom salt to cure BER in tomato. Allright point taken.
But what about if I want to apply it certain herbs like coriander or fenugreek..where I specifically want the leaves to gown greener and bigger. Applying espom salt as foilar spray does seem to make leaves green.
My neighbour applies epsom salt to roses and they bloom like anything. I am not sure what would happen if he didnt apply epsom salt..but it doesnt seems to harm roses at least by visual inspection
Btw... since you are a soil scientist.. is it advisable to use heavily diluted vinegar to increase acidity of a soil in the container..say to grow blueberries.
I know that application of vinegar cant permanently change ph of the soil..but it seems like a quick fix for the soil in a container. Would you agree?
yes so folliar spray is a lot different then directly to the soil. I see no issues with foliar spray because it doesn't impede the root site. and 100% agree it will cause more green foliage thats definitely something to expect & if thats what the aim is for over flowers or fruits then I again see not issue there. its not going to harm your soil permanently by any means.
I've never heard of this idea before but it certainly would change the Ph. I'm also not sure what it would do to the other root site areas. My immediate reaction is "well this would effect the rate of osmosis" and you may see a fertilizer burn effect. It would be a fun experiment to try at different dillusions
@@GardeningInCanada I have a little container garden and not so much place to experiment.. but I did try a weak epsom salt solution (approx. 1gm/litre) foilar spray to chilli, coriander, fenugreek and kale.
An immediate effect is that coriander plants dropped dead over 24 hours..it seems like epsom salt foilar spray kind of sucked out water out of the leaves!
I washed and heavily watered the coriander again and 50% seems to have recovered.
Tip: probably not a smart idea to apply epsom salt foilar spray to coriander(cilantro).
What are your thoughts with adding bone meal to treat end rot?
Great, me going out into the rain at 10:40 at night to remove the soil that I put Epsom salt on and praying my large tomato plants with tomatoes survive! I already crushed tums and mixed with water to add a couple of days ago because of some blossom-end rot....I will just try to water more correctly!
Geeze, trying to get a tomato sammy out of this is hard! :D
They will be fine ❤️ good on you for being a good plant parent.
@@GardeningInCanada Funny, I went and bought some Lyme to make a slurry with and added to my plants just to make sure they had calcium since I was still losing tomatoes...all in the rain, still! lol...
The investment I have made on these tomatoes is hilarious... Here's hoping for a good tomato sammy in the end :)
So should I or shouldn't I try Epson Salt on my pumpkin leaves that are turning yellow?
they are likely turning yellow from lack of nitrogen or age not magnesium
@@GardeningInCanada Makes sense, I might have missed them when I was fertilizing the rest of the garden.
Hi im using loam soil here in the philippines mostly it has parts of vermicompost, rice hull, rice hull and garden soil... My basil leaves tend to crumple and small leaves growing after repotting with this soil mixture. Do you think it has a magnesium deficiency?
Are the newest leaves a bright or dark green? The reason I ask is because general with basal they show deficiencies in leaf colour moreso.
When you have basal that has small leaves, that turn crispy I immediately think it’s a watering and lighting issue. So that’s usually the plants response to lack of sun (they need 6+ hrs full sun) & ensure the roots always have a source of moisture. Try to keep the soil around the same consistency of a damp sponge all day long.
Can I use bone meal.for the calcium? Can I use epsom salt for cucimbers
Yea absolutely but I would avoid epsom all together
A little background on using Epson salt baths. The human body can absorb magnesium through the skin. If you are low in magnesium in your body you’ll feel a rush. After I had hip replacement surgery I was low on magnesium and had a restless legs problem and used a Epsom salt foot bath to relieve the distress I was having. That is why in the old times people went to mineral baths and felt better after soaking in “natural” minerals springs. When I follow up with my surgeon I told him my findings and he was surprised and made notes so that he could tell his other patients if they had similar problems.
It’s so true! Have you tried those zero gravity float tanks? Those are all Epsom and are supposed to be really great for the body.
@@GardeningInCanada no I have not. Makes sense. I just know the science and use my good ole foot bath.
Yea! You should look them up they may help you a lot! I know it works good if I have a sore back or muscles unbelievable product really. Thanks for leaving that comment I think it’s important
Over the years I have fallen for all these garden hacks.... Using activated charcoal, egg shells,blood meal, bone meal, huge amounts of compost, cardboard, glacial rock dust, granulated fertilizer... At the point I wonder if I have possibility ruined my raised beds. One thing I never used much of in my beds was soil .... Now I'm wondering if I should just dump bags of topsoil into my beds to help them hold onto water better and be healthier?
I have used Epson salts too
Do you think it's ok to use it as a foliar spray?
yup! That will work great!
Hey! Fantastic Video This Really Helped Me.
That’s awesome I love feedback or that! Happy planting
Gardening In Canada Thanks! 😊
Anytime! Come back and visit. PS your video of strawberry picking 🤤 my mouth is watering hahaa
What about plants in containers ?also would you use gypsum to balance the calcium?
Yea you definitely can. And for the container plants it maybe an issue because it’s peat based and technically soilless but I would encourage a more diverse soil rather then epsom salt.
So definitely don't water with Epsom salts every water? Just apply if needed?
I see why now many companies use calcium and mag in the same application aka calmag
So many thanks to shayaring your good knowlage
Thanks for listening!
Oh no! I just added Epsom salt in my garden today for the first time-is there anyway to rectify it or should I just cross my fingers? 😫😫😫
Also thanks for the video!! Very informative!!!
Adding bonemeal will balance the magnesium addition, your plant would need additional calcium.
Just lots of water and you can push it out
I use epsom salt mixed in water to spray on my plants. Just to make them have more chlorophyll. Does that harm the soil ??????
It’s not enough to harm the soil if applied foliar
I just bought a HUGE bag because another TH-cam video said to use it for my tomatoes...🙄🤔... Could I ki use my big bag for my baths?
Yea! Of course you can it’ll help you relax while you wait for some delicious tomatoes
If you are growing peppers and/or tomatoes. They NEED magnesium. In fact they are heavy magnesium feeders. Peppers won't produce correctly without it. This video is kind of misleading.
Misleading? I don’t think it is at all, magnesium is incredibly high in soil and rarely ever deficient unless it’s a continuous cropping for production scenario. If you did a soil test and it comes back deficient I suggest finding a different method for application the Epsom SALT, salt is deadly to plants and will burn the leaves I can promise that. This is an article by a university if you still think I’m misleading anyone, it’s a professional standpoint on the subject not an “I think you should” gardening.usask.ca/article-list-soils/epsom-salts-are-not-recommended-for-tomatos.php
Thank you.
What if we spray it to the leaves ?
Yes so that’s called foliar spray and there is a reasoning behind that form of usage. I can do a video on that concept.
Thank you for this one. Blossom end rot is abundant in the American high desert, where regular watering is the best medicine our backyard gardens can get!
Yes! That area would be a definite struggle
I do not go by anybody's reports or thesis I can only base experience off my gardening and since I started using Epsom salt that was the end of my blossom end rot problems
Nice
Now I don't know what to do! lol
I would suspect this originated in container gardening / hydroponics
That makes sense!
Thanks so much for that info! I have a question please. I moved into a community where the major landscaping/lawn maintenence is done for us. It includes putting wood mulch over all beds (for years). I tested the soil when my veggies did terribly (should have done that First) and the ph was way too acidic and there was almost zero N,P, and K in the soil! And I realized that though I watered regularly much of the water was running off under the mulch being repelled instead of soaking in (it's on a slope) . Help! I had dug large holes and filled them with potting soil as I planted and added compost. Should I use 20-20-20 now? Should I use the quick acting lime over the whole area? For some reason the bushes I planted did fine. Thank you for any advice.
Is it a heavy clay? Have you done a ribbon test? th-cam.com/video/RTM4DW09IS8/w-d-xo.html
@@GardeningInCanada We have layers; some inches of topsoil, then sandy soil with gravel, then sandy soil with bigger rocks, then thick, moister slower draining sand with bigger rocks, then a sandy clay. I sometimes have to use a crowbar to remove a rock for a perennial!
anything that says salt. ya love your channel
Ahahah yissss winning hearts and minds 🤓
Chip chip lol
Looking for great garden tips ;)
Don't want a tip debunked lol
Much love xoxox
Your thesis about Epson salts is a little too simplistic. In years of gardening on the Canadian Prairies, I never encountered symptoms of shortage of either calcium or magnesium. However, after relocating the the West Coast I started encountering a lot of interveinal chlorosis especially in raspberries, beans and tomatoes. This was quickly rectified in new leaves with a small application of Epsom salts. This is probably the result of leaching from high winter rainfall and the relatively high sand content of many soils in the area. I soon discovered that dolomitic lime became abundantly available in the autumn as gardeners in this region have learned the importance of replenishing magnesium and calcium leeched away by the high and slightly acidic winter rainfall.
Sure! My hypothesis is backed by the university of Saskatchewan though
@@GardeningInCanada
The U of S article you refer to is both superficial and directed mostly towards the soils of Saskatchewan which are derived mostly from glacial tills and subject to low rainfall. If you check the soils literate from a more global perspective you will find that the question is, in fact, much more nuanced. Magnesium is highly mobile and easily leached so deficiency tends to be associated with higher rainfall and sandy soils. Deficiencies also tend to become more apparent later in the growing season. Some soils publication say that light applications Epsom salts, or several other soluble sources of magnesium, specifically for countering the appears of deficiency symptoms(interveinal chlorosis) is effective as magnesium is readily absorbed as the Mg2+ ion. However, this is not the best way to manage deficiency. Incorporation of dolomite in the soil is recommended by many soil science departments and is more cost effective(often necessary in very large fields) and has the advantage of elevating calcium as well. However, this needs to be done at the time of soil preparation and is difficult to do once the growth of the plants are underway. There are about 20 plot where I have my garden. Some had applications of Epson salts for magnesium deficiency symptom and the rest not. Last year there was a very high incidence of blossom end rot even when calcium was still abundant in at least some plots. There was not difference between the plots in the incidence of blossom end rot in the same varieties of tomatoes. However, no plants in plots given very small applications of Epsom salts showed no chlorosis while some varieties of plants in most of the other plots did plots. I agree that many of the claims about the use of Epsom salts are not substantiated by research and ,because of the complex relationships between calcium, potassium and magnesium in the soil, care should be exercise before using much Epsom salts. However, small applications can be effective for short term remediation of magnesium deficiency when the specific symptoms are displayed by plants. (Check Mississippi State University publications as well as others)
use epsom salt all the time never had a problem
@@GardeningInCanada You should take this down for American viewers. Just a thought 💭 💯🤷🏾♂️😆
The channel is called gardening in Canada….
Ooops....I just added 1 tablespoon of Epson salt with water to my cherry tree. What should I do it now? I wished I watched this video instead of the other
Just water lots
I used it to remove snails from my garden.
That would work!
🌼🇺🇸Thank you for this info, you saved me from wrecking my garden!! I’m a semi new gardener so any Good scientific info is so much appreciated and welcomed. Please keep it coming! K.
Glad you enjoyed! Feel free to share it wherever you think it will be helpful
Wouldn’t it just be better to use a small amount of your MAKING a soil mix raised garden bed from scratch rather than ADDING to the plants that are already established?
I’m not sure I understand the question.
I know where this myth comes from
liquid plant food recipe on the news:
"Measure 1 ½ tablespoons of Epsom salt into a clean gallon jug.
Add 1 ½ teaspoons of baking soda to the jug.
Measure a scant ½ teaspoon of household ammonia into the jug.
Fill the rest of the jug with plain tap water, screw the lid on tightly, and swish well to combine."
interesting!
That sounds like the makings of a bomb 😶
Hi Ashley, it's me again! Lol! I love your videos, very educational! I totally agree with the epsom salt thing. I also never thought about a plant not having a stomach to digest certain things. And, I learned something new...bio availability. So makes sense! I need your opinion on another thing I am dealing with in my garden. I planted blueberries last year and they barely grew. So this year I did some research and found out about aluminum sulphate. I do believe the soil is too alkaline. I know there are nutrients in the soil because I enriched it before I planted my blueberries, raspberries, and gooseberries. So I read the package and ended up putting 1 tablespoon to 3 gallons of water which was too much water, it was suppose to be to 1 gallon of water, but whatever! What's your opinion on this product and what do you think about the dose it says to give. It also says it will lower the ph instantly, really? How will I know if the ph is low enough for the blueberries? Is there such a thing as too low? Help!?!?
Please keep commenting! I love the conversation and it helps my algorithm on TH-cam 🙂.
Yes so they do like alkaline soil and that’s all because of then nutrient profile they enjoy. For the product I would follow the instructions these companies are pretty dead on with their recommendations. For the instant/permanent Ph change I doubt that claim. Ph is really really hard to permanently adjust it’s almost like a DNA feature of the soil because that “info” comes from the parent material. I have a video coming out about parent material tomorrow!
The most effective and permanent solution I’ve found for making a more acidic soil (only mildly more acidic) was peat moss. Unfortunately at times you’re simply constrained by what you have to work with.
Have you tried mixing in pine bark in the soil? That works well for me. Peat Moss is destroying a lot of our much needed marshes, so I tend to stay away from it.
Thanks for the Epsom salt tips...I was looking at it as an option, but won't for sure now...
Is it bad I debated it to and have fallen for trends in the past... but then logic kicks in and I start thinking no no... I know this it’s right.
Very informative
Glad you enjoyed!
Very informative thanks
Glad it was helpful!
What about for seedlings. A lot of channels recommend a little during the seedling stage. I have never understood a scientific explanation on this only “old wives tales” that it helps root strength
Seedlings are very narrow in the demands for nutrients. I can do a video on that actually but the main nutrient a seedling needs is phosphorus, and the nitrogen. But you shouldn’t fertilize until you see true leaves
@@GardeningInCanada yes I see that already in my tomato seedlings. What would you suggest to get a seedling phos but not over do it with the other things. I’m giving fish emulsion to everything bc it’s gentle and relatively affordable. I use it a lot on brassicas and my greens during the season too. But for phos for seedlings what would you recommend
Rock phosphate or bone meal will have more then fish emulsion. But I wouldn’t stress it too much. They aren’t mega hungry until they are flowering so fish emulsion would work fine. Just don’t overdue it’s because of the nitrogen.
@@GardeningInCanada great thanks! Yes I do 1/4 strength so it’s super mild
Yea exactly. I don’t really work about it till stuff gets outside. The soil is pretty darn good at managing nutrients especially when there isn’t much growth wise
Does Epsom salt benefit marijuana plants? What will happen if I use it please let me know.
There is no benefit i know if and the effects are going to be based on how much you applied. If you think you’ve over applied then simply water the plant thoroughly in order to flush it out.
What about raised bed gardens? Will epsome salt and fertilizer benefit a raised bed full of cherry tomatoes?
Good question but it’s pretty unlikely to do anything. I’d stick towards just regular fertilizer.
I had exactly this... mom told me to use Epsom salt when I planted my tomatoes and everyone had blossom end rot. Thanks for the science based info!
That’s unfortunate sorry to hear that
I never use Epsom salt because of salt buildup in the soil and know Miracle Grow is loaded with the stuff. I found good results by adding products from the ocean such as crab meal, kelp and stanky fish juice along with other inputs, and yes I may use chemical fertilizer at times.
Miracle grow definitely has salt
Ashley, enjoying your videos! Quick question on epsom salt..what about home made container/raised bed soil? Peat moss, compost, potting soil..is there any benefit in adding magnesium sulfate and/or wood ash? Trying to get away from just winging it when I put together soil at home..
I wouldn’t worry about it to much because most potting soils are peat based but have a bit of top soil mixed in. Meaning you’re going to have magnesium. If you’re worried about it just mix in some manure, manure is high in both magnesium and sulphate.
If you’re making potting soil from scratch using peat bales. Again make sure to use some manure in the mixture.
Thank you for the science behind it. I be telling people but I couldn't explain why.
Glad you enjoyed!
Tried it years ago. Didn’t work
interesting!
Thanks 😊
This is a big one used in the weed industry
But there's special ways to do it and they use coco coir or potting mix
When at budding stage you water with some Epsom salts like a teaspoon to a liter or less
The salt actually cloggs up the roots causing damage! To the roots
Then you flush with lots of water for a few days to wash out that salt
Probably at this time is when the calcium gets picked up? Cuz it works
The plant going through this shock will put out very nice buds because it wants to survive right so that is a big part of it
People started using it for garden veggies but this is not what you want unless you want to damage the plant!
Does this make sense?
It's big in the cannabis industry
yea! I believe that because they ask me about it alot
@@GardeningInCanada ;)
Interesting for sure, I’ve always kind of avoided it.
A good choice! I’m sure in some scenarios like older potting soil or intense gardening but the average Gardner I doubt it’s the case.
I agree
🤓 nerds together
😉
Haaaaayyyyy!!!!!! 😰😳😰😳 I’m guilty of epsom salt usage. I’m confused you can goggle epsom salt for plants and the abundance of information it’s great for plants 🌱🤔
my only rebuttal to that is look for university or accredited claims
Thanks for sharing, God’s Blessings always, hallelujah grace shalom.
Your video is false and you’re making strong absolute statements, which is just irresponsible.
Magnesium absolutely does have a major function in soil & if you’re getting blight, it’s because you’re using too much. Keep it in balance and you’re good. Do not make strong statements either way when the answer is both. Please evolve past your good/bad ideology. Lastly, calcium is not more important to tomatoes than magnesium, they need both. Your irrational exuberance for calcium over magnesium is bad advice, please do your homework before speak authoritatively.
Appreciate your opinion but unfortunately I’m not going to change my stance. My thesis (which took years of research) was based on organic vs inorganic fertilizers with a particular focus on nutrient usage by plants.
Magnesium is incredibly important to plants I didn’t say that once so please don’t misquote me. Magnesium is abundant in the soils of North America and does not need to be supplemented in the soil. So yes you’re correct using to much causes the blight, mean adding any will cause blight. Which goes right back to the whole idea of it occupying receptors on the plant roots that utilize calcium and again the position of element of the periodic table.
I will not recommend Epsom salt in a garden & stand by the it’s bad ideology. If you want to learn more from a university feel free to check out this article. gardening.usask.ca/article-list-soils/epsom-salts-are-not-recommended-for-tomatos.php
Thanks for the comment and interaction negative or not it really helps my channel grow 🙂
Nah cant agree that if your getting Blight your using to much magnesium. Take some of your own advise on sweeping statements.
Nope. You're wrong and she's right. We're talking about blossom end rot which is caused by calcium deficiency or inadequate uptake of calcium. Magnesium will not help with "BER" and may make it worse as it competes with calcium in uptake by the plant. The lady knows what she's talking about.
Thanks so much! I truly appreciate that
You know what works better than epsom salts? NAOH drain cleaner! I mean at least it has nitrogen, ammonia, oxygen and hydrogen right? Those things are good for plants, and animals! Let's all eat some drain cleaner now!
Please annunciate...couldn't understand half of what you were saying....too bad...Was looking for some information on epsom salts in the benefits of gardening
That odd nobody else has had issues. And the auto captions seem to pick everything up
You must be real special if you couldn’t understand only half what she was saying. English can’t be your 1st language 💯🤷🏾♂️🤣🤣🤣
Mirror..mirror.
:)
What say that again
lol
Thank you.
You're welcome!