Epsom Salt for your Garden

In 1618, a farmer living in Epsom, England, noticed his cows would not drink water from one of his wells. He tasted the water and found it bitter. He also noticed that if he used the water to wash scratches on his skin, the scratches healed more quickly. He named the water Epsom salt after the town he lived in. 

Epsom salt is a popular and well-reputed supplement in organic gardening. Epsom salt is an affordable and green treatment for your indoors and outdoor plants. Epsom salt has been known as a wonderful garden supplement, helping to create lush grass, full roses, and healthy, vibrant & greenery.

Epsom salt contains Magnesium and Sulphate.

Magnesium

Magnesium is beneficial to plants from the beginning of their life, right when the seed begins to develop. It assists with the process of seed germination; infusing the seed with this important mineral and helping to strengthen the plant cell walls, so that the plant can receive essential nutrients. Magnesium also plays a crucial role in photosynthesis by assisting with the creation of chlorophyll, used by plants to convert sunlight into food. In addition, it is a wonderful help in allowing the plant to soak up phosphorus and nitrogen, which serve as vital fertilizer components for the soil. 

Sulfate

Sulfate, a mineral form of sulfur found in nature, is an equally important nutrient for plant life. Sulfate is essential to the health and longevity of plants, and aides in the production of chlorophyll. It joins with the soil to make key nutrients more effective for plants, including nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Sulfate works in conjunction with Magnesium to create a "vitamin" full of minerals, nourishment and health benefits for your garden.

For potted plants, simply dissolve 2 tablespoons per 4-5ltr of water, and substitute this solution for normal watering at least once a month – although it is safe to do this as often as desired.

Simply fill your tank sprayer (commonly available at gardening and home improvement stores) with 1 tablespoon of Epsom Salt per 4-5 ltr of water. Then spray your garden after the initial planting, later when it begins to grow (or after a month or so for transplants)

, and lastly when the vegetables begin to mature.

Tomatoes and peppers are prone to magnesium deficiency later in the growing season, and display this through yellow leaves and less production. They can greatly benefit from Epsom Salt treatments both at the beginning of their planting and throughout their seasonal life.

Likewise you can do it for flowering plants especially to roses. For roses sprinkle about 1/2 cup of Epsom salt into the soil near the base of each rose bush. For foliar feeding  mix 1 tablespoon of Epsom salt into 5 ltr of water and apply to rose plants every alternate weeks. This could help prevent garden pests, and roses could grow bushier and produce more abundant, bright blooms.

Leaf Miners Control

Those white curl lines are a trademark of leaf miners. Leaf miners are insect larvae (Liriomyza munda) which hatch from eggs deposited between the upper and lower surface of plant leaves. The hungry larvae munch their way around the leaf, leaving a telltale white trail or tunnel. Tunnels can provide an entry point for fungus or bacteria if the leaves are not removed.

Here are some tips for Controlling the leaf miners:

LEAF MINERS LIFE CYCLE

• Monitor plant leaves closely. At the first sign of tunneling, squeeze the leaf at the tunnel between two fingers to crush any larvae. Done soon enough, this killing larvae can allow plants to survive minor outbreaks.

• Pick off and destroy any affected leaves and leaf miner larvae.

• Grow your veggies organically, without the use of sprays or chemicals that could upset the balance of beneficial predator insects, since leaf miners can be largely controlled by natural predators.

• Keep your plants healthy and well watered, so they can recover from the infestation (and the necessary leaf-plucking).

• Keep your garden clean and free of weeds or debris that can harbor insects and diseases.

• Neem spray in regular interval may control this problem.




Sources: various internet sites and books