If you are a gardening enthusiast or have several houseplants and a small backyard filled with them, you must have come across the advice of using Epsom salt on your plants.
However, since plants are not exactly like human bodies, it is important to know the considerations you must have before applying Epsom salt to the plants.
Epsom salt, which is extremely rich in magnesium and a few other micronutrients, has varied effects on every plant.
In this article, we would see the plants on which it is not ideal to use Epsom salt.
What Is Epsom Salt?
Epsom salt, a popular salt category, is simply nothing but Magnesium sulfate, containing sulfur, oxygen, and magnesium.
This salt was first time found in Epsom, which is a place in England. This is why its name is kept after the place it was discovered.
Although Epsom salt is a salt, it is not used in food or on the dinner table like the regular table or iodized salt.
Rather, it is a helpful salt in treating several medical problems. One of the widest uses of Epsom salt is to cure stomach or gut-related problems.
You would find people consuming it whenever they face acidity, constipation, or stomach ache. Besides, it is also helpful in treating some sleep-related and respiratory disorders.
Due to the heavy presence of magnesium in this salt, people often consume it to fulfill their magnesium requirement. This micronutrient is often deficient in most diets due to its rare availability.
Reportedly, it is also believed that Epsom salt helps you relieve stress and cure headaches or other stress-related problems. This is why it is often also used in curing excessive swelling.
Let us now discuss whether Epsom salt is good for plants.
Is Epsom Salt Good for Plants?
This question is a part of an ongoing debate among several gardening enthusiasts and experts. Some claim that Epsom salt is not only good for plants but also that it helps them grow, while others claim that Epsom salt is not good for plants and stunts their growth.
While considering both perspectives, it is important to remember that the main constituent in Epsom salt is magnesium.
Magnesium, is undoubtedly, an important component that plants require to absorb various nutrients. Thus, it acts like a catalyst in making a plant more capable to grow.
Besides, it is noted that most of the plants that are not as green as they should be are so mostly because of a deficiency of magnesium.
Thus, it cannot be denied that magnesium is an essential micronutrient for most plants and it is unlikely that Epsom salt can be linked to any direct disadvantage to the plants.
On a few other benefits, it is believed that Epsom salts help keep away several pests and insects that would otherwise ruin the plants and their leaves.
It is also known to help maintain the pH level of the soil. However, merely using and relying on Epsom salt as a main component for plant growth and nutrient requirement is not reasonable.
It must be understood that not all plants have the same requirement and some may require magnesium in a very low quantity.
Additionally, using high amounts of Epsom salt in fertilizers or acidic soil can do more harm than good. Thus, one should be extremely cautious before switching over to Epsom salt on plants.
Let us see further which plants do not like Epsom salt and what can be done about them.
Which Plants Do Not Like Epsom Salt?
The easy answer to this question is that Epsom salt should strictly only be used with plants that exhibit a deficiency of magnesium or sulfur.
Using Epsom salt unnecessarily with plants that have these nutrients in abundance would not only be in vain but would also damage the plant further.
Thus, the more Epsom salt you add to plants that have the components of magnesium and sulfur in abundance, the more harm you are doing to them and the soil surrounding them.
Nevertheless, if you use a couple of spoons per gallon of water, it is generally observed that it does not harm the plants.
There is no fixed list of plants on which Epsom plants should not be used, however, you should steer clear of using Epsom salt on carnivorous plants.
For instance, sundews or other insect-eating plants are prone to grow best in an environment where minerals are less and magnesium is present in low or no amounts.
Thus, using it with them is only going to stunt their growth and harm them.
Furthermore, if you live in a dense forest area or near mountains, you should make sure not to use Epsom salt near the growth of pine trees or other wood-rich plants and trees.
These plants have reportedly been extremely sensitive to the use of magnesium or other dense nutrients, and thus Epsom salt should not be applied to them.
Additionally, Epsom salts should also not be used with the majority of indoor flowering or leafy plants. This is because using excessive salts or magnesium around them can harm their leaves and give them a pungent smell.
The soil of these plants is also very sensitive; thus, the use of fertilizers should also be minimal.
However, you can use Epsom salt with most vegetable-bearing plants and beans.
Conclusion
Thus, in this article, you learned about Epsom salt and how it reacts with the soil and plants of various kinds. Therefore, it is advisable to look into anything before you apply it to your garden.
The key to remember is to give the plant exactly what it needs and is deficient in. Unnecessarily overflowing a plant with nutrients is not an ideal way to nurture it.
Besides, you must stay in touch with a professional gardener or expert so that you can be informed about the effects of various kinds of substances and components on your plants.
