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How do you use Epsom Salt In your Garden?

Posted by Rowena Frith on 10th Dec 2019

Magnesium sulphate, commonly known as Epsom Salt, is useful in many ways in gardening. It is full of the right nutrients to enrich regular fertilisers and turns your garden into a lush haven in an inexpensive way. Among its essential benefits are improved seed germination, amazing blooms, helping plants grow abundantly, deterring pests, and increasing chlorophyll production.

Epsom Salt Benefits in Gardening

  • Epsom Salt will not get accumulated in the soil, which means your plants will be unharmed, and it is effective and safe to use during any stage of a plant's life-cycle.
  • This salt can revitalise your garden, give it a refreshed look, or even help your new garden to grow faster.
  • Its vital nutrients, when added to your regular fertiliser, work wonders on plants by making them lush and helping seeds to germinate
  • It helps improve flower production and deters pests like voles and slugs from ruining your plants.
  • You can use Epsom Salt as a saline solution with a sprayer. Add a tablespoon of salt to 4 litres of water while filling your sprayer; spray your garden with it after planting, again after a gap of a month, and when vegetables begin maturing. Avid gardeners find this practice useful to develop a lush and healthy garden.


Note: You can use Epsom Salt with any plant but avoid its use for sage varieties. Your local gardener is the best source to learn more about best practices.

Signs That Your Plants Need a Dose of Epsom Salt

You may have observed that sometimes all the leaves of a plant turn yellow, while at others only the lower leaves become yellow with their veins remaining green. In the former situation, the plant needs more sulphate, and in the latter, it needs more magnesium.

Soil naturally contains both sulphate and magnesium, but these nutrients can become depleted due to various reasons. While commercial fertilisers are retained in the soil, Epsom Salt is not, and therefore you cannot overuse Epsom Salt on your garden. It is recommended to use a mix of water and Epsom Salt to spray plants every fortnight.

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Some More Tips

Now you know that Epsom Salt is right for your garden. Here are some tips on how to use it

  • Garden Startup: Sprinkle 1 cup per 10 square meters over the soil; mix it into the soil before planting
  • Shrubs: Use 1 tablespoon per square meter for rhododendron, evergreens, azaleas, etc
  • Roses: Use 1 tablespoon per 30cm of plant height, applied fortnightly
  • Houseplants: Monthly application of 1 tablespoons mixed with a 2 litres of water
  • Lawns: Use 1.5kg per 100 square meters. Use a spreader to apply it or dilute it in water and spray. Apply over the root zone every 2-4 weeks.
  • Trees: You will need 2 tablespoons for every square meter and apply over the root zone three times annually.


Different Ways To Apply Epsom Salt

Here are some general methods to apply an Epsom Salt solution to soil and plants.

NOTE: We recommend a soil test before adding any nutrients to soil.

  • Soil Incorporation: Mix 1 cup into soil for every 10 square meters, before planting.
  • Soaking before Planting: Soak root balls of the plants in 1/2 cup of Epsom salt mixed in about four litres of water, and then plant them. This will give the plants direct nourishment.
  • When you are installing plants: Dig a hole and pour about 1 tablespoon of Epsom salt into the bottom of the hole. Put a thin layer of dirt over it, fix the plant in the hole.
  • Soil Top Dressing: During the growing season, apply 1 tablespoon of Epsom Salt around the base of the plant directly and water it in.
  • Drenching/Applying in Liquid Form: You can improve the health of plants by drenching them with Epsom Salt which provides a good dose of magnesium. If your plants need a booster, pour a solution of 1-2 tablespoons of Epsom Salt in 2-3 litres of water at the base of the plant, allow to soak, and repeat it during the season if needed.


When you are using Epsom Salt for gardening, it’s essential to source genuine natural products. That’s the only way your garden will be healthy and thrive. You will find the best quality pure Epsom Salt, Zechstein magnesium oil, other natural salts and products at The Salt Box website.