Is Epsom Salt Good for Indoor Plants? – Voice of Plant (2024)

FAQs

Is Epsom Salt Good for Indoor Plants? – Voice of Plant? ›

In conclusion, Epsom salt offers numerous benefits for indoor plants, ranging from improved nutrient absorption to pest deterrence.

Epsom salt is an affordable, gentle and green treatment for your well-tended plants—both indoors and out. With a chemical structure unlike any other, Epsom Salt (also known as Magnesium Sulfate) is one of the most economic and versatile salt-like substances in the world.

Can I Just Sprinkle Epsom Salt on Plants? Never apply Epsom salt straight from the package. Always dilute the granules in water first, and either drench your plants' roots or spray it on the foliage. Don't spray on hot or sunny days, however, to avoid scorching the foliage.

Carnivorous plants — Pitcher plants, venus flytraps, and sundews are some insect-eating plants that should not be applied with Epsom salts. Because they are adapted to grow in mineral-poor and depleted soil, supplementing fertilizers with even a tiny dosage could mean death to the bug-trapping ornamentals.

Adding Epsom salts to soil that already has sufficient magnesium can actually harm your soil and plants, such as by inhibiting calcium uptake. Spraying Epsom salt solutions on plant leaves can cause leaf scorch. Excess magnesium can increase mineral contamination in water that percolates through soil.

Baking soda's supposed anti-fungal properties have been spread around for many years as a natural home remedy to treat fungal infections, including black spot, powdery mildew, and a multitude of other fungi. When applied to plant leaves and stems, baking soda does slow or stop the growth of fungi.

Vinegar as a fertilizer: Nope, doesn't work. Acetic acid only contains carbon hydrogen and oxygen – stuff the plant can get from the air. The other things that may be in vinegar could be good for a plant – but it seems an expensive method of applying an unknown amount of nutrition.

What Should I Use for Plants Instead of Epsom Salts? Epsom salts can be substituted with magnesium-containing minerals, including dolomite and kainite, where most commercial magnesium fertilizers are sourced.

Using Epsom salt on petunias is popular. Some think adding it to garden soils and potted plants helps promote growth and improve the overall production of flowers. While experts often remain skeptical of these claims, some gardeners swear by its use and dependability as a feed.

Epsom salt

Sprinkle Epsom salts onto your trash can lid or around the areas that pests like to burrow into or dig around. Epsom salts will deter most any pests, including raccoons, mice, and squirrels among others.”

Does oatmeal help plants? ›

However, according to many plant experts, oatmeal won't do much, if anything, for your vines and flowers. “There is no benefit,” says Christopher Satch, CEO and founder of NYC Plant Help and a professor at the New York Botanical Garden.

One possible indicator is if your leaves are turning yellow in between green veins. If you see this, you can try an indoor Epsom salt remedy. Mix about one tablespoon of Epsom salt to a gallon of water and use this solution once a month to water your plant until the solution comes through the drainage hole.

Epsom salts are known to be beneficial to some plants in some situations. Primarily, roses, tomatoes, and peppers are the key plants that can take advantage of the magnesium levels contained in Epsom salts.

Epsom Salts can be applied every 8 weeks in the growing season to plants that are showing signs of magnesium deficiency, all other times continue feeding with a balanced fertiliser throughout the growing season.

Using Epsom Salt for Plants

“There are many online recipes for using Epsom salt as a fertilizer, to treat physiological problems, such as blossom end rot, and to prevent transplant shock,” she says.

But here's the thing—coffee grounds aren't just good for houseplants; they can improve garden soil too! They act as a natural fertiliser by releasing nitrogen into the soil, which helps promote the healthy growth of both grasses and shrubs.

Magnesium deficiency

Symptoms: Yellowing between the leaf veins, sometimes with reddish brown tints and early leaf fall. Magnesium deficiency is common in tomatoes, apples, grape vines, raspberries, roses and rhododendrons.