Have you ever wondered if Epsom salts could be used for houseplants? There is some disagreement on the efficacy of Epsom salts for indoor plants, but you can experiment and make your own judgment.
Magnesium sulfate, or MgSO4, is the main component of Epsom salt, which many of us may already be familiar with from taking Epsom salt baths to soothe tired muscles. It turns out that this is advantageous for your indoor plants as well!
What indoor plants may utilize Epsom salt?
Magnesium and sulfur, two helpful nutrients for soil, are also present in epsom salt. Sulfur can aid in the production of plant proteins, however because of acid rain and synthetic fertilizers, it is rarely insufficient in soil. On the other side, magnesium can become scarce as a result of topsoil erosion or depletion. It aids nutrient absorption and cell wall construction in plants.
Lack of magnesium causes a plant’s leaves to curl and stunts its growth. A crucial component of photosynthesis, the formation of chlorophyll requires magnesium. Many gardeners use diluted Epsom salt, either as a leaf spray or to water straight into the soil. So how may Epsom salt be used in gardening? Here are some suggestions for including it in your routine for taking care of indoor plants.
Treating a magnesium deficiency in indoor plants
Because magnesium sulfate is mild, indoor potted plants respond well to it. A houseplant with a magnesium deficit typically exhibits fading leaves and veins that are green. For use with houseplants, dilute one tablespoon of Epsom salt in a gallon of water.
Once a month, use this mixture to sprinkle the foliage of your plants or to water them. However, keep in mind that fading leaves could also be a sign of root disease. Before applying Epsom salts, examine your plants for illness symptoms.
Helping plants produce flowers and fruits
The production of fruits and flowers is aided by magnesium. Epsom salt is useful for a variety of plants, including peppers, tomatoes, and roses. Spray two tablespoons of Epsom salt in a gallon of water on tomato and pepper leaves when the plant starts to flower and bear fruit. It should be noted that you can grow tomatoes and peppers indoors if you give them enough light and don’t mind receiving lesser crops.
In the fall and spring, add a half cup of Epsom salt to the soil around rose bushes. Additionally, you may make a monthly spray by combining one tablespoon of Epsom salt with one gallon of water. Magnesium sulfate, according to many rose gardeners, aids in the growth of more lush foliage, flowers, and canes. Yes, you can add diluted Epsom salt to tiny roses that you keep as houseplants to produce vigorous blooms. Geraniums, pansies, and azaleas are among more flowers that could benefit from Epsom salt.
Preventing root shock
You must take care of the roots while moving indoor plants from one pot to another to prevent the wilting or discoloration of the leaves, which are symptoms of root shock. Epsom salt is used in the procedure to prevent root shock. When transplanting, remember to soak the roots of your newly potted plant with a solution of 1 tablespoon Epsom salt to every gallon of water.
Deterring pests
Magnesium sulfate can be helpful as a pest deterrent, ensuring that all of your plants remain healthy and free from bothersome pests. To discourage slugs, scatter dry Epsom salt around the bases of your garden plants. It can also be used as a modest amount of pest control for seedlings that are started indoors. Additionally, seedlings can receive more sulfur and magnesium.
Epsom salt can be strewn around plants.
why not Even if you don’t think it will work, you should still give it a shot. Magnesium enables plants to absorb important minerals like nitrogen and phosphorus more effectively.
Chlorophyll, which is essential for photosynthesis, is also produced with its assistance. Magnesium also significantly enhances a plant’s capacity to produce fruit and blooms.
Epsom salt can be added to the soil to replenish lost magnesium, and unlike most commercial fertilizers, it does not offer a risk of abuse, so you can use it safely on almost all of your garden plants.
Do my indoor plants need Epsom salt?
Epsom salt can increase the amount of nutrients consumed by indoor plants. Epsom salts are pH-neutral and kind to all plants, even houseplants in pots. To increase nutrient absorption, combine two teaspoons of Epsom salts with one gallon of water and mist leaves rather than roots.
Can plants be harmed by an excess of Epsom salt?
Can plants be burned by too much Epsom salt? I discovered how to grow better tomatoes with it. S. Frieda
Yes, epsom salt can cause your plants to burn. Because Epsom salt includes magnesium sulfate, many gardeners use it in their gardens.
This is excellent for removing pests from your garden and encouraging your plants to yield abundant harvests. As it aids in photosynthesis, it can also give your plants a more bright appearance.
However, before using Epsom salt, you must consider the following:
1. Are my plants generating the appropriate amount?
Do my plants already seem healthy and vibrant?
Your plants might not need Epsom salt if they appear healthy and are producing normally. When employing this ingredient in your garden, this is where the issue emerges.
You could unbalance your soil if you use too much Epsom salt. This imbalance might cause your plants to develop slowly, have dark foliage, scorched roots, and have a hard time absorbing calcium.
So be sure to test your soil before you start adding Epsom salt to your garden. Use this product if the test reveals that your soil is magnesium deficient. This extra attention should help your plants grow.
However, if you discover that your soil has adequate nutrient levels, skip this step. If Epsom salt is added incorrectly, your plants could suffer more harm than good.
Which vegetation like Epsom salts?
Epsom salt’s putative advantages for plants are a hotly contested subject among gardeners. Others contend that Epsom salts are not only ineffective at enhancing plant health but can also harm the soil’s quality when added to plants. Some gardeners feel that applying Epsom salts on their plants is the reason for their outstanding development. Here, we’ll examine numerous arguments and data to decide which plants, if any, would profit from Epsom salt supplements.
Improves Nutrient Uptake
Magnesium, an important nutrient that aids a plant in carrying out some of its critical tasks, can be found in epsom salt. The ability of a plant to absorb additional nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, without which it would struggle to survive, is one of them. Epsom salt is consequently effective for providing the plant with magnesium while also ensuring that the plant can absorb the right amounts of other essential minerals from the soil.
Makes Plants Greener
One of the key components of Epsom salt, magnesium, is thought to make plants greener. This is because magnesium helps plants produce chlorophyll, which affects the color of their leaves and, as a result, makes their foliage appear lusher. In order for a plant to photosynthesize, which enables it to produce food and energy for itself, chlorophyll is also necessary.
Provides Micronutrients
Magnesium and sulfur, two micronutrients that are beneficial to plants, are found in epsom salts. Some gardeners contend that these micronutrients are not absolutely necessary for the plant, while others assert that they are the only factor in a plant’s ability to grow well. In truth, whether these micronutrients are necessary or not depends on the sort of plant you have.
Therefore, Epsom salts would not significantly affect the growth of these plants. Many leafy vegetable crops, or some varieties of beans, will perform excellently even with very low magnesium levels. The micronutrients in Epsom salts would be beneficial to rose, pepper, and tomato plants because they need high quantities of magnesium to grow.
The National Gardening Association conducted experiments that showed pepper plants developed larger peppers and roses produced more blossoms with larger blooms when Epsom salts were used instead of merely commercial fertilizers (The National Gardening Association).
Deters Pests
Some garden pests, such as voles and slugs, can be repelled with the aid of epsom salt. Epsom salt treatments for your plants could reduce the quantity of slugs in your garden, but they probably won’t be the magical pest deterrent you were looking for. However, if you are using Epsom salts to help your roses flourish, then its capacity to deter some pests from setting up camp is a positive side effect. In reality, Epsom salts shouldn’t be your first port of call if you are wanting to treat your insect problem.
Balances Nutrient Levels
In some types of soil, epsom salts can assist in balancing the nutrient levels. You can test your soil to determine what nutrients are missing if your plants aren’t doing well and you suspect a nutrient deficiency. Magnesium is a frequent nutrient that is insufficient in agricultural soil or soil that has been overworked, and it needs to be replaced to ensure the health of plants growing in that soil. Epsom salts can help restore the soil’s magnesium levels if they have been depleted over time, such as from years of growing tomatoes, which can benefit your subsequent crops.
Neutralizes Soil pH
Epsom salts may aid to neutralize soil with a pH above 7.5 if you have a high soil pH. The pH of the soil should be lowered in these situations since too-alkaline soils are difficult for many plants to flourish in. The soil’s acidity will progressively rise as a result of working the Epsom salts into the surface.
What dosage of Epsom salt should I give my plants?
Epsom salt can be added easily as part of a regular practice and is a straightforward technique to improve the health of their blooms. Simply mix two teaspoons of Epsom salt with one gallon of water for potted plants, and use this solution once a month in place of regular watering.
How should Epsom salt be combined for plants?
- Take a look at these formulations and techniques that proponents of Epsom salts frequently employ.
- Before planting, add one cup of Epsom salts to the soil for every 100 square feet of a new garden.
- After sowing, add one tablespoon of Epsom salts to one gallon of water to increase germination.
- Epsom salts can be dissolved in a gallon of water and used as a foliar spray twice a month to help with nutrient absorption.
- For every 1,250 square feet of turf, lightly sprinkle three pounds of Epsom salts, and then thoroughly water.
- Apply one-half cup of Epsom salts to the soil at the base of each bush to promote numerous roses and vivid foliage. For optimal effects, administer the therapy early in the flowering season, when buds are just starting to open.
- Every two to four weeks, scatter about a tablespoon of Epsom salts at the root zone of shrubs like azaleas and rhododendrons (where roots extend past the drip line, the ring-like region around the base of the plant).
- Before transplanting seedlings, place a spoonful of Epsom salts in the bottom of each hole to give tomatoes and peppers a healthy start.
- Spray weekly with a foliar solution made of one tablespoon of Epsom salts and one gallon of water once tomato plants have flowered and started to bear fruit.
- Epsom salts should be applied around plant bases to deter slugs and snails.
Which fertilizer is ideal for indoor plants?
Best Picks
- Miracle-Gro All Purpose Food is a general-purpose fertilizer for both indoor and outdoor plants.
- Osmocote Smart-Release Plant Food is a smart-release plant fertilizer.
- Espoma Organic Holly Tone Fertilizer for Acidic Soil Plants.
- Jobe’s Organics All-Purpose Fertilizer Spikes are an organic plant fertilizer.
How can I speed up the growth of my houseplants?
Increasing the amount of intense light that indoor plants receive is the simplest approach to make them grow more quickly. Faster growth can also be achieved through regular feeding, repotting when plants outgrow their pots, trimming or pinching back, and adequate hydration.
Let’s look at five simple things you can do right away to help your plants grow more quickly and remain healthy for many years.
Increase Bright Light
Bright, indirect light is beneficial for all plants, even those that grow in low light. Placed in a brighter environment, plants that thrive in low light or tolerate it develop more quickly. Low light may be tolerated, but it does not necessarily mean it is best for growth.
Find out how your home is oriented on the compass if you’re serious about growing houseplants. You can find out which way your windows face by using one of the many free compass apps available for mobile devices. This is very crucial.
The optimal position for that plant is given based on direction while looking at the care guide for your particular plant. You can then decide where in your house is ideal to put it. (This is presuming that you are developing under natural light. Later on in this article, we’ll discuss artificial lighting.)
Most indoor plants flourish in windows that face east or west. But for other types, the sun could be too powerful. Slow growth in plants typically indicates that they aren’t getting enough light. It’s crucial to offer BRIGHT INDIRECT light rather than direct sunlight.
If you see leaves turning brown from excessive sunshine, especially hot afternoon sunlight, try placing transparent curtains in your windows to filter the light. The strongest light comes from south-facing windows, which is typically too powerful for most tropical indoor plants.
Always refer to the care instructions for your particular plant to learn how much light it needs. While some plants can handle only a half-day of direct sunlight, others cannot withstand any direct sunlight at all. The secret to promoting rapid development is to give your plants as much intense light as possible without harming them.
When I started growing my plants under artificial plant lights, I went through an EXPLOSION of growth. I only have a few east-facing windows in my house, which is rather dark. My plants sprang off when I got a few of these cheap plant lights from Amazon!
I especially like this light because it has four adjustable heads, allowing me to illuminate the widest potential area. You can see how many plants I’m growing with just one light in the image above. Additionally, it includes an automatic timer that you can set once, and it will turn on and off for you.
When I moved my dieffenbachia under this light, it immediately began to thrive even though it was withering in my east-facing front window. The rate of growth of my pothos is also visible. Right off the table end, it has begun to vine. Additionally, my peace lily is blossoming more.
In my experience, using artificial lighting is the most effective approach to hasten the growth of indoor plants. Your plants will grow bigger, stronger, and healthier than you ever imagined they could with 810 hours per day of full-spectrum LED light exposure.
Provide Enough Moisture
Make sure your plant has enough water and humidity after increasing the bright light. The majority of the time, signs that your plant is lacking hydration include drooping, yellowing and falling-off leaves, or brown leaf edges.
Just like with sunshine, different plants require various levels of moisture. Always examine the specific care needs for your particular plant. Following are some general principles:
- Keep the soil wet. Never let the potting soil become fully dry. Very few plants are able to withstand total drought. Even if they can endure it, being completely dried out will almost certainly prevent them from thriving and growing quickly.
- When growth is active, water more. In the spring and summer, when temperatures are warm and plants are actively developing, they typically need more water. Plants grown in artificial lighting might require the same quantity of water all year round.
- Dry air holds more moisture. Your plants will need more water if you live in an extremely dry place (like the desert where I currently reside) than they would in a tropical, humid climate. Additionally greatly drying out the air is using central heating during the winter. In these cases, water more often and give plants that need it additional humidity.
- Boost the humidity around plants. Place a decent humidifier next to your plants, set up humidity trays for them, or mist your plants frequently with a spray bottle of room temperature water. See my post on How to Increase Humidity for Plants Without a Humidifier if you don’t have access to a humidifier.
These are all broad principles. Always double-check the particular specifications for each of your individual plants. Since each houseplant is unique, determining just how much moisture they require can take some time.
But one of the best things you can do to encourage indoor plants to grow more quickly is to keep them well-hydrated and raise the humidity levels. If you leave dried-out plants too long without water, they may stop growing altogether.
Feed Plants Regularly
Regular feeding is a crucial component of a higher growth rate for indoor plants. Although light and photosynthesis supply a large portion of the nourishment for plants, it is still crucial to add additional nutrients to the soil by using fertilizer.
Like with light and water, the type of plant will determine how frequently you should feed it. You can still adhere to some general principles, though.
- Early in the spring, before the start of new growth, begin fertilizing indoor plants. For further information, see my post on When to Begin Fertilizing Houseplants in Spring.
- Use a fertilizer for indoor plants that has been diluted to half strength once a month. Depending on the requirements of the particular plant, use an excellent all-purpose food like Jack’s Houseplant Special once or twice a month.
- When plants are dormant in the winter, avoid feeding them. The only exceptions are plants that bloom in the winter or those raised under artificial lighting. For further details, see my post on Fertilizing Indoor Plants in the Winter.
Allow Room to Grow
This can prevent your houseplants from getting any bigger if they have outgrown their existing containers. How can you tell if re-potting in a bigger container is necessary? Observe these indicators:
- The drainage holes in the bottom are being overtaken by roots.
- The plant looks to be popping out of the pot as a result of roots pulling it up and away from the container.
- Because it doesn’t have enough space, your plant is developing more slowly than usual, or growth entirely stops in the spring and summer.
- Your plant has gotten top-heavy with foliage and frequently topples over.
- Despite receiving regular waterings, your plant is constantly thirsty.
Repot most plants in the spring, just as new growth is starting. Select a replacement container with a diameter that is 2 inches (5 cm) greater than the old one. Always read the care instructions for your specific plant because some huge or quickly growing plants may require a container that is 4 inches (10 cm) larger.
Prune to Encourage Growth
Another method for hastening the growth of indoor plants is pruning. By regularly pruning your houseplants, you can encourage faster growth and bushier foliage. Of course, each plant is different, but the following general rules apply:
- When a plant is actively growing, prune it. Pruning is an excellent idea for plants that have lost their shape or have branches that are unhealthy.
- Avoid pruning too heavily. Pruning certain branches back to the plant’s base and leaving some branches longer will keep a plant lush and bushy.
- Stems should be pruned immediately above a leaf node (the place where leaves are attached to the stem). Use pruning shears to trim stems about 3/4 inch (1.9 cm) above a leaf node or other branch junction for the greatest results.
- When necessary, remove old flowers from indoor blooming plants. Deadheading is a technique that promotes your plants to produce more blooms.
Light pruning encourages new growth of leaves, stalks, and flowers as well as helping plants develop into balanced shapes. Pruning is a crucial component of taking care of indoor plants, while some require more pruning than others.