For usage with your succulents, we’ve gathered a few of our favorite uses for Epsom salt in the garden:
Repel Pests
Snails and slugs are easily repelled by salt, a natural insecticide. You can use pure Epsom salt as a natural slug repellent by sprinkling it on or around your succulent plants to kill or scare off any inquisitive gastropods. Tackle snails and slugs the same way you would treat fungus gnats: by sprinkling a thin layer of Epsom salt on the soil surrounding your succulent plants. This is similar to applying diatomaceous earth or hydrogen peroxide to your soil.
Slugs and snails are easily repelled by the use of epsom salt, a natural pest deterrent.
Fertilize your Succulents
During the growing season, epsom salt works wonders as a fertilizer and can keep your succulents looking lush and lovely for a very long time. Additionally, a fantastic approach to support blooming in many succulents is by using an Epsom salt fertilizer. Just a pinch of pure Epsom salt and a cup of distilled water are required to prepare an Epsom salt fertilizer. Epsom salt grains can be easily dissolved in water by swirling them in because salt is soluble. Consider using hot water while mixing to make sure everything dissolves completely, then allowing the water drop to room temperature before watering your succulents.  
Potting and Repotting
There are not many strategies to prevent or ease the discomfort of transplant shock, which is why we advise repotting during the growing season. However, by boosting the magnesium concentration of your soil, you can use Epsom salt to assist your succulents recover from transplant shock. Your succulent will easily absorb the nutrients it needs to recuperate from the transplant if the soil has more magnesium.  
Before relocating your succulent, moisten your soil with your Epsom salt solution and allow it to dry.
Is Epsom salt beneficial for succulents and cacti?
Cacti are tough plants that need need minimal nutrient maintenance. It’s simple to make your own cactus fertilizer by mixing one tablespoon of Epsom salt with four liters of water. It is preferable to mist plants with water rather than filling the pot with water. Only in the late spring or summer do succulents (plants with leafy tissues that retain moisture) require fertilizer. Composting is one of the best kept secrets for growing happy cactus since it is full of nutrients.
A leather recliner that belonged to my aunt has been passed down to me. The chair is now quite sticky because the nursing home where she resided used some form of detergent on it. Is there anything I can use or do to get rid of the stickiness and bring back the leather’s natural feel? I want to preserve the chair without restoring it because it has been well-maintained and is comfortable. Darcy
The procedure of restoring sticky leather involves two steps. Step 1: Mix two cups of water with one spoonful of dish soap. Leather should be sponge-wiped. Use water to rinse. Step 2: Apply commercial leather conditioner in a circular motion with a delicate cloth. After waiting 20 minutes, gently rub the area with the same soft cloth.
When I unrolled a chocolate rolled cake to add the filling, it cracked after baking. Is it possible to stop the cake from crumbling? Patrick
Here are some pointers: Do not overbake the cake. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, roll it in parchment paper (or a tea towel dusted with icing sugar). The likelihood of cracks increases as the cake cools.
For many hours or overnight, let the cake cool in the refrigerator. When adding filling, carefully unroll the cake. Cover the cake with frosting, whipped cream, toasted almonds, or icing sugar if it should happen to crack.
Is there something I can use to wipe on my feet to get rid of the odor? Thanks. Darcy
The solution is to soak a towel in vodka and wipe your feet. Both clothing and skin can be deodorized with vodka. Alternately, put your feet in a bowl of hot tea.
Every user acknowledges and agrees that using any advice from this column carries the risk of harm or injury. All products should first be tested on a discrete area.
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Banana Peels
Potassium, which is essential for plant growth, is found in bananas. Before planting the succulents, simply drop one or two banana peels into the dirt. You can also compost it by burying it under mulch, or you may add pureed banana peels right to the plants.
Coffee Grounds
Your plants benefit from the nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, and other trace minerals found in coffee grounds. Be careful to soak and rinse them after using them for your coffee though, as they are acidic. Simply incorporate the coffee grounds into the succulents’ surrounding soil to use as fertilizer.
By soaking coffee grounds in water for a week, you may also use them as a liquid fertilizer. Pour the water onto the plants as soon as it’s ready.
Eggshells
Calcium and potassium are abundant in eggshells. They aid in reducing the acidity of the soil since they contain 83 percent calcium carbonate. To use them as fertilizer, first wash them to get rid of any egg yolk or white residue, then smash them and scatter or incorporate them into the soil.
In order to release the nutrients, you can also brew eggshell tea by letting broken eggshells soak in boiling water. Pour the liquid onto the plants once it has cooled.
Weeds
Additionally, weeds can be used as fertilizer in the form of compost or a brew. They give plants nitrogen instead of robbing them of essential nutrients. Then soak them for a day or two in water after cutting them into little pieces. Pour the mixture at the succulents’ bases after combining one cup of the solution with ten cups of water.
Manure
Manure from horses, chickens, and cows is also effective as a plant fertilizer. The greatest kind of manure for plants is old and decomposed, so make sure you use that.
Additionally, you can produce dung tea by soaking livestock excrement in water. The goal of the curing procedure is to eliminate dangerous germs that could harm the plants. The finished product is put in a sack that resembles a teabag after curing is finished. Once the water has been applied or poured upon the succulents, the bags are prepared to steep.
Charcoal
Although charcoal doesn’t have the same nutrients as other DIY fertilizers, it does reduce carbon dioxide. The roots might flourish and expand as a result. It can be added to the soil’s foundation since it promotes ventilation and aids in the absorption of more water. It manages moisture and guards against root rot.
Seaweeds, Epsom salt, and green tea are other organic fertilizers that you can use on your succulent plants. The trace components in seaweed serve as food for soil bacteria. Epsom salt, which is high in magnesium and sulfate, can help feed plants so they can grow greener and healthier.
To water the plants, you combine one tablespoon of Epsom salt with a gallon of water. Green tea raises the amount of nutrients in the soil and enhances soil oxygenation, which helps the roots expand and prosper.
Are succulents salt-lovers?
There are many different sizes, hues, and shapes of succulent plants. They come from many other plant families as well. In addition to their tendency to grow succulently, these plants are all related by the fact that the bulk of them are found growing in dry areas. Succulence has developed as a way to store water, and it can be found anywhere, including the center of a desert or high in a tree’s canopy. However, many of you who live close to salt marshes might be aware that a few salt marsh species are also succulent. How did plants get their succulent habit of growing in standing water so frequently? The solution is in the salt.
The majority of plants don’t do well in salt water. Plants experience dehydration in the same way that humans do when they consume or drink large amounts of salt. In general, salt dehydrates plants and interferes with their ability to absorb nutrients. Salicornia and other genera are an exception to this rule. The numerous Salicornia, often known as glassworts, pickleweeds, or picklegrass, are true salt-lovers.
Salicornia has been dubbed a “taxonomic nightmare” in terms of taxonomy. Delineating species within the genus is best left to Salicornia specialists because to their extremely reduced morphology and remarkable phenotypic flexibility. We do know that they are all members of the Amaranthaceae family, which includes amaranths. You shouldn’t let all of this uncertainty ruin your enjoyment of Salicornia. There is a lot to admire about this family of plants, including their capacity to survive in situations that would cause the majority of other plants to perish.
Salicornia are more than just salt-tolerant organisms that can survive in salty environments. They are “halophytes,” or true salt aficionados. In fact, studies have revealed that certain Salicornia thrive significantly better in salty environments. This is all related to how these plants adapt to their saline surroundings. Salicornia contain expanded vacuoles that hold water, just like all succulents. But these big vacuoles store more than just plain old water. They also keep a large quantity of salts.
Osmosis plays a key role in Salicornia’s salty success. As you might recall from science class, things in our universe tend to travel from concentrated places to diffuse areas. This typically takes place between biological membranes in the case of water within an organism’s tissues. The more salt you add, the less concentrated the water gets since it actually displaces water molecules as you add it. We become dehydrated as a result of salt water. Water diffuses out of a cell when it is surrounded by salt, balancing the amounts on either side of the cell membrane. Salicornia take advantage of this.
The vacuoles of these plants actively absorb salt from their surroundings. This indicates that the water concentration inside the vacuole is lower than the water concentration outside of the cell. Water then rushes into the cells of the plant due to osmosis. Salicornia make sure they are always on the receiving end of the water gradient by concentrating salt in their vacuoles. These saline plants constantly receive water, not the other way around. The Salicornia are able to occupy a niche that is generally inaccessible to most other plant species by co-opting morphological adaptation to drought. It also implies that these plants continue to have a pleasingly succulent habit despite the abundance of water in their surroundings.
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.