Very informative and educational! The pictures are gorgeous too!

Great pictures, and a wonderful recommendation to grow better plants. I've become a big fan of Epsom Salt being used in the garden, and I'll have to apply it more consistently to my roses this year.

In my area we have no magnesium deficiency but a large magnesium mine and plenty of salinity and wicked high pH (at least where I've had testing done to find out why everything is yellow and dying).
https://extension.usu.edu/htm/...
Some of my garden friends add iron--we have no shortage of that either but the plants have a hard time with uptake at the high pH so it helps a lot. For me, the miracle cure has been tons of organic matter.

For many years we've used Epsom Salt for clematises, roses, tomatoes and peppers. It's also good for getting bushy basil plants and many other plants you may have that never look quite as good as you wish they would. It's definitely a must for our gardens and worth a try.

Thanks for a very positive outlook and good photos!

I had no idea that the stuff I soaked my sprained ankle in would be good for the garden! Thanks for the info!

I've always put some in the hole when planting but never used it as an amendment afterward. Will give it a try this year.

If I had my pick of gardens to visit of anyone on ATP, yours would be in the top 3 Joanna -

Vicki, Your welcome to visit any time.

>>>When you are spraying the foliage with water-soluble fertilizer and Epsom salts.... A couple of tablespoons added to a fertilizer sprayer will be sufficient.

What does this mean? What kind of fertilizer sprayer are you talking about? What is it's application rate of said sprayer?
Your actual epsom salt application may be as much as 2 tablespoons per quart of water to as little as 1 teaspoon per 5 gallons!
(LOL, I'm sorry: I just wasn't born with extra sensory perception. (Apparently, everyone else was. )

I am only guessing Joanna means water-soluble fertilizer used according to the directions on the package.

My gardening neighbor was my teacher and she told me a little bit of ES with every feeding is better than a lot once or twice a season. For those not as faithful with spraying as Joanna, sprinkling a few tablespoons on the earth where large clematises grow has proven to do very well, along with aged manure and aged compost.

Excuse any typo's. I' m on an iPhone.

The fertilizer sprayer (miracle grow) hose end. I don't really measure . Could 1/4 cup. I fertilize with the hose sprayer mid to late season. I do the entire garden

Great article! I have never tried Epsom salts on my roses or any flowers. Tried it on my tomatoes once as I had read it was good for tomatoes and peppers. Didn't notice any results so I stopped using it. But I read often that people really recommend it for tomatoes and peppers.

I don't have problems with the roses as they are sprayed and well fed.

It makes plants much stronger so give it a try, Rita.

If my roses get any stronger they will take over the world! I have a bag of Epsom salts that I bought for the peppers so I can always try some in the spring.

Good!

We used to buy it at a drugstore and would check out with 20 containers and my husband said the cashiers must think we dine on cement.

I bought a 5 pound bag of some stuff that is meant for plants somewhere last year. Forgot where.

I'm definitely gonna have to try epsom salts this year as I really need to bulk up my poor roses! What I don't understand is why so many people are against using MiracleGro because it "puts salt into the soil", but what's the difference between that & putting Epsom salts? I figure that since I'm so magnesium deficient myself, why not give some to the roses too?

I use lots of MiracleGro on my roses Toni. Works just fine for me.

May try some of the Epsom salts as well. Good article.

I Never use Miracle Grow.

Neither do I. The salts in MG are not the same as Epsom "Salt", which is not a salt at all - just a name given to them in England...long ago.