Benefit? None. It is nothing more than some frugal fad claim that crops up now and then.

IF the garden soil actually needs magnesium, which they claim the matches supply, there are much more effective ways of supplying it in a form that is actually usable by the plants. For example, it would take several boxes of wooden kitchen matches to supply the amount of magnesium available in 1 T of epsom salts dissolved in 1 gallon of water. And you wouldn't have to wait for the match heads to compost. :)

Dave

I thought match heads were made mostly of phosphorus and a tiny bit of sulfur.

Regardless, not a great source of fertilizer!

Match heads have SULFUR and maybe Phosphorus ? I am not sure. I don't think they have Magnesium . I could be wrong.
I have read ( in Hot peppers Forum) that Pepper plants can benefit from some extra sulfur. I don't know how much of it is true.

Seysonn

Just for information.
Safety matches ( the kind that require a special surface to ignite) are based on Potassium Chlorate with Antimony sulfide in the match head. The striker surface contains red phosphous and an abrasive like ground glass.

Strike any where matches (kitchen matches) contain Phosphorus sesquisulfide and Potassium Chlorate. Some types will add red phophorus to the tip.

The amount of phophorus or sulhur is too small to make much of an impact on plants. Pretty useless.

I would add that the way phosphorus is used by plants is with phosphates, which is oxidzed phosphorus. Application of unoxidized phosphorus to plants isn't likely to be good for them. If I have my chemistry right, if you really want to use matches for P fertilizer, you ought to burn them first. Still, that's an extraordinarily expensive way to add phosphate to your soil. Though if you have a truckload of burned matches they might be compostable!

FWIW, the MSDSs for red phosphorus, potassium chlorate and phosphorus sesquisulfide aren't specific about eco-toxicity, but they all sure aren't nice stuff for humans, being hazardous (in goodly quantities) to the kidneys and liver and are powerful irritants. Not stuff I'd like to spread around my garden.

Seth would you like to buy my bridge with money you just saved on matches?

Thanks for saving me a boatload of money !!!

i read and tried using wooden matches inserted downwards into the soil around my potted kale to get rid of aphids . It actually seemed to work . The aphids were gone in a day or two . I never got to eat the kale so never did find out if the sulphur made it bitter or just kept aphids away .

In that day or two did you happen to notice Ladybugs or other carnivorous bugs dining on the Aphids?

You stick the matches down into the soil and it repels aphids way up on leaves? That's quite a trick. Sulfur does kill aphids, but it does so when it lands on them.