speaking of Epsom Salts, I was curious....Can they turn clay pots white, even cause white crust. I remember I mixed some into soil then planted some plants in clay pots, and within 6 months, I had white crust, thick as could be falling off the sides and top of my pots. The only fertilzer I was using at that time was Neptunes fish harvest.
So basically, if one starts to use ES within their clay pots, can we expect this to happen to the pots? I think the word SALT in Epsom makes me question it.
Take care all of you!! :-)

Hello Toni!I'm fine.How have you been? I'm sorry to be such a stranger. I'll email you in the next day or so(if you don't mind).Yes I'm still growing the plants.All are doing well except for the yucca. It's being tempermental but I'm not going to let her get the best of me lol. I know what you mean about the generic epsom salts and the directions. I bought a carton today at CVS and it says nothing at all about using for plants. I'm not sure why the company wouldn't give directions for all its uses. If I ever want to take a long spa like soak then they have the directions for that covered lol. How are your plants,pets,&family? Thanks for the instructions for use of the salts on my plants. I'll send that email off no later than Thursday. Toni it's always good to hear from you my friend.You've made my day!!!:):):)
-Grice

Anything furnished to a plant that includes any of the elements necessary for plant growth is a fertilizer. It may not be a balanced or complete fertilizer, but it IS a fertilizer.

To me, it makes no sense to select an element at random and simply furnish it to a plant in the hope that it will somehow help - especially if you have no clue what the result of furnishing that element might be.

For most of you, those using a bagged soil, the soil will have been pH adjusted with dolomitic lime, which is a source of both Ca and Mg in the same compound and in the proper ratio. As it slowly breaks down, it releases the Ca and Mg and plants can take it up. IF the soil somehow becomes deficient in Mg (the ONLY reason you would EVER need to add Epsom salts), it will also almost certainly be deficient in Ca.

Ca and Mg are what is termed 'antagonistic' in soils. This means that how much of one is in the soil affects how much of the other can be taken up. The most favorable ratio of Ca to Mg is about 4 parts Ca to 1 part Mg. When you start adding Mg at the extremely high rate (for one element) of 550 ppm as suggested by 1 tsp/gallon, you virtually insure an antagonistic Ca deficiency unless you add about 2,200 ppm Ca. Plants should not be asked to tolerate these dosages, added to their other nutrient needs, plus the dissolved solids in the water you water with.

Al

does anyone know if Epsom Salts cause clay pots to crust with white stuff?
If not answered here, I will start a thread just for this..Thanks. I don't think anyone saw my question..:-(

For as long as I can remember, and I'm guessing I have some memories from 66-67 years ago, persons have recommended "Epsom salts" for one darn thing or another.

BTW, why is Magnesium sulfate a chemical compound containing magnesium and sulfate, with the formula MgSO4 called "salts" with an "s" on the end of the word salt?

Anyhow - my grandmother often started statements with "anyhow" - to my knowledge no one has ever demonstrated any spectacular or even particularly impressive uses for the sutff in the home or garden. The persistence of stories about Epson salts seems to be a result of the fact that it has a cosmetic effect when added to a bath or soak and it is a cheap laxitive. I suppose if your plants show some need for additional magnesium it would be a quick fix.

I doubt it, but am not positive. Then again you could try it & see.

In the past, I have mixed some ES into my watering to no ill effects. I saw no evidence of it building up on my clay pots. Then again, I only did it in moderation.

I've heard of ES being applied more to outdoor plants (like roses & or azaleas) than indoor plants.

Yes it can/does, Mike. Since it's a dissolved solid in solution, when the water goes away (evaporates) the solids are left behind in the soil, or in your case, on the outside of the pots. Tap water does the same thing as it evaporates, leaving behind ANYTHING dissolved in the water.

If symptoms indicate you have reason to suspect a Mg deficiency, it makes much more sense to add dolomitic (garden) lime to the soil which also adds Ca in the proper proportion. The only situation you'd be likely to encounter where you wouldn't need to add additional Ca is if you run across a soil that had gypsum instead of lime added as a Ca source to keep soil pH lower. THEN, it would be appropriate to add Mg (Epsom salts) only, but it would be highly unusual for you to encounter a soil like this, unless you made it yourself.

Al

Thnaks all. thank Al to. I have made my own, the way you showd me and only added gypsum. The fertilizer you prepared for me in the MG has added epsom right?
So I am prepared to see my pots turn white as soon as I start fertilizing with your mix you shared. At least this way I know it is nothing growing on my pots due to something bad.
Thanks alot to you all. So epsom salts can turn clay pots white.:-)

Thanks for the responses. Al I'm a lay person who grow plants as a hobby. I appreciate your response and your expertise though I would have loved to have it put in lay terms lol:).
Thank you all.
Grice

That's right, Mike.

Grice - I basically said: * It's pretty silly to just go adding stuff to plants & hope it works. * That there is a relationship between Magnesium and Calcium in soils, and that too much Epsom salts will make it impossible for a plant to absorb Calcium. * To use garden lime if your plant is KNOWN to have a magnesium deficiency because it has the Calcium to go along with the Magnesium & you won't have an imbalance like you will when you only add Epsom salts.

Any better? ;o)

Al

Hey Grice, I'd love hearing from you. I sure miss emailing like we used to. I hope everything's okay at your end. When someone disappears there's a 'story' behind it. And most aren't good.
Well, I'll explain later. I'm okay, pets and plants fine, but still have mega problems w/son. U know how it goes..I thank God for plants and pets, otherwise I'd give up.
As I stated above, I only used ES's once, this year. The people I have talked to who use ES';s been adding for years, and vow by it, which is one reason I went ahead and bought a bag. It never hurts to experiment, and since ES's aren't chemicals, I have no problem 'experimenting' to see how plants look afterwards, though it may take a few months to notice a difference, and if there is a difference to notice. LOL.
Some people say cigarette ashes are good for plants, but that's something I've never tried. LOL. For one thing I'd be worried it'd start on fire. Although, I got hold of cig butts, (when a new Gardenia I got had scale, before knowing Fish Emulsion would rid them) so I made a batch of cig butts in water for 24 hours. To be honest, it didn't kill the scale. Then I applied a strong insecticide, followed directions to a T, only to have the plant die. From that day on, and this was about 1995, I never again used chemcial insecticides, and won't.
When you have time, drop me a line or two or ten..LOl..hugs, Toni

grice, magnesium is one of the essential elements in the chlorophyll molecule and if it is in short supply, the leaf color pales but in a particular pattern. On most leaves there will be a green(er) triangle-shaped area at the base of the leaf. On many grasses it shows up as a yellowing between the veins. The trouble is that the latter symptom can be due to other reasons. I would expect the healthy leaf to have about 0.75% Mg. As far as I remember Epsom salt was obtained by boiling down water from springs at Epsom in England. As to why 'salts' and not 'salt', spring water contains many salts and my supposition is that any product obtained by boiling down spring water would be called 'salts'. Long ago and far away, we were given 'salts' or 'Epsom salt' as a purgative. Both were magnesium sulfate. Trivially, there is a colloquial idiom around this concept as in "he passed through the village like a dose of salts!"
In exterior lawn care, elements like iron, magnesium and manganese are used instead of nitrogen for 'greening'. The advantage of this is that one gets the prettier shade of green without the additional growth and the accompanying extra mowing.
The pharmaceutical product is less expensive presumably because it is used in a bath for soothing the feet and discarded. The horticultural product must pass strict labelling criteria and this testing is expensive.
I almost forgot the one, fun application of magnesium sulphate. We used it for frosting plain glass.
But these days one has to use a product in accordance with its labelling.

Hi Al,

(I'm not Grice but), I particularly appreciated the lay version, (IMO) much better, thanks for that extra effort.

(PG) Karen

Hi, Karen. Over the years I have come to have plenty of affection for the collective 'you', which is all the forum contributors/participants grouped together. I've made GW an extension of my growing hobbies & spend the time here that perhaps I might be spending watching TV, but I enjoy it here soo much . . . , and the reward in terms of friends being made has been remarkable.

In my travels on GW, I see all manner of bad or often just ineffectual advice. That in itself isn't usually enough to make me want to respond, but if the advice has the potential to harm your plants, or somehow negatively impact the fun/pleasure you get from nurturing them, I feel kind of obligated to respond/point that fact out and offer the reasoning behind why I responded or dissented.

Take good care. ;o)

Al

Thank you Al.That's much better :). I prefer the "Plant Growing Guide For Dummies" approach LOL.
Thank you Rona!
Toni I sent you an email. I'm not sure if you got it or not but it's always good hearing from you and my friends here on GW. Do you still have the same email addy?
I've never tried cig butts before. I have tried the egg shells in water.My mom used them and had wonderful results. I used them and all I got was a smelly house when I opened the jar :( .
I'm so sorry to hear you're having trouble with dear son. Don't you dare give up Toni!That's an order lol.

Ok, just this past Spring of 2015 I started my own indoor plants. First I started with the most easiest plants that I could think of, like the heart leaf philodendron and golden pathos; which are both hanging plants in hanging baskets. I saw that it was thriving very good and even got some more length and greenery growing from the middle of the hanging pot. Then I moved on to a beautiful peace lily that I purchased from a plant store nearby. Then came the Summer, still all plants doing great and thriving. Then came the Fall, still all plants doing great and thriving. Here we are now in the Winter and the peace lily for some reason begin getting brown leaf tips. I thought it might be due to watering to much; as the summer months has passed and watering should be cut a bit more than usual. Then came the black spots on the leaves of the peace lily and some gnat bugs. I called grandma; who have beautiful plants all year long that just thrive, thrive and thrive, and she told me to sprinkle a little coffee grounds around the top layer of the peace lily bed and leave it alone until the mid- Spring or beginning of the Summer months, then take all of my plants; including the heart leaf philodendron, golden pathos and the peace lily too and repot. Firstly, cut back the roots to all of the plants leaving the smaller roots and put them back into the same pots they're currently in after fully sterilizing the post, and watch them grow like crazy! Well, I'm thinking that grandma must be onto something because as far back as I can remember, grandma has had these same plants and they just look better and better with each passing year. So, now, I'm thinking, is this what I should do?

Thanks for any information anyone can offer. I'd love to hear some really great information. Thanks everyone, MJ

I'm trying to learn how to care for plants because I love them so much. I want to do what's best for the plants; which in term will be the best for me as well, and cleaning my apartments air that I too breathe. So for right now, I started out with my heart leaf philodendron, golden pathos and peace lily plants. I would love to take it a bit further by getting a palm of some type; which I'm still researching to see which one will be the best to have in an apartment with not too much lighting, cool drafts and dry air. So I will be welcoming to any one with a bit of information to offer.

Thanks so much, MJ

Oh, now my question is: When the mid- Sprig and early- Summer comes, what type of fertilizer/s do I feed my plants after cutting down the roots, getting rid of the leaves that aren't doing well etc, etc, etc? My grandmother said she gives her plants MiracleGro All Purpose Plant Fertilizer. But since doing some research, I saw that I would need to give my peace lily 20-20-20 cut by half or a little more than half and give every 2 to 3 weeks during the mid- Spring to Fall months. NO fertilizing at all during the Winter, which I'm doing now and will continue to do; if it's the right thing to do for the plants.

PLEASE, SOMEONE HELP ME OUT HERE!!!

Thanks, MJ

Since no plants use N, P, and K in THE 1:1:1 RATIO supplied by 20-20-20, you can do better. Supplying fertilizer in the ratio at which your plants actually USE the nutrients offers some significant advantages, not the least of which is the ability to keep the level of dissolved solids (fertilizer/mineral salts) at their lowest w/o having to suffer the effects of deficiencies. After the calculations are done for how P and K are reported on fertilizer packages, you'll find that 3:1:2 ratio fertilizers like 24-8-16, 12-4-8 (Miracle Grow makes All Purpose fertilizers in these NPK %s) or 9-3-6 supply NPK at almost exactly the ratio at which the average plant uses the nutrients. I use Foliage-Pro 9-3-6 by Dyna-Grow almost exclusively for that reason and others, which include the fact that FP 9-3-6 includes ALL essential nutrients plants normally take from the soil (including Ca & Mg which most soluble fertilizers lack (MG 20-20-20 lacks these elements/nutrients) and FP 9-3-6 gets most of it's N from nitrate sources and no N from urea. The later fact helps keep plants compact and full.

Also, your nutrient supplementation program is usually dictated by your soil choice and watering habits. Soils that retain too much water (like most off the shelf brands) require much more attention to detail than soils that you can water freely w/o concern that the soil will remain soggy so long it impacts root health/function. Root health is a key factor that determines whether or not a healthy organism is even possible - to the degree that good root health is a prerequisite to a healthy plant.

Never apply Epsom salts willy nilly, that is to say w/o good reason. Unless it has been determined your plant is suffering a Mg deficiency OR there is an excess of Ca in the soil causing an antagonistic deficiency of Mg, you're probably 10X more likely to create limitations than resolve them by adding Epsom salts.

You might find this Basic overview helpful. It will help you avoid all of the most common issues all container gardeners encounter early in their journey toward greater proficiency.

Al