The wonders of Epson Salt

[Georgia]

Hello fellow geeks,

I have heard that epson salt can be used to cleanse orchids and promote blooms. Does anybody know about this?

Georgia

[FLaCo]

I have never used Epsom salt on orchid nor have I heard of it 'cleansing' them. What do you mean by cleansing?

I have ocassionally used Epsom salt on Palm/Ixora trees that healthy but are yellowing. The Magnesium sulfate in Epsom salt corrects the yellowing by helping the plant form chlorophyll in plants which is a necessity for photosynthesis. Chlorophyll is green and so the plant's leaves are green again. The sulfur in Epsom salt helps promotes root growth. At the end of the day, I would think these two factors will contribute two a healthy which in turn may produce blooms.

Although all this sounds promising you have to remember that I use it only when the plant is deficient. With the weekly or Bi-weekly feed of general fertilizer you give to your plants it should be sufficient.

[Ron]

Hi Geogia.
Welcome to the orchid Geeks
Epson salts over the years has had many "Wonder uses" I am sure 99% worked.
I use it on my orchids several times a year.
For me it helps to strenghten the plants leaves and growth, sure puts a nice green colour in the leaves.
for an ailing plant it also seems to be a tonic.
I use it at about 1 teaspoon to 10 lt of water (about 2 gallons) and just pour it over the leaves and plant using a water can with a rose head.
I bet many more growers will give you many more good uses for it
Great to put into the bath after a hard days work also.
cheerio
Ron

[brookn]

Nothing like a soak in some Epsom salt to make my tired legs feel better. I use it on my tomatos, and they are getting huge. I have used it on orchids in a revive soak when they come bare root and are very dry, it seems to help.

[jerrymeola]

Almost all manufacturers now put Magnesium in their fertilizers. Every time you fertilize you are adding magnesium.

Lack of magnesium will cause yellow leaves. It is very noticeable in trees as Damien said.

If you have a deficiency it will work miracles, but for healthy plants they get all they need from the fertilizer.

[mehitabel]

I used epsom salts for years on acid-loving plants like gardenias, and on jasmines each spring. Something about wintering indoors caused them to yellow a little, not look "just right", and the epsom salts greened them up almost immediately. Also seemed to harden the leaves, as Ron said above.

Because of the leaf-hardening effect, l use it occasionally on orchids to toughen up leaves that seem to be a little too delicate (when I know the roots are not the problem). I usually just put a pinch right in the pot to be watered in next time I water.

I don't know about "cleansing". Might have some effect on the medium? But I have read that some growers use it in fall either to promote blooms or to harden the leaves for the indoor endurance test each winter. Don't know if it promotes blooms. Certainly seems to me to toughen up leaves.

No question that it's a miracle tonic for jasmines and the like after a long hard winter of watering with hard Missouri water.

[brookn]

Missouri water good grief, the stuff practically has visible chunks of rock in it.