The gardening world has never been immune from mythology and urban legend. Play music for your plants to help them grow; talk to your plants; put food coloring in the water you use to water your plants in order to change the color of the leaves; plant according to the phases of the moon in order to ensure growth, etc. Another myth says that adding Epsom salts to grass can help it grow more successfully.
Epsom Salts
Epsom salts are dense and coarse salt clusters derived from magnesium sulfate that are typically sold for their medicinal applications. But Epsom salt manufacturers say that when applied to garden soil before planting, Epsom salts can increase nutrient uptake by the plant from the soil, as well as seed germination and overall health, longevity, and consistency.
Myth & Fact
Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott, urban horticulturalist and associate professor at Washington State, is skeptical of the value of Epsom salts in gardening. While she admits that Epsom salts' high magnesium content is effective at supplementing magnesium-deficient plants, outside of those varietals with severe magnesium deficiencies, her research has indicated little or no effect on plant growth. Moreover, Epsom salts can lead to soil toxicity and proliferation of plant diseases if used continually and repetitively (despite manufacturer claims that Epsom salts do not persist in the soil if used during successive growing cycles).
Epsom Salts & Grass
Epsom salts can be quite effective in supplementing magnesium-deficient grasses as well (this is of particular importance to farmers since magnesium deficiency is a common problem among grazing cattle). But according to Dr. Chalker-Scott's research, Epsom salts have to be reapplied every growing season because of their high water solubility. Leached magnesium can also contaminate water sources. Similarly, heavily manicured grasses such as those used on golf courses do not typically suffer from magnesium deficiency, so the drawbacks of using Epsom salts on these grasses far outweigh the benefits.
Epsom Salts & Grass in Perspective
In short, applying Epsom salts to grass is a good short-term solution that can show good short-term results for treating magnesium deficiency, but the long-term effects are problematic at best. Manufacturers use Epsom salts' solubility as evidence that they do not persist in the soil, but on the contrary, high solubility necessitates regular reapplication, and the environmental effects of the long-term buildup of Epsom salts in soils diminish any usefulness, especially when there are other ways to deal with magnesium deficiency in plants that are not so environmentally costly.
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