1 Cup Epsom Salts Per Plant - REALLY??

rnewste · September 18, 2011

Our old friend "Bingster" has had excellent success growing tomatoes in 18 gallon SWCs over the past years. One of his "secrets" was to add, in addition to the Lime and fertilizers, 2 Cups - YES, TWO CUPS of Epsom Salts per 18 gallon container.

So, for my Fall plantings, I thought I would give it a try. Being cautious, I used 2 Cups Epsom Salts per my 31 gallon EarthTainers. The results to date, have been beyond belief:

These are a pair of Early Girls, planted as 8 inch high seedlings on August 1. On September 18, they measured 69 inches tall - - a net gain of 61 inches growth in just 49 days!!

I've even picked one ripe fruit from the plant yesterday.

So far, the plants look quite healthy. To prove to myself that this wasn't just a fluke, I've repeated the 2 Cups Epsom Salts in my MarNar F2 Fall grow-out:

These were planted out as 12 inch seedlings on August 30. About a foot of new growth in the past 19 days. Again, nice thick stems and healthy leaves.

While it is too early to tell if this treatment is a lasting success, I am encouraged to date. I would really like to understand the "chemistry" as to why this treatment is showing so much success at this point.

Raybo

September 18, 2011	#1
rnewste Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Campbell, CA Posts: 4,064	1 Cup Epsom Salts Per Plant - REALLY?? Our old friend "Bingster" has had excellent success growing tomatoes in 18 gallon SWCs over the past years. One of his "secrets" was to add, in addition to the Lime and fertilizers, 2 Cups - YES, TWO CUPS of Epsom Salts per 18 gallon container. So, for my Fall plantings, I thought I would give it a try. Being cautious, I used 2 Cups Epsom Salts per my 31 gallon EarthTainers. The results to date, have been beyond belief: These are a pair of Early Girls, planted as 8 inch high seedlings on August 1. On September 18, they measured 69 inches tall - - a net gain of 61 inches growth in just 49 days!! I've even picked one ripe fruit from the plant yesterday. So far, the plants look quite healthy. To prove to myself that this wasn't just a fluke, I've repeated the 2 Cups Epsom Salts in my MarNar F2 Fall grow-out: These were planted out as 12 inch seedlings on August 30. About a foot of new growth in the past 19 days. Again, nice thick stems and healthy leaves. While it is too early to tell if this treatment is a lasting success, I am encouraged to date. I would really like to understand the "chemistry" as to why this treatment is showing so much success at this point. Raybo