Epsom salts & vinegar

[Mikey]

I was reading an article the other day about the use of epsom salts with sugar instead of a specialist growing compound. The article said it aided leafy growth I wondered if anyone else had heard of this, or use it anyway.

There was also a comment about using normal household vinegar as a weed killer, has anyone tried this?

I prefer to be au naturel if I can, plus its cheaper and I'm tight.

[FROSTYFRECKLE]

Used vinegar as a weed killer (buy the cheapo stuff). Good used between slabs but not on open ground. Use when you know there is going to be dry spell for a few days.

[scarey55]

I have used Epsom salts before on sad looking plants with yellow leaves, seemed to help.

[Mikey]

Apparantly when you add sugar to Epsom, it can make things grow like a miracle....

So I've read, but reading is a bit like thinking, the more you do the less convinced you are in your ability to know. I'm sure someone will be along shortly who's tested the theory.

Anyone?

[Bren In Pots]

I have used Epsom salts before on sad looking plants with yellow leaves, seemed to help.

I use it on my Toms if they look a bit off it, was funny when I asked for it at the chemist the assistant said there's much more up to date treatment for constipation these days. So i told her it was for my plants not me.

[marchogaeth]

I use Epsom salts because I have a magnesium deficiency in my soil.

[veggiechicken]

I use it on my Toms if they look a bit off it, was funny when I asked for it at the chemist the assistant said there's much more up to date treatment for constipation these days. So i told her it was for my plants not me.

Were your plants potbound, Bren?

[Two_Sheds]

Vinegar kills top growth but not roots.

[solway cropper]

I'm not sure what the epsom salts and sugar would achieve!

Epsom salts is just magnesium sulphate which is useful to correct magnesium deficiency in things like container grown tomatoes but there should be enough magnesium in the most soils for it not to be needed.

There is a website who's motto is 'the internet makes you stupid'. If someone saw that the chlorophyll molecule contained magnesium they might assume that adding magnesium would make plants grow stronger but it doesn't really work like that.

[AllInContainers]

I use a good splash of vinegar as a water tweaker to increase the acidity for watering ericaceous plants as I don't have facilities (or space for facilities) for catching and storing rainwater

[maytreefrannie]

There was also a comment about using normal household vinegar as a weed killer, has anyone tried this?

I prefer to be au naturel if I can, plus its cheaper and I'm tight.

I don't know (about the weedkilling properties of vinegar), but it seems to clean and deal with almost everything else.

[Mr Bones]

Vinegar works by drying out the leaves of plants but it also stays in the earth and kills soil microbes, worms etc.

[Martin H]

I don't know (about the weedkilling properties of vinegar), but it seems to clean and deal with almost everything else.

WD40 is like that too. I wonder if it kills weeds?

[Aberdeenplotter]

Epsom salts = Magnesium Sulphate

http://www.which.co.uk/documents/pdf...ium-154033.pdf

Note the comment about magnesium being essential in clorophyll which explains why tomato leaves colour up after an application.

[Mikey]

There is a website who's motto is 'the internet makes you stupid'. If someone saw that the chlorophyll molecule contained magnesium they might assume that adding magnesium would make plants grow stronger but it doesn't really work like that.

I don't believe the internet makes you stupid, on the contrary in fact. I like to question things I read and things I believe to be true, by asking the question of other gardeners I can gauge the value of the article to determine whether its something that I should consider trying.

I now have greater knowledge of Magnesium and its uses all thanks to the internet, I guess it doesn't make us stupid after all...