Epsom salts

My late father-in-law used to swear by Epsom salts for use in the garden for everything .He would use a solution against damping off , have any members used this please and can you give any advice etc ?

 

II use it occasionally to give plants a boost.

 

Not something I use all the time, and without good reason.
Not heard about it stopping damping off, but then damping off is a disease brought about by growing conditions mostly.

I was led to believe yellowing of leaves was down to magnesium deficiency, (Epsom salts) , but have since found out that more often than not an iron feed works better.

 

The main use for it that I'm aware of is to correct magnesium deficiency in fruit trees...it's used to get rid of bitter pit in apples.

 

It does help with leaves , quite a few lawn fertilizers have magnesium in them now and it makes a difference. I don't believe it has anything to do with damping off seen as damping of is a fungi organisms. I use epsom salts on the grapevine and the tomato bed both know for magnesium deficiency, also I use it on some plant with poor leaf colouring but it does depend on the plant , I'd use an Iron feed on a rhododendron for example

 

And I thought that was cause by a calcium deficiency

 

I started using it as an old gardener told me he swears by it. It could have been he swears at it as I've not seen any discernible difference.
One benefit I did see, was put in pots dry as granules, it upsets the local gastropod fraternity, but further trials(all out war) are needed

 

You're right! Although I'm sure that someone, somewhere recommended chucking Epsom salts at it Probably a 'useful' bit of misinformation from a celebrity gardener

 

Most people I know that use Epsom salts use it as bath salts. Epsom salts (Pharmaceutical Grade) sells in large volumes, big business.

 

I use it for my Buxus as a foliar feed if it's looking a bit ropey,always does the trick.