Sustainable Living

Epsom Salt – Pest Control Treatment And Nourishment Booster For Gardens

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Epsom salt in the garden

Photograph by: Alvimann – http://mrg.bz/91nTC0

Well known as an exfoliating scrub and body bath for aching muscles, Epsom salt is also beneficial in gardens. Epsom salt is just another name for magnesium sulfate – considered an affordable and natural remedy for gardens as it can deter an array of pests and help in growing beautiful and healthy plants.

When plants grow healthy they suffer less damage as pests and diseases attack them. Pests are a common enemy in gardens and they can damage plants by feeding on them from root to foliage. Epsom salt is a handy pest control remedy anyone can use, but in severe cases of pest infestations in gardens, it is best that a pest control professional applies suitable treatments to get rid of pests without harming your plants.

How Can Epsom Salt Help Your Garden

Magnesium sulfate is commonly used in soil magnesium or sulfur deficiencies. This is because sulfur is an essential micronutrient, while magnesium is an important element in chlorophyll molecules.

As such, Epsom salt is now being used to keep garden pests away, produce more flowers, assist in seed germination, improve phosphorus and nitrogen intake, improve chlorophyll production and enhance the thickness of plants.

Since Epsom salt is accessible to everyone, you can easily buy it from any supermarket.

Create A Bait With Epsom Salt

Pests will not only infest your garden, but they will infest your home too. Once you detect pests in your home, put a bowlful of Epsom salt on the floor with wooden sticks leaning from the floor to the edge of the bowl. The pests will climb the sticks and feast on the salt. Since magnesium sulfate is toxic to pests, they will die after consuming the Epsom salt.

Applying Epsom Salt As A Solution

You can make a solution by dissolving a cup of Epsom salt with five gallons of water. Then pour the solution in a sprayer and spray the solution on your plants. The solution will burn the slugs and ward them off your garden, along with beetles. If you find any other pests crawling about, you can simply pick them up and drown them in a bucket of Epsom salt solution.

Sprinkling Epsom Salt As A Deterrent

You can also make a pet deterrent by sprinkling some Epson salt around your garden and around every plant. When you plant seeds, sprinkle some salt in a row and reapply every two weeks. Not only will you be keeping pests away from your garden, but you will also be giving your garden plants a nutritional boost. To ensure that your garden will always be safe from pests, sprinkle three pounds of Epsom salt for every 1,250 square feet of garden.

Tips On Using Epsom Salt For Your Garden

If you will be using Epsom salt as a natural pest control remedy for your garden, then these tips will surely help you out –

Shrubs – Apply a tablespoon for every nine square feet of shrubs, but do not forget to reapply every two to four weeks.

Tomatoes – Apply a tablespoon of Epsom salt per foot of plant height for every plant and reapply every two weeks. Houseplants – You can feed your plants every month with two tablespoons for every gallon of water.

Lawns – Dilute three pounds of Epsom salt for every 1,250 square feet of lawn in water and then apply the mixture by a pump sprayer.

30 thoughts on “Epsom Salt – Pest Control Treatment And Nourishment Booster For Gardens”

  1. Pingback: Can Epsom Salt Kill Mice? Natural Solutions Explored - House and Home Online

  2. I’ve tried diet cola in my gopher holes and they don’t come back. I’ve used it several times and it really works. Just clear the hole and pour some in and they’re gone.

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  5. I have been using Epsom salts in my yard to get rid of grubs and moles. It works like a charm. It does not harm the grass at all. I simply put it in my seed spreader after mowing and put a fine layer of salt directly onto the grass. I just have to make sure it works on ants as well.

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  7. Can you use the Epsom salts as a spray to kill bugs that get in railroad ties? Or us it better to just sprinkle the end on salts close to the railroad ties?

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  12. Carpenter ants 🐜 were trying to invade my home when I discovered this deterrent. I accidentally spilled some Epsom salts while running a bath and forgot to sweep up my mess afterwards. I haven’t seen any more intruders since my happy accidental discovery.

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    • Set out an apple cider vinegar trap for the fungus gnats. Try not to over water plants and remove any excess water in plant saucers.

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  18. You say to dilute three ;pounds of E.Salt for every 1250 sq. ft. but you didn’t mention how much water to mix it in.

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    • Hi Eleonor, thanks for writing in! Unless they consume the salts in large quantities, the worse thing they should get is diarrhea. Epsom salts are used as a natural laxative so should apply to them also.

      If you are concerned, maybe try using a small amount of salts and see how they react to it. It’s possible that they have no interest in them at all, but if its swallowed in small amounts might also be nothing to worry about.

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  20. Does Magnesium Sulphate ( Epsom Salts) kill Monarch caterpillars? if so it cannot be used in a butterfly garden?
    Am I right in this assumption?

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