I don't know about you but when somebody tells me "That's the way my Grandma used to do it"
- Especially when it has to do with gardening - My ears open up a little bit more and I
listen and try to take in what was said to me. I've heard over the last, I don't know,
year or so, how people enjoy putting Epsom Salt or Magnesium Sulfate on to their gardens.
And every time somebody talks about it I always hear "Well, that's how the old timers did
it" or "That's how my Grandma did it" and its made me want to try it out. So, from the
little research that I have done, it sounds like the best time to apply is right when
you plant and then a little bit later when the plant starts putting on its fruit. So,
with that said, we're going to mix up a batch of Epsom Salt and apply it to the garden.
Okay so here we are with my sprayer that makes me look like some kind of chem-ag specialist
or promoter, and certainly I am not. I bought this last year because I got so sick and tired
that I decided I was going to try applying some Neem Oil. And, it didn't work a bit and
it really reinforced the idea to me that if you're going to spray something even if it
is considered organic, that's going to be used as a pesticide, all your doing is encouraging
the fact that you had to spray. You're better off working on companion planting and soil
nutrition than spraying for anything. So, that said, that's the story behind this guy.
I've got my bag of Epsom Salt here and the only that I'm going to tell you about Epsom
Salt is make sure that's all you're getting is Magnesium Sulfate. Don't go to the store
and have someone show you some Epsom Salt and then find out that there's also a fragrance
or something that they've inserted because they're trying to sell it to you as a bath
salt. So, this is pure Epsom Salt - you can get it from most pharmacies, department stores,
groceries, pretty much anywhere. And, I've read a good bit about how much to apply and
the one thing that I did keep reading was that you don't have to worry about applying
too much because it doesn't build up and there's no harm to it. The plants are just going to
take what they need, its not going to do any damage to the soil or the plant. So, I'm going
to go on the high end of what I read and the high end tells me to put two tablespoons to
every gallon of water. Now this big old sprayer here will hold 4 gallons - and I don't expect
that I'm even going to use 1 gallon of water on what I'm about to spray but I'm going to
mix up 2 gallons, just for good measure so I don't run out. My sprayer happens to have
a automatic agitator inside of it, but either way, I'm going to add water to this, shake
it up really well to make sure it dissolves, before trying to apply. So you might be asking
yourself "Why does Jared have this humongous sprayer just to water his plants?" And, the
simple answer is "It's what I have." I had a hand waterer - a watering can - then my
kids got a hold of it on the off-season and I didn't see much point in going and spending
another $5 on a watering can when I could just do it this way. It also still provides
the same benefit that you would essentially get out of a watering can and that is direct
application. I know exactly where I am putting this and how much. I don't have to worry about
anything else like - you know if I were to attach one of those bottle nozzles - I don't
know what the right term for them is - that goes on your garden hose - and just spray
it everywhere, not just where you want it. So, that's all we're trying to do, just a
quick little coat, right where I know I planted. Another benefit of this, if you watched the
planting video you know we put lettuces on the inside. That nozzle lets me get right
to where I know the seeds are. Okay so really there's nothing more than that to it. Just
kept spraying down the lines and - we'll see - I don't really have a control for this so
I'm not going to be able to tell you whether it did anything great or not. So, share your
experiences down below. Do you put Epsom Salt or Magnesium Sulfate in your garden? And why
- what benefits do you expect or what benefits do you see from it? Thank y'all for watching,
we'll see you next time!