Epsom Salt for Tomatoes – How Effective Is It?

Epsom salt is used often and regularly in our household for a variety of reasons, but it can help our gardens out also. There are many benefits of using Epsom salt when growing tomatoes specifically, regardless of whether we choose to grow in pots or the ground. The methods of enhancing tomatoes through use of Epsom salt are simple and easy to accomplish, not to mention the cost effectiveness.

How Epsom Salt Makes Tomato Plant Happier

Being that tomatoes require a great deal of magnesium to grow and develop healthy from the root up, Epsom salt can play a key role in their nutrition. Epsom salt can literally act as a much needed replacement of magnesium which the tomatoes deplete the soil of. Basically, Epsom salt acts as a supplement of magnesium to the tomatoes and soil simultaneously. Simply put – the more magnesium the tomato and soil it grows in has, the better both will react and interact with each other.

epsom salt for tomatoes
The tomato plant will then get more blooms and fruit. There is going to be less of a chance of bottom rot issues. The plant will be stronger and deeper in color from root to top. The taste will be much more sweet and taste just that much better. Without Epsom salt, the tomato plant struggles to survive at all. If it is able to survive without the use of Epsom salt, the plant will be lacking in everything and generating positive amounts of really nothing. The plant has to work much harder to survive as does the soil when magnesium levels are struggling to remain without Epsom salt doing its key part in the process.

Adding Epsom Salt to the Mix

When planting tomatoes in the ground it is a very simple process to add Epsom salt to the mix, so to speak. Before you do anything else put Epsom salt in the hole you’ve dug for your tomato plant. Place a thin layer of soil on top of the Epsom salt then put in your tomato plant. Every few weeks when you are watering your tomato plant, be sure and add Epsom salt and you will continue to provide much needed nutrients to it.

If you are planting tomatoes in pots, you can combine Epsom salt and water together to help provide nutrients and stimulate growth. Use the mixture in your potted tomato plant until it is draining out the bottom of the pot. Alternatively, you can use an Epsom salt and water sprayer to benefit the tomato plant once per month.

A Little Epsom Salt Goes a Long Way

Regardless of whether you choose to grow your tomatoes in the ground or in a pot, there are specific formulas which have been put together for each method to maximize benefits the tomato plant can reap.


If your planting method is directly into the ground, you will need to put a tablespoon of Epsom salt into the ground before placing a thin layer of soil over it followed by your tomato plant.

If you are choosing to plant your tomatoes in pots instead, that is when you need to mix a gallon of water with a tablespoon of Epsom salt.

Alternatively, the sprayer method can be effective as well by filling the tank with a gallon of water and two tablespoons of Epsom salt.

The Buck Doesn’t Stop with Tomatoes

The vast benefits that Epsom salt can provide us when gardening certainly does not stop with tomato plants. There are definitely other vegetables we can cultivate which need help to add magnesium and nourishment.

Add More Juice to Your Peppers

One great example of a vegetable that literally thrives for us when we add Epsom salt is peppers. This plant also severely lacks in magnesium and greatly benefits from using Epson salt. The formula for adding Epsom salt is identical to that of tomatoes.


Let your Roses Bloom…Better

Epsom salt’s benefits don’t even stop with just vegetable growing when it comes to our gardening needs. It also helps out rose growth as well substantially. Any rose growing expert will tell you the flower is more vibrant and rich in color and blood with the addition of Epsom salt. The plant itself is stronger and the leaves are healthier and more distinct. For use with roses, it isn’t just about the magnesium either. Epsom salt will provide a rose plant with more phosphorus, nitrogen and sulfur as well as strengthen the walls of its cells. You will use a slightly different formula when feeding your rose plant’s healthy with Epsom salt however. You need to mix a gallon of water with half a cup of Epsom salt when planting them. Whether you choose to plant your roses in a pot or the ground, you should sprinkle about a tablespoon in the bottom part of the soil. Continue to add Epsom salt to the top soil once a month. For every foot tall that the rose plant is add one tablespoon of Epsom salt to the soil and add water.

Other Beneficial Uses

There is thought to be other great uses for Epsom salt in the gardening world, although none have been specifically proven unlike the above tested methods. It is thought to benefit fruit tree growth, replacing magnesium the tree is lacking and allowing them to grow for longer periods of time throughout the year. Epsom salt has been the considered reason why azaleas, rhododendron and even grass will not lot turn yellow and dead looking. It’s even a possibility that Epsom salt helps leaves from turning yellow and curling.

From Strange to Obvious – Tips and Tricks to Grow the Perfect Tomato

There are many things people out there have tried and have found aid them in growing fool-proof tomatoes, regardless of the method they use.

Here are some helpful tips:

tips for growing tomato plant

  1. Use old nylons, aka pantyhose, to support the growing plants when you grow using tomato cages.
  2. Always try and remember to water your tomatoes at the same time every day. Consistency always pays off! They’ll grow larger and won’t split.
  3. Crush eggs shells and put them in the hole when planting in the ground. Throughout the season continue to put them around the base of the plant. This will give your tomato plants calcium and keep slugs away from your tomatoes.
  4. If you cut away the bottom of a bucket that is 5 gallons and put it around the plant on the ground then the water will stay with your plant. This will also keep insects and animals away from your tomatoes. Put a lid on the bucket to protect your tomatoes from the cold at night.
  5. The best brand of tomatoes is Heritage. The plants are much larger than usual and taste the best.
  6. If you wrap aluminum foil around the bottom of your plant, the tomatoes will turn out the same color red all the way around because the sun reflects off the bottom of them.

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