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Where to buy bulk epson salt?
On 10/7/11 7:12 AM, Bob F wrote:
David Hare-Scott wrote: Bob F wrote: I've just been told that the curled under leaves on my italian prune trees are caused by magnesiom deficiency and I should apply a few pounds of epson salts under each tree. Is the diagnosis likely to be accurate? Location is Seattle. I don't know about leaves curling, I thought magnesium deficiency cause leaf yellowing especially in older leaves. Can you provide a photo? Photo here (I hope) http://www.flickr.com/photos/68364065@N07/6220401824/ What kind of store wound I go to for a good price on 50 or 100 lb bags of epson salt? A few pounds per tree seems quite excessive to me, this is a trace element not a major nutrient. If you over-do it you won't have a problem with curling leaves 'cause you wont have any leaves at all. Another problem is that epson salts is very soluble and unless it binds to humus or clay colloids it will leach out quickly. Here is another method that may be work if it is Mg deficiency. Treat some (or all) trees with a foliar spray of epson salts, possibly repeated in a week, if it is Mg deficiency they will recover quite quickly, that is within weeks. For the longer term treat with dolomite which will slow release Mg over time. Another possibility is that the soil is very acid which tends to lock up some minerals like Mg so liming or adding dolomite will raise the pH and release Mg. A dye-indicator to test pH is cheap and sufficiently accurate for gardening and can be used in many situations. Acid soil is common here in Seattle I believe, and it's been a long time since I limed the lawn, so maybe that's a better idea Epsom salts are acidic -- magnesium sulfate. If acidic soil is your problem, this will only make it worse. In any case, insufficient magnesium in the soil requires only a small dose to correct. I put about 2 tabslespoonsful around each rose bush in my garden only once a year. For roses, magnesium promotes the sprouting of new canes. I corrected chlorosis in an Australian tea tree (Leptospermum laevigatum) with a half-handful of Epsom salts without ever repeating the dose; I merely continue to feed the tea tree with acidic fertilizer (ammonium sulfate). I buy Epsom salts at a local drug store. A small carton (about the size of a half-pint of milk) lasts several years. -- David E. Ross Climate: California Mediterranean, see http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary |
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