Need the recipe for epsom salt and water (blossom end rot)

[Tammy42]

Hey I forgot the ratios for epsom salt and water, I have blossom end rot trying to start and want to use that to try and prevent it. What is the ratio of epsom salt to water? Thanks everybody, Tammy

[!potatoes!]

?

I was lead to believe that blossom end rot was mostly a calcium deficiency thing...but aren't epsom salts magnesium sulfate...?

[stella1751]

On container plants, I just put a third a cup in a gallon jug of water, and I shake it up really well. Actually, I found out later I hadn't shaken it all that well. The next spring, I couldn't figure out what that white powdery stuff was at the bottom of one of my old milk jugs--freaked me out to see it

I don't know what anyone else does.

[Tammy42]

Thanks Stella, I guess I will be doing that here later, also added eggshells to the soil too!!! Tammy

[stella1751]

!potatoes! wrote:

I was lead to believe that blossom end rot was mostly a calcium deficiency thing...but aren't epsom salts magnesium sulfate...?

I have pondered that many a time, too. I got the advice, though, from a fellow who researches weeds for the University of Idaho, my friend's son, so I followed it, and it worked.

Then I wondered about it, and I got to thinking about imbalances between certain nutrients. When I bred horses, if you had an imbalance between selenium and vitamin E, your horse would "tie up." If you had an imbalance between calcium and phosphorous in young horses, their long bone growth was compromised.

So, I decided that plants must require a correct balance with some micronutrients, and that the addition of magnesium sulfate somehow made the calcium already there more accessible. Or something.

Truth is, I'd like to know why this works, too

[filmnet]

1/2 cup lime in a gal H20 Spread it on the leaves and tomatoes and the rest in the ground, It will stop any new ones, I have to use this ever 3 weeks with my Big mama tomatoes plants

[JONA878]

There is one other effect that can be a contributor to causing BER
It's generally accepted that it is a calcium defficiancy problem and that is mainly due to an inbalance between the the amount of water that the plant can take up and the amount of liquid it is losing through its leaves etc through transperation.
High soil salt concentrations can be one of the reasons for the roots inability to do their job well as they deter the roots ability to feed correctly.
This can often happen where the crop is continually grown on the same site and soil 'flushing ' is not carried out.
Reducing fertiliser application and heavy watering can flush the excess salts from the soil and give the roots a chance.

Jona.

[petalfuzz]

Jerry Baker recommends putting tums tablets around the plant, maybe 2 tabs per plant?

I think b-e-r is caused by irregular watering also. Maybe going from wet to dry compromises the roots' ability to draw up calcium naturally? All I know is that last year I had bad b-e-r and watered every other day; this year I have no b-e-r and have watered every day.

[filmnet]

It is a complicated problem, but the water is not the problem, I have plants in pots if I do not water to them ever day they will go nasty. I fit rains I do not water them. I use lime 1/2 cup in a gal water, this works great. But the bad tomatoes are pick off.

[JONA878]

No it's not the water that is the problem....it's the ability of the plant to use that water.
If the plant is losing more water through it's leaves and fruit than the root system can replace..especially if the weather is hot...then there will be a problem of trace elements like calcium being able to move through to the fruit. As Calcium does not move very easily in a plant anyway, the effect is felt all the more.
That is why Toms grown in a grow bag with restricted root room will often show BER if their growth gets too strong even if the watering is done very regularly.

Jona.

[filmnet]

I have big mama hybrid romas I grew from seeds,1 in a topsy turvy upside down pot, 2 in containers, and 3 in the ground, They are nasty with BER, only the topsy tusvy plants do not have any BER Tomato.

[Tammy42]

Thanks petalfuzz for the tip on tums, I think I will try that and see what happens, surely can't hurt!!! Tammy

[Diane]

High soil salt concentrations can be one of the reasons for the roots inability to do their job well as they deter the roots ability to feed correctly.
This can often happen where the crop is continually grown on the same site and soil 'flushing ' is not carried out.
Reducing fertiliser application and heavy watering can flush the excess salts from the soil and give the roots a chance.

Jona.

So that's why I had to rest one of my garden areas. I notice salt build up in my potted plants when I change the soil and never thought of it happening in my garden.

[stella1751]

JONA878 wrote:

It's generally accepted that it is a calcium defficiancy problem and that is mainly due to an inbalance between the the amount of water that the plant can take up and the amount of liquid it is losing through its leaves etc through transperation.
High soil salt concentrations can be one of the reasons for the roots inability to do their job well as they deter the roots ability to feed correctly.

Jona, I am still puzzled by why Epsom Salts work to correct a calcium deficiency in a soil. I got the following from [url]https://www.ask.com/bar?q=what+are+soil+salts&page=1&qsrc=0&ab=5&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.colostate.edu%2FDept%2FCoopExt%2FTRA%2FPLANTS%2Fsalts.html[/url], the Colorado State Extension Service. It closely corresponds to the soil types in my area (I.e. central Wyoming):

Salts
The soluble salts in Western Colorado soils are sodium, calcium, magnesium, and potassium (cations; + charged ions), in combination with bicarbonates, chlorides and sulfates (anions; - charged ions). When dissolved in water these compounds dissociate (separate) into their respective cations and anions. For example, calcium sulfate (gypsum) dissociates into calcium cations and sulfate anions.

There's a diagram accompanying this explanation, but I couldn't make it copy over.

According to this, if a person added magnesium sulfate to the soil and watered it, it should dissociate into magnesium cations and sulfate anions. Any ideas why this would make the calcium present be more accessible to the plant?

[JONA878]

Hi Stella.
Sorry...I can understand that the salts would seperate into the cations and anions but I can't see how this helps with making calcium available to the plants roots.
My only thought would be if they in some way affected the ph of the soil as this can be responsible for locking up trace elements to the plants.

I have seen orchards growing in thin soil overlaying pure chalk...and the fruit still had bitter pit problems. A sure sign of calcium problems.
Sorry I can't be more helpfull.

Jona

[ChefRob]

Houseplants: 2 tablespoons per gallon of water; feed plants monthly.
Tomatoes: 1 tablespoon per foot of plant height per plant; apply every two weeks.
Roses: 1 tablespoon per foot of plant height per plant; apply every two weeks. Also scratch 1/2 cup into soil at base to encourage flowering canes and healthy new basal cane growth. Soak unplanted bushes in 1/2 cup of Epsom Salt per gallon of water to help roots recover. Add a tablespoon of Epsom Salt to each hole at planting time. Spray with Epsom Salt solution weekly to discourage pests.
Shrubs: (evergreens, azaleas, rhododendron): 1 tablespoon per 9 square feet. Apply over root zone every 2-4 weeks.
Lawns: Apply 3 pounds for every 1,250 square feet with a spreader, or dilute in water and apply with a sprayer.
Trees: Apply 2 tablespoons per 9 square feet. Apply over the root zone 3 times annually.
Garden Startup: Sprinkle 1 cup per 100 square feet. Mix into soil before planting.
Sage: Do not apply! This herb is one of the few plants that doesn't like Epsom Salt.