If you love gardening, you’re probably always searching for easy and cheap ways to improve your plants. One surprising helper you might already own is Epsom salt—the same one many people keep in the bathroom.
If you’ve never tried using it outside, you may wonder if it actually works in the garden or if it’s just another myth.
Good news: your plants may benefit more than you expect!
1. Grow More Nightshades
Tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and potatoes all belong to the nightshade family. These plants often need extra magnesium to grow well and produce plenty of fruit.
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of Epsom salt around the base of each plant, or dissolve it in a gallon of water and use it for watering.
Repeat every two weeks to help plants grow stronger and produce tastier vegetables.
2. Repel Garden Pests
Slugs and snails can be a gardener’s worst enemy. Epsom salt won’t kill them, but it irritates their bodies and helps keep them away.
Because it dissolves when wet, you’ll need to reapply the salt regularly if it rains or you water often.
3. Sweeten Your Fruit
Epsom salt can make fruit sweeter by helping plants create more chlorophyll. With more energy, fruit trees, vines, and bushes can produce more natural sugars, giving you sweeter harvests.
4. Prevent Transplant Shock
Moving plants from pots to the garden can stress their roots.
Sprinkle a little Epsom salt into the planting hole, then cover it lightly with soil before placing your plant inside.
Or sprinkle salt near the base of the plant after transplanting and water well. This helps plants settle in and recover faster.
5. Maintain Green Leaves
If leaves turn yellow, your plant might be missing magnesium.
Add 1 tablespoon of Epsom salt per 12 inches of plant height once each month.
This is an easy way to keep leaves bright and green.
6. Kill Weeds
Mix two cups of Epsom salt with one gallon of vinegar and a little dish soap.
Spray it directly on unwanted weeds.
Be careful—this mixture can kill your garden plants too, so use it only where weeds are growing.
7. Fertilize Your Lawn
Give your lawn a boost by dissolving 3 pounds of Epsom salt in water and applying it to 1,250 square feet of grass.
Water afterward so the nutrients move into the soil.
8. Remove Tree Stumps
If removing a stump isn’t in your budget, drill holes into the stump and fill them with Epsom salt.
Over a few weeks, the stump will slowly rot, letting you remove it more easily.
9. Enhance Rose Blooms
Roses love magnesium. Adding Epsom salt to rose beds can help flowers grow larger with richer colors.
Use some when planting new roses and again when they start blooming.
10. Remove Splinters
Gardening often leads to splinters. Mix two tablespoons of Epsom salt into warm water and soak the area.
The salt helps draw the splinter to the surface so you can remove it more easily.
11. Treat Palm “Frizzle Top”
Palm trees sometimes turn yellow at the top because of magnesium deficiency.
Mix Epsom salt with water and spray both the crown and the soil at the base.
This helps the palm return to a healthier, greener color.
12. Cure Leaf Curling
Curling leaves may also mean plants need magnesium.
Add one tablespoon of Epsom salt to the soil around the plant to help restore normal growth.
13. Revive Potted Plants
Container plants lose nutrients faster than those in the ground.
Add two tablespoons of Epsom salt around the soil once a month to keep them healthy.
14. Boost Nutrient Absorption
Plants use magnesium to absorb other nutrients better.
Adding Epsom salt to garden soil can reduce the need for heavy chemical fertilizers.
15. Revitalize Ferns
Ferns that look pale or yellow can perk up with magnesium.
Mix one tablespoon of Epsom salt in a gallon of water and spray it on the leaves.
This works well for ferns, elephant ears, and similar plants.
Epsom salt has many useful purposes in the garden. It encourages greener leaves, sweeter fruits, healthier roots, fewer pests, and better nutrient use. Try adding it to your gardening routine and enjoy the improvements in your plants!
I’m Emma Parker, the writer and founder behind Emma’s Home Guide. This blog was created to share practical ideas, honest experiences, and helpful guidance for everyday living. My goal is to make home life feel easier, warmer, and more enjoyable, without pressure or perfection.
