Epsom Salts for your garden

I've been reading a lot about using Epsom Salts in your garden on other blogs so I decided to share what I've been learning. They aren't just for sore muscles anymore!
I've used them on my green peppers for many years - I never knew why they were good for them, I just heard that they were.  Well, here's why:
Epsom Salts are magnesium sulfate. Magnesium and sulfate provide many benefits to your plants

• helps seed germination by strengthening the plants cell wall
• helps the plants produce chlorophyll
• helps plants absorb fertilizer such as phosphorus and nitrogen
• many gardeners believe using Epsom Salts make their plants bigger and greener and produce more flowers

How to use:

• Mix 2 Tablespoons into 1 gallon of water. This can be used to water potted plants, including houseplants, and outdoor plants in the garden once a month.
• Mix 2 Tablespoons into 1 gallon of water and use in a sprayer to water your plants.
• Before setting plants into the ground, put 2 Tablespoons of Epsom Salts into the hole or sprinkle 1 cup per 100 square feet of  garden over the soil and work it in before planting.

Tomatoes tend to become magnesium deficient during the growing season resulting in yellowing leaves and less fruit production.  Water every 2 weeks with the Epsom Salts mixture or work 1 Tablespoon of Epsom Salts per each foot of plant into the soil around the base of the plant.

Peppers also suffer from magnesium deficiency. Treat as for tomatoes but feed twice a week.

Roses benefit from feedings of the Epsom Salts and water mixture.

Shrubs- work 1 Tablespoon per 9 sq. feet of shrub into the soil over the root zone.  Repeat every 2 weeks.

Your lawn can also benefit from spraying with the water mixture or putting Epsom Salts in a spreader.

I'll have to wait until next spring to give this a try. It seems like a no-fail way to give your plants an all-natural, low-cost boost.