Epsom Salt Offers Cool Tips for Hot Gardeners

    RUTHEFORD, N.J., July 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Have the dog days of summer made
 you wonder why you ever planted a flower garden?  Simple tricks with Epsom
 Salt can give you and your garden a much-needed lift.
     Take some cues from Mother Earth.  Have you ever seen her look droopy?
 The benefits of commercially produced aids can't be denied, but there are
 homemade remedies that can keep your money in your pocket and you out of the
 stores.  One of these is that steady old friend, Epsom Salt.
     Epsom Salt is magnesium sulfate, a natural element commonly occurring in
 soil.  "Unfortunately, certain conditions deplete the soil and cause magnesium
 deficiencies," Epsom Salt Industry Council President Mark Roberts reports.
 "Symptoms include poor growth, and eventually, yellowing leaves and vines.
 Epsom Salt can enhance color, and improve root systems and stem strength."
     To prevent deficiencies, add 2 tablespoons of Epsom Salt to each gallon of
 water whenever watering.  Once a month, water with a solution of one teaspoon
 of Saltpeter (available from a pharmacy), one teaspoon of Epsom Salt, one
 teaspoon of baking soda, one teaspoon of ammonia, and one gallon warm water.
     For roses, sprinkle one teaspoon per foot of plant height around the base
 for better blossoms and deeper greening.  Scratch in 1/2 cup around the base
 to help produce new flowering canes and healthy new basal cane growth.
     Let's move on to you.  Some days you just don't seem up to the challenge.
 Epsom Salt can help you feel better, too.  Gardeners rarely escape a season
 without needing minor first aid.  A warm Epsom Salt compress can reduce the
 swelling of minor scrapes or help bring splinters to the skin's surface.  A
 cold Epsom Salt compress can take the sting out of insect bites.  Use two cups
 of Epsom Salt per gallon of water for compresses.  Soaking in a warm tub with
 two cups of Epsom Salt will relax and sooth you.
     Finally, take a moment to enjoy your garden.  Change gears for a little
 while.  Shoot a roll of film-you might find your holiday card photo in the
 batch.  Indulge that special someone with a romantic dinner, lavishly
 decorating with inexpensive candles and flowers from your garden.  Check out
 the new bulbs now on sale for fall.  Think positive.  You won't be hot and
 tired forever.
     For more about Epsom Salt, visit www.epsomsaltcouncil.org.
 
 

SOURCE  Epsom Salt Council