Epsom Salt for growing big tomatoes?

[MasterComposter]

I'm trying something new with my tomato plants this year. Epsom salt!

I read this blog post about a technique for growing successful tomatoes here in the Dallas, Texas area.

So I bought a big bag of Epsom Salts at the drugstore, and it even specifically mentions tomatoes and peppers on the back of the bag.

And then I also read how it helps fight blossom end rot, a common tomato problem.

Rodale considers it organic. It's a source of magnesium, evidently.

And then I read this page about epsom salt and gardening.

Is anyone else out there using Epsom Salt with any success, or any problems?

[gardengirl]

Top Ten Tips for Growing Tomatoes

1. Don’t crowd the seedlings. Give them room to spread and branch out.
2. Give them lots of light. Give them the sunniest spot in the garden. I've heard that tomatoes grown in the far north become very large from all that sunlight.
3. Use a fan to get the stems to move in the breeze. This will strengthen them.
4. Use black plastic to warm up the soil.
5. Plant them deeply, the deeper the better. Tomatoes will develop roots along every stem.
6. Mulch with straw or plastic mulch after the ground warms up.
7. Remove the bottom leaves. When the plants are 3' tall remove the leaves from the bottom inch.
8. Pinch and prune the suckers as this will devote energy to the fruit.
9. Water them regularly and deeply early on. Once the fruit begins to ripen, water less to coax the plant into concentrating its sugars.

[gardengirl]

It is thought that blossom end rot is caused by a lack of calcium and this is probably caused by irregular watering. Water carries calcium through the plant. Other factors could be too much nitrogen, too much salt in the soil, root damage and soil that isn't the right pH.

You can't do much to save the rotting tomatoes. Just remove them, mulch under the plants, and water deeply.

[gardengirl]

Many people will look through seed catalogs and only end up confused over all the talk about determinate, indeterminate and dwarf indeterminate.

Determinate means the tomato is a bush type. The buds form on the main stem. These plants produce fruit all season long.

Indeterminate tomatoes grow on vine that will need staking or caging to support them. The fruit forms on the vine.

Dwarf indeterminate tomatoes grow on bushy plants but set fruit all season.

[gardengirl]

It doesn't matter if you grew them for seed or bought the plants at a gardening center. You'll still have to "harden them off." You need to slowly toughen them up to the harshness of the outdoors. This will take about 10 days.

To date, the tomato plants have been coddled. Begin by reducing the amount of water you've been giving them. Also, reduce the room temperature. Slowly increase their exposure to sunlight.

I'm usually not quite that fussy. If I have strong, healthy plants I start putting them out o sunny mornings about 2 weeks before I plan to plant them. I slowly increase the amount of time outside.

When I do plant them, i give them their own little greenhouse by caging them
and wrapping plastic around the cage. I leave them like this for a few more weeks. then I remove the plastic and I have wonderful, healthy plants beginning to set fruits.

You can do the same thing for other heat-loving plants such as peppers and eggplants.

[Gary350]

Blossom end rot has nothing to do with irregular watering. If you feed your tomato plant lime or calcium you will never have blossom end rot.

I use real fertilizer, triple 15, ammonium nitrate and lime from local farm supply store. I get a whole bushel basket of good tomatoes from each tomato plant every summer. I fertilize and water every Sunday evening.

[honeylemon]

thanks for the Epsom Salt and sugar tips! I wonder if the sugar made his tomatoes taste sweeter?

[amber]

Thanks for the helpful links! I’ve learned that only a teaspoon is enough per gallon of water to feed houseplants. I’ll try it for the tomatoes, too. My aunt has Epsom salts in her bathroom so maybe I can get some.

[aqua-orchard]

Originally Posted by MasterComposter

I'm trying something new with my tomato plants this year. Epsom salt!

I read this blog post about a technique for growing successful tomatoes here in the Dallas, Texas area.

So I bought a big bag of Epsom Salts at the drugstore, and it even specifically mentions tomatoes and peppers on the back of the bag.

And then I also read how it helps fight blossom end rot, a common tomato problem.

Rodale considers it organic. It's a source of magnesium, evidently.

And then I read this page about epsom salt and gardening.

Is anyone else out there using Epsom Salt with any success, or any problems?

no, but i use seaweed and looks good.