Garden

[JustJazzmom]

For those who have tomatoes, peppers, and roses, its time to apply Epsom salts around your plants.

These plants take a lot of magnesium out of the soil so the Epsom salts just replenishes it for future use. 'Magnesium is necessary for plants to generate chlorophyll, which plays an important part in photosynthesis. It also helps plants absorb phosphorus; this is essential for plant growth and vigorous blooms.'- from the Martha Stewart Living site.

Another article explaining the role of magnesium in the garden plus application amounts.

[ValuSkr]

That's good advice.  I first heard it a couple years ago and since have looked for it in the baking aisle of the supermarket - with other salts.  Then someone told me it's in the aisle with OTC drugs and health care items.  I don't believe it's sold in garden stores.

[ChiliPepper]

Thank you so much JustJazzMom! I did not realize that. Maybe that's why some of my plants look a little yellow. I blamed it on all the rain.

"Tip of the Day" -  what a GREAT idea!!!! 

[silkyk]

I gave my tomatoes a feeding of bat guano yesterday! The best plant "food" I've ever used. A tad pricey but worth every penny. Highly recommended for vegetables and especially for roses!

[Lilysmom]

Is this true for zone 5 now as well? Sure is dry here. I have one tomato plant in particular that needs a pick me up!

[JustJazzmom]

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@Lilysmom wrote:
Is this true for zone 5 now as well? Sure is dry here. I have one tomato plant in particular that needs a pick me up!

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Yes, it will help Lilysmom and its time to side dress your veggie gardens with compost too to help those veggies to continue to grow.

[Lilysmom]

Jazz, an OT post here. My Satomi flowers are huge ... Bigger than those of a five year old tree planted by a neighbor and I just planted it last year. It has to be the great compost DH used. It was in such sad shape when we put it in the ground, I didn't expect it to survive the awful winter. My wonder of the garden for 2015! Love this kind of surprise!!! LM

[JustJazzmom]

A friend of mine has a white Kousa dogwood and he remarked that his flowers were much smaller than mine were. He wonders if it was (1) not fertilized in forever, or (2) the variety of Kousa it is as its a very old tree.

He gave it fertilizer this spring. Hopefully next year he will see results.

[Lilysmom]

Thanks for your reply Jazz. What is your fertilizer routine gr the Satomi? LM

[JustJazzmom]

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@Lilysmom wrote:
Thanks for your reply Jazz. What is your fertilizer routine gr the Satomi? LM

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Since the Satomi is sited on my front lawn, it gets the fertilizer from my lawn at least 2X/year-- I use Milorganite on my lawn so its lower in nitrogen than the Scotts or Jonathan Green Step products. I usually fertilize my lawn in late May and then again in early September.