There is a big difference between soil amendments - typically organic matter (i.e., compost) added to soils to improve drainage and aeration and to boost soil fertility - and the willy-nilly addition of various elemental or chemical products (supplements) with the hopes that they will do something of benefit to plant growth. The Epsom salts fits into the latter category!! "You must remember that once your garden starts growing, your soil samples go out the window. Nutrients are gobbled up very quickly and the ones found in Epson salts make up a great part of the menu." I have to disagree with this contention.....it is simply not true!! The only nutrient that gets 'gobbled up quickly" is nitrogen and that is because it is 1) the single plant nutrient required in the highest volume and 2) the most mobile of the basic plant nutrients, volatilizing, morphing forms and moving through the soil constantly. With an established landscape and decent soil to start with, it is seldom necessary to ever provide supplemental fertilization if one mulches routinely with a decent organic mulch (acts as N replacement). The exception would be edibles that are harvested, as pulling these plants, which sequester a lot of nutrients themselves, out of the ground removes a portion of the nutrient base. and since a vast majority of edibles are annual plants, their basic nutrient demands are also high to begin with. Epsom salts is magnesium sulfate. Magnesium is seldom lacking in sufficient concentrations in any soil and as a minor plant nutrient, it is needed/utilized in minuscule amounts anyway. Sulfur is also a trace nutrient as well as a soil acidifier and it too is not consumed by plants in any significant quantity and seldom needs replacement. And an excess use of sulfur can alter soil pH more than necessary or desired as well affect how other, more essential nutrients are absorbed. And over application can kill off beneficial soil organisms (sulfur is a fungicide). Rather than buying into the unproven myth (there is NO scientific evidence to support it) that dosing plants routinely with Epsom salts somehow produces some sort of magical, lush growth, it should not be applied unless a professional soil test tells you it is required. And that is the same with applying all manner of other popular (but often unnecessary) garden supplements. Applying these without understanding if a need for them even exists (via a professional soil test) can alter the natural soil balance and create a lot more problems than it solves. The Myth of Epsom Salts. Unfortunately, debunking this and other common gardening myths gets a lot less press than word of mouth or social media promotion of these so-called magic gardening elixirs that really do not do much of anything to benefit plant growth. If you want to be serious about your soils and the health and productivity of your plants, focus on the scientific evidence behind any of these claims. In 99% of them, it simply doesn't exist!!

One year I planted San Marzano tomato's and all of them had 'BER'. I had a little in Big Boy tomato's and another variety (can't remember the name). I grow Arkansas Traveler & Bradley Tomato's from seed now and have no problem from (BER) anymore. But it may have just been the year and weather. I have 13 pine trees around the fence line of my garden so have an abundance of pine straw built up under them. After reading an article in Mother Earth News about using pine straw for mulch and letting it rot and add organic material to the soil I started using it on my vegetable garden several years ago. It has helped make my soil better and it holds moisture better. My garden soil is Alluvial Fine Sand. When I first started gardening on it about 38 years ago it was like trying to plant on a sandy beach, The sand was light tan or sandy color and would not hold moisture but for a very short time. I had to water every thing to grow anything. Now days it will hold for long periods of time without having to water. Now the sand is a darker color and anything I plant grows well. I have not had any trouble with any acidity, a soil test showed it was about at 5.6 ph when I first started gardening on it. I have not had a new soil test since but do not feel the need as it is so much better than it used to be. I use oak wood to heat my home and sprinkle the ashes over the garden. My particular case may be different than other people's and they may not get the same results.

I mixed up 1 TBS Epsom salt to a gallon of rain water a couple days ago to use for seed germination. Then I poured what was left on a couple rooted tomato cuttings that are beginning to flower. Two days later, they look just as good as they did before and even grew another inch. Megachili, you must have mixed up way too strong a batch. I've sprayed tomatoes too and never had a problem.

And since Epsom Salts is magnesium sulfate there'a also the possibility that the growing medium was acidified with too much ES, which isn't positive either. Mg++ is the central unit in the chlorophyll molecule and in areas where the tourists want to see green palm trees swaying in the breeze it's not uncommon for the locals to spray the palms with Epsom Salts. As for me, Epson Salts is best for bathing sore and tired feet. LOL I've never used it on tomatoes and don't plan to in the future. If soils are lacking Mg++ as determined by a soil test, OK, but for me at least, that would be it with the Epsom Salts. Carolyn