Finally cracked the secret to high BRIX in cool climates
Valencias normally don't ripen until Sept. around here. But after the application of epsom salts, my valencias sweetened up and are now yummy.
I also put some on my cherimoyas. it should work there too.
So if your favorite tropical fruit doesn't quite sweeten up the way you would like, then apply some epsom salts. You can bathe your feet in it first, then it's a double win.
Yummmm!!!
The following thread was started by Axel on April 19, 2009 at 8:23 pm PST
Speaking as a chemist, that sounds incredible. Can you give us some idea of the concentration of the solution and how much you used/size of trees?
(that fact that it sounds incredible will not prevent me from trying it on my oro blanco)
The above followup was added by Steve in Los Osos on April 19, 2009 at 8:32 pm PST.
The foliar feed took about 24 hours. Obviously the hot weather overlapping with the application is helping, but the foliar feed had a distinct effect.
I used about a fist full of epsom salts in a 5 gallon watering can. It was pretty concentrated.
The above followup was added by Axel on April 19, 2009 at 8:41 pm PST.
My one non-organic "sin" is to use epsom salts throughout the garden. It is a powerhouse for roses and helps my lemon tree to produce heavily all year with fruits that are not too sour. One application to my cocktail grapefruits that weren't sweetening well made all the difference, and that was before the past warm days.
Costco sells fairly large bags of epsom salts at a reasonable price.
The above followup was added by Merbert on April 19, 2009 at 8:47 pm PST.
Axel,
Have you done a soil test to see what your Mg and S levels are? Are you correcting a deficiency, or are you saying there is some other factor in epsom salt that is impacting Brix levels?
Most soil recommendations are worked on deficiency theory. Then we get Base Saturation theories as well, and a number of other versions. It concerns me that excess Mg and S could cause some real problems long term for some people following this recommendation, particularly in low Ca soils.
Very interesting.
The above followup was added by Ben on April 19, 2009 at 9:15 pm PST.
It's a well known secret around the Bay area. Old gardeners in San Francisco use epsom salts to sweeten up their otherwise not sweet oranges because there normally isn't enough heat to produce sweet oranges in San Francisco.
I don't know the exact mechanism, nor do I know if it works for other fruit. But it works gangbusters for citrus.
I have not had my soil tested, but I do know my soil is crap, it's deficient in just about everything. I've been amending massively with all sorts of things from coffee grounds to epsom salts.
The above followup was added by Axel on April 19, 2009 at 9:28 pm PST.
Wonder if it would also act as a contact insecticide or maybe even residual for such things like snails and slugs.
Axel do you have as much pest problems with the plants you use Epsom Salt on?
Not sure if it is strong enough, but seems that it could at least inhibit snails and slugs ands what would happen if sprayed on aphid and cottony scale?
David
The above followup was added by David Johnson, Waterford CA, zone 14 on April 20, 2009 at 9:35 am PST.
David, slugs can be controlled easily if you have a little time to create a snail and slug "minefield". Get a roll of copper wire and put rings around plants that have been routinely munched. The mucous on the slug or snail sets up a very small but fatal electric charge on contact with the copper. Before I had chickens, I tried this and it really worked.
The above followup was added by Merbert on April 20, 2009 at 9:49 am PST.
I had heard about using copper foil to stop slugs and snails, but thought it was the acid oxide compounds that worked, not a electrical current.
If I did not have so many potted plants for them to get into and so many cats, I might get a a few hens. But too, I always remember them doing so much digging, and now my wifes bird dog would love them too, maybe.
David
The above followup was added by David Johnson, Waterford CA, zone 14 on April 20, 2009 at 1:06 pm PST.
Axel & Membert...What concentration of Epsom salts do you use?
I am curious about this, and have a large grapefruit tree with hundreds of very sour fruit hanging on it.
I would like to take some BRIX reads before and for several days/weeks after.
Can you describe how you mixed up your epsom salt spray?
Thanks,
Jeff
The above followup was added by Jeff (Woodland) on April 20, 2009 at 7:08 pm PST.
I've been looking for studies but all I've come across so far is anecdotal stuff, mostly in gardening forums and generally not concerned with citrus sweetness.
I did finally find one commercial site which touts the benefits for citrus (including sweetness) and gives some concentration info:
http://www.pqcorp.com/literature/citrustrees.pdf
(sorry if this posts twice...I couldn't seem to get the URL thingy to work properly)
The above followup was added by Steve in Los Osos on April 20, 2009 at 8:43 pm PST.
I put in a couple of fist fulls into a 5 gallon watering can. The stuff dilutes really fast. It left white residue on the leaves once it dried, the rest went straight into the soil.
Not sure though if it was the epsom salts or the heat. It did hit the upper 90's here two days in a row, and my citrus orchard has such an intense southwesterly exposure that several of my citrus ripen with green rind, so there's no shortage of heat. For example my cara cara navels are yellow but with lots of green, and they are totally ripe.
The above followup was added by Axel on April 20, 2009 at 9:39 pm PST.
For foliar feeding, I also guess, but estimate that the ratio is around 1/2 cup of epsom salts to a little less than 5 gallons of water. For in-soil feeding, I put a cup on mature trees and 1/2 cup on smaller ones. I do this twice a year.
The above followup was added by Merbert on April 21, 2009 at 0:13 am PST.
I noticed that plants that received MgSO4 foliar or in the soil are the favorite of aphids. Particularly that the plants may be producing more sugars in the sap, causing aphid population to explode! Scales also geometrically increased. But amazingly, fungal problems are minimized, except of course for the sooty molds that soon will follow aphid infestations.
The above followup was added by Vino101 on April 21, 2009 at 2:23 am PST.
Are those who need or are benefited by Epsom Salt, do you also have alkaline soils to a lesser or greater degree?
My soil is like 6.9 or slightly less in some spots. I have Queen palms here which have not yellowing, which I understand, is caused or can be caused by a lack of Magnesium. But in many areas in the surrounding area and other towns, I see the yellowing, quite bad in some cases, in their Queen Palms.
I keep cringing when I hear people applying Epsom Salts to plants and soil, but looking at the site above helped. I guess I never fully realized it is not like other salts or at least like Sodium and Chlorine salts.
I always think, don't want to make your soil too salty ,but then I guess all good minerals plants need come in salt form.
It seems that if this Salt breaks up in the soil, does the sulfur help to acidify the soil? I noticed that in the above site on Epsom Salts, that its application was not recommended if your soil was like 5.4 pH.
David
The above followup was added by David Johnson, Waterford CA, zone 14 on April 21, 2009 at 9:21 am PST.
Skinny little wasps gobble them up. I tested my soil and it was very slightly acid in several locations and neutral in another. Often, when I use epsom salts, I also drop crushed eggshells in the same location. I don't know what effect this has, but it's just a habit.
The above followup was added by Merbert on April 21, 2009 at 11:54 am PST.