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Dr_Redwine · February 9, 2006

I have never used eggshells, but I do use a about a 1/3 to 1/2 cup of epsom salts at planting time per plant. I saw an older gentleman from Texas on PBS do this. Willing to experiment, I began to make it part of my ritual.

I didn't do it last year on a few plants and could not get the fruits to set on chest-high plants. They were blooming like crazy and simply falling off. In my quick analysis of my problem, I remembered that I didn't have any epsom salts at planting time and noted too that they may have been getting too much nitrogen from a nearby pile of grass clippings. I sprinkled some ES around them in the following days and moved the pile, and fruits began to set. Who knows which did the trick, but I'll continue to use the Epson salts; I always use it around peppers, too.

DrR

February 9, 2006	#2
Dr_Redwine Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Pike Road, AL Posts: 111	Eggshells and Epsom salts... I have never used eggshells, but I do use a about a 1/3 to 1/2 cup of epsom salts at planting time per plant. I saw an older gentleman from Texas on PBS do this. Willing to experiment, I began to make it part of my ritual. I didn't do it last year on a few plants and could not get the fruits to set on chest-high plants. They were blooming like crazy and simply falling off. In my quick analysis of my problem, I remembered that I didn't have any epsom salts at planting time and noted too that they may have been getting too much nitrogen from a nearby pile of grass clippings. I sprinkled some ES around them in the following days and moved the pile, and fruits began to set. Who knows which did the trick, but I'll continue to use the Epson salts; I always use it around peppers, too. DrR