Plump, perfect pumpkins are a fall staple in North America. Wouldn’t it be nice to grow your own pumpkins this year? Pick up some helpful tips for cultivating pumpkins and using Epsom salt for pumpkins to keep them healthy and strong during the growing season.
Pumpkins come in many shapes and sizes, from micro cultivars like Kandy Korn Plus to giant pumpkins like Big Moose and everywhere in between. Whether you want to grow pumpkins for decoration, harvest pumpkin seeds for baking, or make your own pumpkin spice bath salt, there’s a pumpkin variety to suit your needs.
Is Epsom salt good for pumpkin plants? We’ll answer your Epsom salt questions and more in this fantastic fall gardening article. Learn how to make your own plant food for pumpkins and gourds with Epsom salts and avoid common pumpkin mistakes many home gardeners make. It’s time to learn how to keep your pumpkin patch thriving into the fall for the ideal harvest.
Is Epsom Salt Good for Pumpkins?
Pumpkins are great for pies but also go great with Halloween craft items like Mod Podge or food coloring. If you want the plumpest pumpkins on the block, you must try Epsom salt for pumpkin plants. Learn about Epsom salt and pumpkins and how to mix a helpful spray to treat struggling plants during the growing season.
How to Grow Pumpkins
Before we talk about Epsom salt for pumpkins, let’s touch on some essential pumpkin care tips. Pumpkins are a member of the winter squash family. They’re frost sensitive and won’t germinate in the cold. Pumpkins love full sun, well-draining soil, and lots of organic matter, like finished compost.
Consistent moisture is crucial for any growing pumpkin; watering them regularly allows them to flourish. Pumpkins have large trailing vines that reach over ten feet. Pumpkin vines grow both a male flower and a female flower that become fruit over the growing season.
Pumpkins are annual plants that take roughly 90-120 days to harvest, blooming mid to late summer. They prefer balanced fertilizer; a heavy nitrogen fertilizer may result in considerable vine growth but tiny pumpkin fruit. You can make the best hand made vegetable fertilizer for your garden with simple Epson salts. Pumpkin plants attract common pests like vine borers or the squash bug, so keep an eye on your pumpkin patch.
Epsom Salt for Pumpkin Plants
Blossom end rot is an unfortunate symptom of calcium deficiency in the soil. The blossom end of the pumpkin becomes soft and rotted. While the fruit is still okay to eat, it looks very unappetizing. Remove all affected fruit and treat the soil with powdered milk every few days.
Yellow pumpkin leaves, or interveinal chlorosis, indicate significant magnesium deficiency in your pumpkin plant. The yellow leaves turn brown and die off, leaving the plant unable to process sunlight and feed itself through photosynthesis.
Magnesium deficiencies occur more often in sandy-type soils. Prevent magnesium deficiency by making healthy soil a priority. Keep the soil pH around 6.5, and get a soil test kit to help you keep track. Is Epsom salt good for pumpkins? If you suspect a magnesium deficiency, Epsom salt might be the soil amendment you need.
Epsom Salt for Pumpkins – DIY Spray
Both seedlings and mature pumpkins benefit from consistent magnesium levels in the soil. Try water-soluble magnesium sulfate or good old-fashioned Epsom salt for pumpkin plants that need a boost. Learn how to use Epsom salt for pumpkins with a DIY Epsom salt foliar spray.
Add the Epsom salt to a half gallon of clean water in a clean, repurposed spray bottle. Be sure the Epsom salt dissolves completely before you water pumpkins or other plants. Trim any pumpkin leaf that looks yellow, and use this spray around the base of your pumpkin plants. Apply weekly during the growing season for robust and healthy pumpkin plants.
Is Epsom salt good for pumpkins? A spray and Epsom salts can be used for cucumbers and is an awesome way to restore some magnesium content to your established pumpkin plants. Members of the Cucurbita family, like pumpkins, squash, and cucumber, require warm temperatures and plenty of consistent moisture to thrive.
Use Epsom salt for pumpkins to stop magnesium deficiency when you spot yellow leaves. A hearty pumpkin harvest gives you many options; make pies, mix pumpkin spice, roast pumpkin seeds, or make any other pumpkin-related creation. Pumpkins are a versatile crop that won’t let you down with a little care and attention.
If you loved learning how to use Epsom salt for pumpkins, share this article with friends on Pinterest or Facebook who love a perfect pumpkin patch.