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How To Determine When Epsom Salt Should Be Applied To Your Lawn

Epsom salt can make your lawn greener than ever, but only if you use it at the correct time. This includes choosing this remedy for the right reasons and applying it when your grass needs it most. If your soil shows signs of magnesium deficiency, Epsom salt can perk up the grass and other plants in your yard. For the best results, apply this blend of magnesium and sulfur in early spring or late fall, when temperatures are likely to be cool. Adding it to your lawn in the summer can supercharge weed development, and using it in the winter is hard on the grass, telling it to start growing just as it has gone dormant.

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If you're planning to seed new grass in your yard, factor this into the timing of your Epsom salt application. Epsom salt should be used soon after you sow your grass seed. Its nutrients aid seed germination, particularly if your soil contains lots of sand or has a low pH. You can measure your soil's pH level with test strips available at garden centers, hardware stores, and online retailers. One option is the Pawfly 2-in-1 soil test kit for pH and nitrogen.

You may also want to apply Epsom salt to your lawn if you added too much potassium in recent months. This may have happened when fertilizing with a general-purpose fertilizer such as 10-10-10, which contains nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Fertilizers with these three ingredients are often labeled "NPK." Epsom salt can correct the potassium imbalance by adding more magnesium to the soil. This creates a potassium-to-magnesium ratio that's healthier for your grass and other plants.

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Helping your soil absorb Epsom salt

Even if you're not sowing new grass seeds, lightly water your entire lawn before introducing Epsom salt. This will help the soil absorb the nutrients you're adding. You can use a sprinkler like the Eden 96213 lawn and garden essential oscillating sprinkler or an irrigation product such as the Laveve 2-pack of 50-foot yard sprinkler hoses. When the soil is damp but not sopping, you're ready to apply Epsom salt. Topdressing your lawn is one way to get gorgeous grass. It involves covering your lawn with a light coat of Epsom salt or another beneficial substance. Many people do this with a broadcast spreader — for example, the Scotts Turf Builder EdgeGuard DLX broadcast spreader for seed, fertilizer, salt, and ice melt.

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Want to skip the sprinkling step? Help the magnesium and sulfur penetrate the soil by mixing one to two pounds of Epsom salt into 100 gallons of water and then applying the solution to any parts of your yard where you'd like grass to take root. A spray bottle will work for this task. Just be sure not to spray any greenery in the process, as Epsom salt can scorch blades of grass and the leaves of other plants. To keep your grass looking stellar, make sure your other lawn-care habits are on point, too. Once any new grass establishes itself, consider tweaking your mowing technique. If you aren't already following the one-third rule of lawn mowing, try it to turn your yard into a lush, green sanctuary.

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