Right now, in your kitchen or bathroom, you probably have the key to healthier plants: Epsom Salt. Did you know that according to research by the Epsom Salt Council, Epsom Salt:

• Helps seeds germinate
• Makes plants grow bushier
• Helps plants produce more flowers
• Increases chlorophyll production
• Improves phosphorus and nitrogen uptake
• Deters pests, including slugs and voles

Here are a few of the ways that the Epsom Salt Council suggests you can use Epsom Salt to help your plants grow.

Garden Startup: Sprinkle 1 cup per 100 square feet in your garden and mix into soil before planting.

Houseplants: Feed plants 2 tablespoons per gallon of water monthly.

Tomatoes: Apply 1 tablespoon per foot of plant height per plant every two weeks.

Roses: Apply 1 tablespoon per foot of plant height per plant every two weeks. Also scratch 1/2 cup into soil at base of plant to encourage flowering canes and healthy new basal cane growth. Soak unplanted bushes in 1 cup of Epsom Salt per gallon of water to help roots recover. Add a tablespoon of Epsom Salt to each hole at planting time. Spray with Epsom Salt solution weekly to discourage pests.

Shrubs (evergreens, azaleas, rhododendron): Apply 1 tablespoon per 9 square feet over root zone every 2 to 4 weeks.

Lawns: Apply 3 pounds for every 1,250 square feet with a spreader, or dilute in water and apply with a sprayer.

Trees: Apply 2 tablespoons per 9 square feet over the root zone 3 times annually.