- When does it make sense to fertilize Thuja with Epsom salt?
- Yellow needles indicate magnesium deficiency
- When is Epsom salt given?
- How is thuja fertilized with Epsom salt?
- If the needles are brown, do not add Epsom salt
If the thuja turns brown, this often but not always indicates a deficiency. Therefore, many gardeners believe that they are doing the tree of life good by additionally fertilizing the hedge with Epsom salt. However, over-fertilization with mineral fertilizers can really damage the thuja. Epsom salt is not helpful on brown needles.
Epsom salt is only useful if there is a magnesium deficiency
When does it make sense to fertilize Thuja with Epsom salt?
Epsom salt compensates for a magnesium deficiency. Only when this is present can it make sense to supply the tree of life with Epsom salts.
Only when you are absolutely sure that there is actually a magnesium deficiency should you use this mineral fertilizer. It is therefore advisable to take a soil sample and submit it to a laboratory for testing.
Yellow needles indicate magnesium deficiency
If the thuja needles turn yellow, it is quite likely that the hedge is suffering from a magnesium deficiency. This can happen even if you have been fertilizing regularly. Magnesium is water soluble and is washed away with rainwater.
When is Epsom salt given?
- fertilization in April
- cloudy day
- Water soil before and after
- Administer Epsom salts as directed
If it is absolutely certain that there is a magnesium deficiency, fertilization with Epsom salt is the order of the day. It is best done when the thuja buds in April. Sometimes additional fertilization is necessary in the summer before the second shoot.
On the day of Epsom salt fertilization, the sky should be overcast. The soil is watered beforehand or you fertilize after a rainfall. If heavy rainfall is expected, you should postpone fertilization. The Epsom salts will then wash away and possibly collect on other plants, overfeeding them.
How is thuja fertilized with Epsom salt?
Epsom salt can be dissolved in water and squirted or placed directly on the ground.
The solution is sprayed on the underside of the leaves but not too close to the trunk.
When administered in solid form, the Epsom salts are sprinkled around the tree of life. It must not get too close to the trunk and certainly not directly to the roots.
Follow the manufacturer's instructions for dosing. In heavy soils, the concentration is higher than in light soils.
If the needles are brown, do not add Epsom salt
Brown needles and tips are not a sign of a magnesium deficiency, they indicate a pest or fungal infestation. Burn damage from the sun, frost damage or overly dry soil are even more common.
If the thuja turns brown, it can also be due to an oversupply of nutrients, or over-fertilization. This attacks the roots, they burn and can no longer absorb water.
It is therefore important that you do not over-fertilize a thuja, but rather give too little fertilizer than too much.
tips
If you fertilize your thuja hedge with organic materials such as mature compost, manure or horn shavings (32.93€), you are not taking any risks. An oversupply is impossible because the nutrients are only released slowly.