How to use Epsom Salts on Lemon Trees | 5 Easy Steps

Epsom salts contain magnesium, which is essential for the plant to grow well and produce fruit. Giving lemon trees Epsom salts is one way to deliver magnesium to your plants. You can mix them through water and water it onto the tree roots in spring. Signs of magnesium deficiency include yellowing leaves, slow growth and the fruits are not forming well.

Lemon trees use up magnesium when they grow and produce fruit. This magnesium will need to be replaced in the soil so the tree can grow more fruit in the next season.

You can replace magnesium by applying Epsom salts. You can also add magnesium by adding a citrus fertilizer which will contain magnesium as well as a range of other nutrients needed for growth.

This article will explore how to use Epsom salts on lemon trees for strong growth and good fruit production.

Steps to use Epsom salts on lemon trees

Using Epsom salts on lemon trees is simple and here are the easy steps.

1. Find Epsom salts in the grocery store

Epsom salts are sold in many grocery stores and are usually used as a bath soak. These same Epsom salts can be used for your lemon tree at home. They last for a long time as you will only use a small amount each year on your tree.

You can also find Epsom salts at garden centers and on Amazon. Many people have Epsom salts sitting in the back of the cupboard. You usually only need to buy a packet every few years because you only use such as small amount.

2. Find a bucket or watering can

Find an outdoor bucket or watering can to dissolve your Epsom salts. Make sure that it can hold around 2.5 gallons of water. If you are using a watering can, make sure you take the end nozzle off to make sure any undissolved Epsom salt pieces do not get stuck in the holes.

3. Add 2 teaspoons of Epsom salts to your bucket or watering can

Add the Epsom salts to your bucket or watering can. You will only need around 2 teaspoons for a medium sized lemon tree.  You only need a small amount to treat your lemon tree.

4. Add 2.5 Gallons of water

Add around 2.5 gallons of water and mix the Epsom salts through thoroughly. Use a stick and stir it through well until the Epsom salts have fully dissolved.

5. Water your tree with the Epsom salts

Water the Epsom salts onto your tree around the root zone. Do this early in the morning to allow the tree to absorb the water before the temperature warms up.

Best season to add Epsom salts to lemon trees

Add Epsom salts to your lemon tree in spring to prevent magnesium deficiency. This is the perfect time to add this element to your tree as part of your spring fertilizing regime. Add pelleted chicken manure at the same time to deliver organic matter and other major nutrients including nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus.

You can treat your lemon tree with Epsom salts any time you see signs of deficiency. Look out for yellowing leaves which starts at the top of the leaf and spreads down, leaving a triangle of green at the base and veins.

Note: You can add trace elements to your tree in spring instead of Epsom salts. It will deliver a whole range of micronutrients needed for good fruit growth including magnesium.

Benefits of Epsom salts for lemon trees

Epsom salts add the key nutrient, magnesium to the soil for your lemon tree. Trees will use up magnesium when they grow and produce fruit. It is an essential nutrient needed for the plant to photosynthesize and create its own food from sunlight.

Magnesium is important to support the tree to absorb other nutrients it needs including nitrogen.

Signs of magnesium deficiency in lemon trees

Here are some signs of magnesium deficiency in lemon trees. Look out for these signs at home to see if your tree will benefit from Epsom salts.

Yellowing leaves

Signs that lemon trees lack magnesium include yellowing of the leaves. The yellow color will start at the top of the leaf and the veins and bottom triangle of the leaf will stay green. The yellow color will extend further down the leaf as the problem gets worse.

Poor fruit and stem growth

Eventually the leaves will drop off and the tree growth will slow. The plant will start to produce less and smaller fruit and eventually the flowers might not set into fruit at all.

Disease and pest attack

A lemon tree that lacks magnesium will be more susceptible to diseases and attack by pests. A tree that is suffering actually sends out a chemical signal that can be detected by bugs. Pests such as stink bugs, mealy bugs and aphids will head over to a lemon tree suffering from a lack of magnesium.

Other ways to treat magnesium deficiency

There are some easy ways to treat magnesium deficiency if you don’t have Epsom salts at home. Trace elements are a great way to treat this problem and also deliver a range of other nutrients. Add a trace element mix to water and give it to your lemon tree in spring. Add some pelleted chicken manure and within a few weeks you should see signs that your tree is recovering.

You can add trace elements or Epsom salts to your lemon tree each year to prevent magnesium deficiency.

For more on how to fertilize lemon trees, check out my previous article here:

How to use Epsom Salts on Lemon Trees | Summary

Epsom salts can be used, diluted in water on lemon trees to treat magnesium deficiency. Epsom salts are cheap, easy to find and can be bought from most grocery stores. Simply dissolve 2 teaspoons in water and water it around the roots of your tree. Look out for yellowing leaves and small, underdeveloped fruit as these are a sign that the tree lacks magnesium.

Happy growing.