Epsom Salts & Saltpeter for Yards

About Epsom Salts

• Epsom salts derive their name from the fact that they were originally obtained by boiling down the mineral-rich spring waters near the town of Epsom, England. Today they are usually manufactured on an industrial scale from precursor substances, but both their common name and their scientific name, epsomite, reflect their original source. Today Epsom salts are used for a variety of purposes, including as bath salts and as a laxative, besides their role in plant fertilizers.

How Epsom Salts Can Help Your Lawn

• Epsom salts contain magnesium and sulfur, two of the so-called macronutrients most plants need to survive. The application of Epsom salts to your lawn can lead to thicker grass coverage due to improved uptake of phosphorus and nitrogen, two other vital plant nutrients. Epsom salts have also been shown to increase the production of chlorophyll in plants, leading to more efficient processing of nutrients during photosynthesis and to brighter, more vividly green lawns. The Epsom Salt Council advises using three pounds of Epsom salts for every 1,250 square feet of lawn, either applied directly with a spreader or sprayed after dilution with water.

About Saltpeter

• Saltpeter is the common name for the chemical potassium nitrate, also sometimes called niter or nitrate of potash. Like Epsom salts, the use of saltpeter by humans goes back centuries. The most common early source of saltpeter was bat guano, the decomposing layer of excrement found on cave floors where bats congregate. In 1918 scientists developed a method for producing saltpeter artificially, so the need to harvest bat guano waned. Besides its use as a fertilizer, saltpeter is used in the manufacture of gunpowder and fireworks, and it is sometimes employed as a food preservative.

How Saltpeter Can Help Your Lawn

• Even more than many other plants, lawn grasses need a sufficient supply of nitrogen to survive and thrive, and the nitrogen contained in saltpeter is in a form they can easily absorb. Saltpeter is found in many commercially sold fertilizers, and can also be obtained on its own for those wishing to mix fertilizers at home. Be sure to investigate the proper ratio of saltpeter to other ingredients, which will vary depending on the soil and grass types found on your lawn.