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Why you should water houseplants with salt water

To ensure that houseplants grow well all year round, they should be supplied with sufficient nutrients
To ensure that houseplants grow well all year round, they should be supplied with sufficient nutrients Photo: Getty Images

October 17, 2024, 6:13 pm | Read time: 3 minutes

A pinch of salt is not only valuable for dishes, houseplants can also benefit from the mineral. myHOMEBOOK editor Franka Kruse-Gering explains when and how you should salt your houseplants.

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Salt is valuable, is also known as “white gold” and was even used as a means of payment until the Middle Ages. However, the mineral not only helps in the kitchen to refine dishes. In the right dosage, salt water can also help with houseplants. However, care should be taken when choosing the right salt.

Why you should water plants with salt water

Houseplants need regular fertilizer if they are to grow well. This can sometimes be quite expensive. It does not always contain the ingredients that we want our plants to have. This is where the mineral salt comes into play. When we water our houseplants with salt water, we are doing them a favor and know exactly what they are getting. But it is important to use the right salt.

The right salt is crucial

If you want to water houseplants with salt water to help them grow, it is important to know which salt to use. The normal salt that we use for cooking is not suitable. Epsom salt should be used. It is also referred to as Epsom salt. If we use sea salt or Himalayan salt, we are doing considerable damage to the plants. Epsom salt is a natural mineral made up of magnesium and sulfur. As the name suggests, it is very bitter and, therefore, less suitable for consumption.

How Epsom salt affects plants

Epsom salt serves as a source of magnesium for houseplants. This nutrient helps the plant with photosynthesis. The sulfur contained in it aids the plants in the production of proteins and enzymes.

When should you water your houseplants with salt water?

A regular supply of Epsom salt is only recommended every few months. The situation is different if the plant shows signs of deficiency, in which case action must be taken quickly. This can be recognized by a discoloration of the leaves. The plant’s leaves turn yellow, while the veins remain green.

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How to supply houseplants with salt water

First, dissolve approximately one tablespoon of Epsom salt in three liters of lukewarm water for watering. Even if only one plant exhibits a deficiency, watering with salt water can be beneficial for the other houseplants as well. On the other hand, the leaves of the affected plant can be sprayed directly with salt water. The benefit of this approach is that the plant can more rapidly absorb the helpful minerals through its leaves.

This article is a machine translation of the original German version of MYHOMEBOOK and has been reviewed for accuracy and quality by a native speaker. For feedback, please contact us at info@petbook.de.

Topics Fertilizer Home remedies Houseplants
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