Take the Epsom Salt Gardening Challenge

--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With spring officially underway, the Epsom

Salt Council has a challenge for http://www.trianglesprinklersystems.co.uk/ gardeners: try Epsom salt on some

of your plants to see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRbW3ayDWVQ the difference. Submit photos of your results, and

you could win a year's supply of Epsom salt and other prizes, including

a $500 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRbW3ayDWVQ gift card from Gardener's

Supply. See the Official Rules at www.epsomsaltcouncil.org/news_gardeningchallengerules.cfm

for full details.



"Seeing is believing, and we've seen tests

and heard from experts

about how Epsom

sal t is an inexpensive way to help start or improve your garden,"

said Jim Hill, the Epsom Salt Council's President. "We can't wait to see

the results from gardeners throughout the country."

Here's how the Epsom Salt Gardening Challenge works: Gardeners should

put Epsom salt on just some of their plants - peppers, tomatoes,

houseplants and roses - and grow others without Epsom salt. As the

summer unfolds, email photos of both to epsomsalt@mower.com,

one of a plant grown with Epsom salt and one photo of the same type of

plant grown without Epsom salt. On the email subject line, state the

plant category (peppers, tomatoes, roses or houseplants). Deadline is

Aug. 1. The contest is open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. and D.C.

who are 18 years of age or older, except residents of New Jersey, North

Dakota, Tennessee, Maryland and Vermont.

The Epsom Salt Council will post the photos to its website, www.epsomsaltcouncil.org

and its Facebook page, www.facebook.com/epsomsalt,

before selecting a winner. The entries will be judged based on the

healthy appearance of the plant, whether the plants' appearances support

Epsom salt as a source of nutrition, and the overall beauty of the

composition. The grand-prize winner will get a year's supply of Epsom

salt - 52 one-pound cartons - an Epsom Salt Council gardening hat and a

$500 gift card to Gardener's Supply. (http://www.gardeners.com/).

Second prize will receive 24 one-pound cartons of Epsom salt, the

gardening hat and a $100 gift card to Gardener's Supply. Third prize

will receive 12 one-pound cartons of Epsom salt, the gardening hat and a

$50 gift card to Gardener's Supply.

Nine other winners will receive a case of 12 one-pound cartons of Epsom

salt and the gardening hat.

Epsom salt - actually magnesium sulfate - has key nutrients for plants

and vegetables. It helps seeds germinate, makes plants grow bushier,

produces more flowers, increases chlorophyll production and deters

pests, such as slugs and voles. While it is not intended to replace your

regular fertilizer, it will provide vital nutrients to supplement your

regular fertilizer.

Here are some tips

for using Epson salt to grow the plants:

Garden Startup: Sprinkle 1 cup per 100 square feet. Mix into

soil before planting.

Peppers: Mix 1 tablespoon of Epsom salt with a gallon of water

and apply as a foliar spray at bloom time, then again 10 dayslater.

Tomatoes: Add 1 tablespoon diluted in water per foot of plant

height per plant; apply every two weeks.

Houseplants: 2 tablespoons per gallon of water; feed plants

monthly.

Roses: Add 1 tablespoon diluted in a gallon of water per foot

of plant height every two week s. Also scratch 1/2 cup into soil at

base to encourage flowering canes and healthy new basal cane growth.

Before planting, soak bushes in 1/2 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 (1 Tbsp

per gallon of water) to help discouragepests.

Shrubs (evergreens, azaleas, rhododendron): Add 1 tablespoon

per 9 square feet by diluting in water. Apply over root zone every 2-4

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 by diluting in

water. Apply over the root zone three times annually.

Sage: Do not apply! This herb is one of the few plants that

doesn't like Epsom salt.

Although magnesium and sulfur occur naturally in soil, they can be

depleted by various conditions, including heavy agricultural use. Unlike

most commercial fertilizers, which build up in the soil over time, Epsom

salt is not persistent so you can't overuse it.

"Magnesium and sulfur are building blocks for plants," said Hill, the

Epsom Salt Council's president. "We think you'll see a real difference."

About Gardener's Supply

Gardener's Supply was founded in 1983 by a handful of enthusiastic

Vermont gardeners. Today, it serves millions of gardeners nationwide,

offering everything from seedstarting supplies and garden furniture to

flower supports and garden carts. Though the company has grown, it

remains passionately committed to providing garden-tested,

earth-friendly products that will help customers have more fun and

success in their gardens. To learn more, please visit www.gardeners.com.

About Epsom salt



Epsom salt - actually magnesium sulfate - is one of the most versatile

household products, with uses ranging from creating at-home spa

treatments to soothing achy muscles to helping start or improve gardens.

It's been used therapeutically for hundreds of years, and it's gaining a

new generation of fans looking for a safe, economical alternative in a

sea of expensive, over-the-counter remedies. Epsom salt is easy to use,

easy to find in your local pharmacy or grocery store and it costs about

the same per use as a cup of coffee.

To learn m ore, please go to www.epsomsaltcouncil.org,

visit us on www.facebook.com/epsomsalt,

or contact Peter Smolowitz, (704) 916-6163, psmolowitz@mower.com.

Contest Rules

Must be a legal resident of the 50 U.S./D.C. (except NJ, ND, TN, MD and

VT), 18 years of age or older. Void in NJ, ND, TN, MD, VT and where

prohibited. Ends 8/1/11. To enter, submit your photos along with your

name, address, phone number and age by email to: epsomsalt@mower.com

by 8/1/11 or can be mailed to Epsom Salt Gardening Challenge Entry, P.O.

Box 7449, Prospect Heights, IL 60070. Mail in entries must be postmarked

by 8/1/11. Limit one entry in each plant category (peppers, tomatoes,

houseplants and roses) per person/email address regardless of entry

method. One (1) First Prize: $500 gift card for Gardener's Supply, a

year's supply of Epsom salt (awarded as 52 one-pound cartons), and an

Epsom Salt Council ga rdening hat, ARV $588. One (1) Second Prize: $100

gift card for Gardener's Supply, 24 one-pound cartons of Epsom salt, and

a gardening hat, ARV $146. One (1) Third Prize: $50 gift card for

Gardener's Supply, 12 one-pound cartons of Epsom salt, and a gardening

hat, ARV $98. Nine (9) honorable mentions will each receive: 12

one-pound cartons of Epsom salt and an Epsom Salt Council gardening hat,

ARV $28. Entries and photos must comply with the submission

requirements. For full details and Official Rules go to www.epsomsaltcouncil.org/news_gardeningchallengerules.cfm.

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110404005193/en/Epsom-Salt-Gardening-Challenge

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