Question
I learnt from the Internet that using Epsom salt can make our lawn greener. Is it possible to use fertilizer spreader to distribute Epsom salt? Any recommendation of how much needed for a certain square footage?

I read your answer about getting rid of fire ants is by using orange peel. How long can we keep the mixture of Epsom salt and ground orange peel let's say if I want to keep some of later use.

Will the acid from the orange peel hurt the grass?

Will dried orange zest also help to get rid of fire ants?

My zoysia grass on a shady spot (facing north) are not growing well. Is there anything I can do to fix it because the soil surface seems to have mold/green stuff.

Thank you so much for your help.


Answer
Hi Lenny;
Let's do it one at a time.
1 & 2. The orange peels and epsom salts won't do anything for molds, or fungus, and it really won't green up your lawn except the lawn is low on magnesium ( in the epson salts).
This mixture is for getting rid of fire ants.
You can just chop the orange peels and scatter them, but grinding them up and mixing with epson salts is one way of making them cover a l;arger area, easily.
You let it set overnight to let the orange oil soak into the epson salts.
I have never had to do more than one treatment.
Fire ants swarm in the spring, and if you scatter the orange peels at that time, it will keep them out of your yard.
If you do see a mound later, you can just drop a handful of chopped peels on that mound, and they will go.
It may kill them, I am not sure. All I now is, put down the orange peels, and the fire ants go.
You can also buy orange oil, but I have not used that, and don't know how much it takes for how much area.
For my back yard, and front yard, I use about 5 or 6 bags of epsom salts. I buy the bags at Walmart, and they look like they hold about 1/2 gallon. Sometimes it comes in half gallon cartons.
I use 2 or 3 large oranges, peeld and the peels ground up, per gallon of epsom salts.
I just broadcast it, thinly. You don't have to have complete coverage.
For molds and fungus, Horticultural Corm Meal is better.
Apply about 10 pounds per 1000 sq.ft and water it in.
You can make a tea of it to spray shrubs, roses etc that are susceptable to fungus. Put a handful per gallon of water, let it set for 30 min or an hour, strain and put in garden sprayer.
3.The acid from the orange peel won't harm the grass.
You don't get complete coverage. If you put an inch down all over, that might harm it, but the amount you use, just composts and adds nutrients to the soil.
Alfalfa meal is very good for greening up, so is lava sand etc.
4.
Dried oragne zest won't do anything but waste the zest. It is the oil in the orange peel that does the work.
5. Sounds like too much shade.
The green stuff growing there is mold, or moss.
Cut out some limbs, or remove trees, shrubs etc to get more sun on that area.
If it is a structure that is making the shade, and you can't move it, better consider planting shade loving plants, or ground cover.
a fern garden grows well in the shade, and makes it look cooler, just to look at them.
There are many shade loving plants and ground covers now, some that bloom, and some that are evergreen, so you have green there in the dormant season.
Write anytime.
Charlotte