You may not see the mole terrorizing your garden, but you can see the damage left by its hills and tunnels. Moles live underground and come up to eat the goodies you’re growing. They can be destructive and annoying, so it’s imperative to get rid of them as soon as possible.
Epsom salt is often considered a one-stop solution for garden problems, including moles. But before you take this common advice to heart and try it in your garden, you should know that Epsom salt can harm your plants, and there isn’t any evidence that it actually keeps moles away.
It’s important to fact-check home remedies before you try them out. In the case of Epsom salt, you might cause blossom end rot or burn leaves. There are plenty of ways to keep moles out of your garden, and Epsom salt probably shouldn’t be at the top of your list of remedies to try.
Epsom salt isn’t always good for the garden
Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate and isn’t really a salt at all. Many people use Epsom salt as a fertilizer because of its magnesium content, but if a plant doesn’t need magnesium, then it won’t do your plants any good. It’s recommended to prevent blossom end rot, but it can actually make it worse by not allowing plants to soak up calcium. Too much magnesium in the soil can also contaminate water as it passes through, which could be a cause for environmental concern since excess magnesium can harm aquatic life.
Soil isn’t the only problem area either: if you sprinkle Epsom salt on top of plants, you could burn the leaves from contact with the “salt.” So scattering Epsom salt around your garden to deter moles puts your plants at risk, especially if they don’t have a magnesium deficiency. If your soil is naturally deficient in magnesium or sulfur, which is often the case in sandy soils, then Epsom salts may not be bad for your garden. The only way you can know for sure is to test your soil.
Does Epsom salt really keep moles away?
The lack of scientific evidence for at-home remedies makes you wonder how they ever came to be in the first place. Epsom salt is one of those mysteries; there isn’t any hard evidence to support the claim that it chases away moles. An article from Washington State University reports that a single study concluded that Epsom salt didn’t work against rabbits, and there’s no other evidence to support control of any kind towards any species, whether it be insects or mammals.
If you need to get rid of moles as soon as possible, the best thing you can do is remove their sources of food. Getting rid of grubs and other things moles will eat is the key to deterring them naturally. You can also dig a 3-foot trench around your garden and fill it with wire mesh and rocks to physically barricade them out of your garden. You can also look for mole netting or repellent granules to keep them away.
