Salt on your Landscapes

Salt is not good for your plants or concrete.  When salt dissolves into the water after it melts the snow the run off gets into your soils and seeps into your plants root system.  When your plants take in the salt it stops the plant from getting the proper nutrients for it to grow.  Your soils are also in danger of salt.  The salt alters the ph balance of your soil.  The change is negative and the nutrients of your soil becomes poor.  Concrete and salt, is another thing that just does not go well together.  The chloride in the salt attacks the concrete bond.  When the bond is weak water will get into the enlarged pours.  The water once frozen will cause the concrete to expand and crack.  The acid in the salt will eat at your concrete over time as well.

Best Practices

• Build a trench between asphalt and plants to stop grab the run off
• Put in plants near the asphalt that are more salt tolerant
• Don't place plants directly next to asphalt
• Run fresh water over your soils that have come in contact with salt
• Mix Gypsum in the top 6" of soil after a salting
• Use smaller amounts of salt
• Remove snow immediately to stop from icing
• Seal concrete to protect it from salt