Is salt important for soil?
Does salt in the soil kill plants?
What are the effects of salt on soil?
How does the salt get into the soil?
3 Signs Your Soil Mix Is Unhealthy
Most crops do not grow well on soils that contain salts. One reason is that salt causes a reduction in the rate and amount of water that the plant roots can take up from the soil (see Fig. 105). Also, some salts are toxic to plants when present in high concentration.
While the water itself may not hurt your grass, the leftover salt just might. Draining into one area of the yard can allow that salt to be absorbed into the ground. Salt in small quantities will not kill grass, but salt in the soil will absorb moisture and nutrients until it is no longer able to sustain growth.
Plants are very sensitive to sodium and so adding table salt to the garden will kill plants. Some use it to kill weeds, but the same sodium that kills weeds, will spread through the soil and kill many other plants, and for this reason it is a poor choice as a herbicide.
The displacement of other mineral nutrients by sodium ions can also affect soil quality. Compaction can increase while drainage and aeration decrease, generally resulting in reduced plant growth. Damage from salt in the soil can be delayed, with plant symptoms not appearing until summer or even years later.
The possible causes for salt-affected soils could be poor drainage, saline or sodic subsoil exposure due to erosion, parent soil material, use of high salt irrigation water, long-term use of some fertilizers, low rainfall or oil field activity. Break the compacted layers that occur near or at the soil surface.
High levels of salt can damage soil microbes and plants. Most research on soil salinity has focused on these situations. The salts included sodium chloride (table salt), potassium chloride, and calcium chloride. All of these salts are natural in our environment.
