Salt Damage

With winter just around the corner, the occurrence of salt damage to lawns and landscapes will become more common in areas that regularly deal with snow and ice on roadways.  Ice melt products are blends of chloride-based salts, and they are essential for making roads and walkways safe for drivers and pedestrians. These repeated heavy salt applications can be quite harmful to plants.

Symptoms of salt damage on deciduous landscape plants won’t be observed until plants come out of winter dormancy. Salt can damage the tender young buds of many landscape species and can be especially damaging to salt sensitive species, dogwoods, roses, white pines and yews. Symptoms typically appear as a yellowing (chlorosis) or browning (necrosis) of leaf tissues and also thinning in turf. Selecting salt-tolerant species is a great step towards limiting salt damage in landscapes near roads and walkways; however, there are several products available to help prevent and alleviate salt damage in lawns and landscapes.

In both turf and landscape plants, salt pulls water out of the roots, causing plants to show symptoms similar to what is observed during periods of drought. Soaker^® Plus helps to prevent and cure dry soil conditions, which alleviates the drying effects of salt damage. Hydra-Hume^® also helps alleviate the drying effects of salt damage by improving water movement within the soil structure. Salt also causes direct damage to the roots, and Renova^® can be used to improve root recovery and vigor. These products can be used in conjunction to prevent and alleviate the effects of de-icing salt in turf and landscapes.

Contact your local Helena representative or visit helenaprofessional.com to learn more.