Will SALT kill weeds?

[Butterfly]

I heard years ago that SALT would kill a tree, grass, etc.; however, I do not know if this is true.

We have an area between the pool decking and the deck which has/had red clay. We dug it down a few inches, added a layer of sand and covered in white rocks. We did this because the main waterhose for the pool is attached to our deck and the hose would always get some dirt on it every time it was used which ended up on the pool deck or in the pool.

The problem is that weeds just LOVE this area and we have spent lots of $ on weed spray which doesn't work all that well. It just kinda makes them mad and when they come back I try to pull them up. This is hard work. So, my question is this:

Will salt kill weeds? I hope the answer will be 'yes' because I can get a 50# bag from the feed & seed for about $6.

Thanks, Joyce

 

[The Mermaid Queen]

Yes, salt will kill weeds. Vinegar also works... spray it on full strength, preferably when the sun is shining. IMHO, salt works faster. Don't overdose if you have plants in the area that you want to keep, tho, since the first rain will spread the salt.

 

[Kinguni]

Remove the rocks and weeds, put a layer or 2 of landscaping cloth down, replace the rocks, no more weeds.

 

[Butterfly]

Yes, salt will kill weeds. Vinegar also works... spray it on full strength, preferably when the sun is shining. IMHO, salt works faster. Don't overdose if you have plants in the area that you want to keep, tho, since the first rain will spread the salt.

Thanks Grace. I got 50#'s to work with! No,... no plants/flowers in the area. :-D So the salt will go down tomorrow! I will save my vinegar for my BBQ pork and cukes! Take care. Joyce

 

[Butterfly]

Remove the rocks and weeds, put a layer or 2 of landscaping cloth down, replace the rocks, no more weeds.

Thanks Kinguni, but that is tooooo much work for us this season! The area is prob about 3' X 30' and, although we are not old (well, kinda when you factor in everything) we just don't have the time and energy! We still have to finish caulking the pool beauty ring area, clean the remainder of tiles, seal deck and wall concrete cracks, and repaint the entire deck & walls. Maybe next spring! Thanks again. Joyce

 

[MikeInTN]

I know you're looking for an alternative to the chemical weedkiller, but I do have to recommend Round Up - poison ivy/brush killer. It's a tad expensive, but I've yet to find a weed it won't kill. I bought it specifically to kill off some poison ivy around my compost bin, and it killed the ivy, along with everything else it touched. Good stuff, in my book. :-D

 

[Butterfly]

I know you're looking for an alternative to the chemical weedkiller, but I do have to recommend Round Up - poison ivy/brush killer. It's a tad expensive, but I've yet to find a weed it won't kill. I bought it specifically to kill off some poison ivy around my compost bin, and it killed the ivy, along with everything else it touched. Good stuff, in my book. :-D

Thanks, Mike. I'll let DH know about your post. We do have grands and a little 7lb. 10-yr-old yorkie named 'Bubba' that likes to run/walk/sniff around the pool! All feet, ours too, seem to end up in that area mainly because of the water hose location. All things considered, since I already have the salt, I'm gonna try it! btw, both my parents and both brothers were born in the Copperhill, Tenn area. I have one cousin that has everything orange and I mean everything orange! ....but that's another story! :-D take care, Joyce

 

[duraleigh]

This post may be too late but I would not suggest salt to kill any vegetation. It will certainly kill whatever you want it to but the salt will descend into the soil and remain there for perhaps several years and NOTHING will grow in that spot for a long time.

Round-up (and the cheaper knock-offs available) are incredibly effective and, most importtantly, leave no residual in the soil....you can plant directly where you sprayed in a matter of days.

Secondly, salt will migrate horizontally during heavy rains and perhaps move into areas you don't want killed. It will kill there and continue to kill for years. Salt may seem benign but it is very problematic in landscapes.

 

[Butterfly]

This post may be too late but I would not suggest salt to kill any vegetation. It will certainly kill whatever you want it to but the salt will descend into the soil and remain there for perhaps several years and NOTHING will grow in that spot for a long time.

Round-up (and the cheaper knock-offs available) are incredibly effective and, most importtantly, leave no residual in the soil....you can plant directly where you sprayed in a matter of days.

Secondly, salt will migrate horizontally during heavy rains and perhaps move into areas you don't want killed. It will kill there and continue to kill for years. Salt may seem benign but it is very problematic in landscapes.

Well, Dave, you are not too late, but you're making me crazy! (Actually, not, already there!) The vegetation situation is like this: I would like for nothing to ever grow in that area again...it is between a concrete retaining wall and the pool concrete deck; however, our two favorite trees are in the path of run-off from major rain. Hum, DH has been working on the path (to the pool equipment, well water spigot & basement) for 2 yrs. and finally has the terracing kinda' stabalized for the slope. But, our flowering bananna and small maple are right there on the other side of the path....where the run-off goes. Other than those two trees, no problem w/killing anything. So, even though I have 50#'s of salt setting in the garage, I guess I'll wait and talk w/DH about diverting the run-off. Sure do not want anything to happen to that flowering bananna tree.....it is wonderful! :-D It will prob be a while before we can figure this out since DH is busy calculating algorythems (sp?) to allow us to win the lottery btw, I am waiting for my chem refills! Just kidding, I know they are on their way! :lol: Thanks for your comments. Dave.

Joyce

 

[duraleigh]

Hi, Joyce,

Yeah, if you can control the run-off, you'll be fine. I put out a salt block for the deer in a grassy area and nothing grew within 8 feet of that block for the next four years. Even then, crabgrass was the only thing that could get a foothold.

Your refills shipped yesterday...I'm a little surprised you didn't get them today but the Post Office priority mail is a little unpredictable. I've had stuff get to California in two days and get to Virginia in four days.....go figure.

 

[MikeInTN]

I know you're looking for an alternative to the chemical weedkiller, but I do have to recommend Round Up - poison ivy/brush killer. It's a tad expensive, but I've yet to find a weed it won't kill. I bought it specifically to kill off some poison ivy around my compost bin, and it killed the ivy, along with everything else it touched. Good stuff, in my book. :-D

Thanks, Mike. I'll let DH know about your post. We do have grands and a little 7lb. 10-yr-old yorkie named 'Bubba' that likes to run/walk/sniff around the pool! All feet, ours too, seem to end up in that area mainly because of the water hose location. All things considered, since I already have the salt, I'm gonna try it! btw, both my parents and both brothers were born in the Copperhill, Tenn area. I have one cousin that has everything orange and I mean everything orange! ....but that's another story! :-D take care, Joyce

That's the good thing about RoundUp, as Dave pointed out - it degrades in the soil fairly quickly. If you could keep Bubba and the other feeties out of the area for a day or two, you'd be OK, I think.

Yeah, unfortunately I know a lot of those "orange" people. I lived in Knoxville ( or as Lewis Grizzard called it, "ObKnoxville") for about seven or eight years, and I personally can't stand that football factory to the east. I did see a saying up there though that has stuck with me ever since; it was on the back of a van from Georgia, and it said "Rednecks turn Orange in the Fall"... :lol:

Copperhill?? Dang! If they rolled the wrong way in bed, they'd end up in Georgia, wouldn't they?? :-D

 

[Butterfly]

I know you're looking for an alternative to the chemical weedkiller, but I do have to recommend Round Up - poison ivy/brush killer. It's a tad expensive, but I've yet to find a weed it won't kill. I bought it specifically to kill off some poison ivy around my compost bin, and it killed the ivy, along with everything else it touched. Good stuff, in my book. :-D

Thanks, Mike. I'll let DH know about your post. We do have grands and a little 7lb. 10-yr-old yorkie named 'Bubba' that likes to run/walk/sniff around the pool! All feet, ours too, seem to end up in that area mainly because of the water hose location. All things considered, since I already have the salt, I'm gonna try it! btw, both my parents and both brothers were born in the Copperhill, Tenn area. I have one cousin that has everything orange and I mean everything orange! ....but that's another story! :-D take care, Joyce

That's the good thing about RoundUp, as Dave pointed out - it degrades in the soil fairly quickly. If you could keep Bubba and the other feeties out of the area for a day or two, you'd be OK, I think.

Yeah, unfortunately I know a lot of those "orange" people. I lived in Knoxville ( or as Lewis Grizzard called it, "ObKnoxville") for about seven or eight years, and I personally can't stand that football factory to the east. I did see a saying up there though that has stuck with me ever since; it was on the back of a van from Georgia, and it said "Rednecks turn Orange in the Fall"... :lol:


That is just too funny! Will remember it when cuz slides into town in the Winnebago!

Copperhill?? Dang! If they rolled the wrong way in bed, they'd end up in Georgia, wouldn't they?? :-D

Well, yea, I do believe that is true! When we were kids, the four of us (2 bro's & 2 sis's) would WALK from Grandma's house in TENN to GEORGIA to the WALK-IN theatre. Sounds pretty big, huh? But, Mom & Dad & Grandma (yep, we called her Grandma) & Aunt Evelyn sat on Grandma's side porch and WATCHED us walk down the hill, across the RR tracks, 1 blk thru town, across the bridge, and walla, there was the entrance to the Theatre! A dime went a long way back then. Those were the days! :-D

 

[MikeInTN]

I know you're looking for an alternative to the chemical weedkiller, but I do have to recommend Round Up - poison ivy/brush killer. It's a tad expensive, but I've yet to find a weed it won't kill. I bought it specifically to kill off some poison ivy around my compost bin, and it killed the ivy, along with everything else it touched. Good stuff, in my book. :-D

Thanks, Mike. I'll let DH know about your post. We do have grands and a little 7lb. 10-yr-old yorkie named 'Bubba' that likes to run/walk/sniff around the pool! All feet, ours too, seem to end up in that area mainly because of the water hose location. All things considered, since I already have the salt, I'm gonna try it! btw, both my parents and both brothers were born in the Copperhill, Tenn area. I have one cousin that has everything orange and I mean everything orange! ....but that's another story! :-D take care, Joyce

That's the good thing about RoundUp, as Dave pointed out - it degrades in the soil fairly quickly. If you could keep Bubba and the other feeties out of the area for a day or two, you'd be OK, I think.

Yeah, unfortunately I know a lot of those "orange" people. I lived in Knoxville ( or as Lewis Grizzard called it, "ObKnoxville") for about seven or eight years, and I personally can't stand that football factory to the east. I did see a saying up there though that has stuck with me ever since; it was on the back of a van from Georgia, and it said "Rednecks turn Orange in the Fall"... :lol:


That is just too funny! Will remember it when cuz slides into town in the Winnebago!

Copperhill?? Dang! If they rolled the wrong way in bed, they'd end up in Georgia, wouldn't they?? :-D

Well, yea, I do believe that is true! When we were kids, the four of us (2 bro's & 2 sis's) would WALK from Grandma's house in TENN to GEORGIA to the WALK-IN theatre. Sounds pretty big, huh? But, Mom & Dad & Grandma (yep, we called her Grandma) & Aunt Evelyn sat on Grandma's side porch and WATCHED us walk down the hill, across the RR tracks, 1 blk thru town, across the bridge, and walla, there was the entrance to the Theatre! A dime went a long way back then. Those were the days! :-D

That it did, and yes they were! Bristol is like that as well. In fact, I think there's a street up there that the state line between VA and TN goes right up the middle of the street. Drive down it one way, and you're in Tennessee; come back home on the same road, and you're driving in Virginia.