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Salt Water

3K views 9 replies 6 participants last post by  ICT Bill 
#1 ·
Today I was at my in laws house that is directly on the LI Sound. They sustained a lot of damage. They're neighbor came up to me and asked me is salt water organic? i said it's sorta corrosive. he showed me one of his trees and all of the leaves are brown. It was under several feet of water for hours.

Did the salt water kill it or can it be saved?
 
#3 ·
I agree with Barry the leaves would not brown in even 24 hours from being drown in salt water, had to be a prior issue I would think

salt water actually has lots of nutrients in it, it is just the ........salt part that trees and shrubs don't appreciate, gypsum is typically used to remediate salt damage
 
#6 ·
Speaking of Salt....I have a customer who recently got me to clear a 2000 sf space that was overgrown with blackberries. He doesn't want them to return or for the roots to continue to grow as it is right over his septic field. I convinced him not to use poison so we discussed topdressing the entire area with Salt. I told him NOTHING would grow again for a long while and he was very happy about that. ha. Anyways, do you guys think this would be effective, any type of Salt you'd recommend?
 
#8 ·
Speaking of Salt....I have a customer who recently got me to clear a 2000 sf space that was overgrown with blackberries. He doesn't want them to return or for the roots to continue to grow as it is right over his septic field. I convinced him not to use poison so we discussed topdressing the entire area with Salt. I told him NOTHING would grow again for a long while and he was very happy about that. ha. Anyways, do you guys think this would be effective, any type of Salt you'd recommend?
Why not solarize it?
 
#9 ·
I went to 3 of my properties yesterday which are all next to the water. Everywhere the water went on the grass it's burnt. It looks like it sat in 100 degree heat for a month.

Do you think it will recover or is it a total loss?
There is the same conversation going on on a NE based landscaper forum too, they are talking about flushing the tree or turf with lots of fresh water but no one knows yet whether the turf or trees are goners or not. I couldn't even guess
 
#10 ·
Here is what was written an another board

In assessing wind and salt damage potential you need to have the following information:
1. What are the trees and/or plants that were inundated with sea water? Plants vary considerably in their tolerance of salt spray, for example. 'Kwanzan' cherries, for example, have some tolerance; Yoshino cherries have none. The most tolerant cherries I know of are our native black cherry (Prunus serotina) and beach plum (Prunus maritima), as well as cherrylaurels (Prunus laurocerasus) and purple sand cherries (Prunus x cistena).
2. Plants also vary in their tolerance of soil salts. Soil salinity can be determined by a soil test that specifies soil salinity. In the meantime flush the soils of salts by slow, deep irrigation--assuming the soils are not already saturated--with fresh water.
3. The foliage has been burned by the combination of salt and wind. We have a lot of that damage here on the Cape--even inland where salt laden winds travelled considerable distances. Those leaves will likely drop soon. The trees have had months to store carbohydrates, so the loss of foliage is not fatal in and of itself. Trees are starting to go dormant now. If the tree survives, you will see new leaf growth next spring. In that case institute a program of regular irrigation when soils are dry. Feed only with root biostimulants, such as liquid seaweed, and only add phosphorus and potassium for root growth if a soil test shows a need.
4. Assuming the trees survive the winter, monitor regularly. If there are signs of stress and, especially, dieback, then consider replacement with truly seashore tolerant trees and plants. If the trees are not tolerant of this damage but manage to survive the winter, the symptoms should show up rather quickly next year.

Michael Talbot, MCH, ISA
Principal Conservation, Design, and Horticultural Consultant
Environmental Landscape Consultants, LLC
 
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