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#1
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Salt Contaminated Soil
Hi All,
This is more of a lawn and garden question, but I didn't get much response on that group. I thought I'd try here since this group tends to attract a wide variety of expertise. I recently purchased a new home and have noticed a large area in my back yard that looked like death on roots. The grass was brown, a dozen or so smaller trees, one mature forsythia, a small rhododendron were all dead. A large Weeping Willow is on its last legs. When I investigated the problem, it didn't take me long to realize what was causing it. The previous owner ran the drain tube for his water softener into a sump pit in the basement. He then channeled the discharge from the pit to the affected spot at the back of my lawn. Every time the softener cycled, it flushed a potent load of salt water onto the root systems killing everything. I've already shut down the softener and will remediate the drainage right away directing the discharge to the house sewage system where it belongs. In the mean time I'm wondering what to do with my scorched earth. - Is there a way I can test the soil salinity to determine the extent of my problem? - Will rain water eventually wash the problem away? The roof gutters discharge to the same location so there's plenty of irrigation. - Is there something I can plant in the damaged area that loves salt, and possibly even eats it up? Thank you in advance for your answers. -Tom B Audubon, PA |
#2
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Salt Contaminated Soil
On Apr 20, 1:39 pm, trbo20 wrote:
Hi All, This is more of a lawn and garden question, but I didn't get much response on that group. I thought I'd try here since this group tends to attract a wide variety of expertise. I recently purchased a new home and have noticed a large area in my back yard that looked like death on roots. The grass was brown, a dozen or so smaller trees, one mature forsythia, a small rhododendron were all dead. A large Weeping Willow is on its last legs. When I investigated the problem, it didn't take me long to realize what was causing it. The previous owner ran the drain tube for his water softener into a sump pit in the basement. He then channeled the discharge from the pit to the affected spot at the back of my lawn. Every time the softener cycled, it flushed a potent load of salt water onto the root systems killing everything. I've already shut down the softener and will remediate the drainage right away directing the discharge to the house sewage system where it belongs. In the mean time I'm wondering what to do with my scorched earth. - Is there a way I can test the soil salinity to determine the extent of my problem? - Will rain water eventually wash the problem away? The roof gutters discharge to the same location so there's plenty of irrigation. - Is there something I can plant in the damaged area that loves salt, and possibly even eats it up? Thank you in advance for your answers. -Tom B Audubon, PA I found a few hinters.........such as........ 1) http://www.epa.state.il.us/citizens/green-tips.html which states "Keep water softener discharges out of your septic system. Sodium in water softener water reacts with soil and reduces the absorption field's efficiency. " 2)http://www.weekendgardener.net/lawn-...ion-040704.htm which states "Reduce sodium: Add Gypsum. Gypsum also helps compaction in clay soils and helps with drainage" 3)http://williamson-tx.tamu.edu/AG/Hom...0on%20Watering %20Lawns.pdf which states "Irrigation water quality problems are usually a result of salt in the water. One such salt is sodium. Sodium can build-up in soils and cause loss of soil structure and cause soils to hold water, and be poorly drained. In such cases treatment with gypsum is advised along with leaching irrigation or rainfall. Warm season grasses are more salt tolerant than cool season grasses." So other words..........the sodium in the soil is actually HOLDING water and drowning your plants, etc and interrupting possibly the drainage. If you can irrigate or increase drainage in that area, then watering may indeed help to flush it out. Or you may remove about 6 inches of top soil, replace with new top soil and then reseed. |
#3
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Salt Contaminated Soil
On 20 Apr 2007 10:39:06 -0700, trbo20 wrote:
Hi All, This is more of a lawn and garden question, but I didn't get much response on that group. I thought I'd try here since this group tends to attract a wide variety of expertise. I recently purchased a new home and have noticed a large area in my back yard that looked like death on roots. The grass was brown, a dozen or so smaller trees, one mature forsythia, a small rhododendron were all dead. A large Weeping Willow is on its last legs. When I investigated the problem, it didn't take me long to realize what was causing it. The previous owner ran the drain tube for his water softener into a sump pit in the basement. He then channeled the discharge from the pit to the affected spot at the back of my lawn. Every time the softener cycled, it flushed a potent load of salt water onto the root systems killing everything. I've already shut down the softener and will remediate the drainage right away directing the discharge to the house sewage system where it belongs. In the mean time I'm wondering what to do with my scorched earth. - Is there a way I can test the soil salinity to determine the extent of my problem? - Will rain water eventually wash the problem away? The roof gutters discharge to the same location so there's plenty of irrigation. - Is there something I can plant in the damaged area that loves salt, and possibly even eats it up? Thank you in advance for your answers. -Tom B Audubon, PA Found this easy read: Reclaiming Salt Contaminated Land http://www.worldfeeder.com/reclaiming-salt-land.html Good Luck. -- Oren "The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some good ideas!" |
#4
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Salt Contaminated Soil
trbo20 wrote:
Hi All, This is more of a lawn and garden question, but I didn't get much response on that group. I thought I'd try here since this group tends to attract a wide variety of expertise. I recently purchased a new home and have noticed a large area in my back yard that looked like death on roots. The grass was brown, a dozen or so smaller trees, one mature forsythia, a small rhododendron were all dead. A large Weeping Willow is on its last legs. When I investigated the problem, it didn't take me long to realize what was causing it. The previous owner ran the drain tube for his water softener into a sump pit in the basement. He then channeled the discharge from the pit to the affected spot at the back of my lawn. Every time the softener cycled, it flushed a potent load of salt water onto the root systems killing everything. I've already shut down the softener and will remediate the drainage right away directing the discharge to the house sewage system where it belongs. In the mean time I'm wondering what to do with my scorched earth. - Is there a way I can test the soil salinity to determine the extent of my problem? - Will rain water eventually wash the problem away? The roof gutters discharge to the same location so there's plenty of irrigation. - Is there something I can plant in the damaged area that loves salt, and possibly even eats it up? Thank you in advance for your answers. Dunno. There are places the Romans salted (Carthage, et al) 2000 years ago that are still sterile. Maybe you could wait it out? |
#5
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Salt Contaminated Soil
On Fri, 20 Apr 2007 17:25:38 -0500, "HeyBub"
wrote: trbo20 wrote: Hi All, This is more of a lawn and garden question, but I didn't get much response on that group. I thought I'd try here since this group tends to attract a wide variety of expertise. I recently purchased a new home and have noticed a large area in my back yard that looked like death on roots. The grass was brown, a dozen or so smaller trees, one mature forsythia, a small rhododendron were all dead. A large Weeping Willow is on its last legs. When I investigated the problem, it didn't take me long to realize what was causing it. The previous owner ran the drain tube for his water softener into a sump pit in the basement. He then channeled the discharge from the pit to the affected spot at the back of my lawn. Every time the softener cycled, it flushed a potent load of salt water onto the root systems killing everything. I've already shut down the softener and will remediate the drainage right away directing the discharge to the house sewage system where it belongs. In the mean time I'm wondering what to do with my scorched earth. - Is there a way I can test the soil salinity to determine the extent of my problem? - Will rain water eventually wash the problem away? The roof gutters discharge to the same location so there's plenty of irrigation. - Is there something I can plant in the damaged area that loves salt, and possibly even eats it up? Thank you in advance for your answers. Dunno. There are places the Romans salted (Carthage, et al) 2000 years ago that are still sterile. Maybe you could wait it out? Those folks waiting out the adverse affects; of a Tsunami on farm land need dollars and remediation of salt from the ocean. Our USDA is helping. -- Oren "The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some good ideas!" |
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