Some hobby gardeners fight annoying weeds with road salt. Although this method is quite effective, it is not without controversy. In the following article you will find out what you absolutely have to pay attention to when applying and whether it is legal to use the product as a weed killer.

Although salt harms weeds, it also harms all other living things in the soil

How does road salt affect weeds and the environment?

Road salt consists of 98 percent common salt, which penetrates the soil and initially damages bacteria and microorganisms. As a result, the soil silts up and becomes nutrient-poor. The dissolved salt is absorbed by the roots and penetrates the plant, where it destroys the cells. Brown leaf edges appear and the shoots wither. If plants absorb large amounts of salt, they die.

If you look at the trees on busy roads after a long winter, it quickly becomes clear that the agent used to combat black ice has a very negative effect on growth. This applies not only to unwanted weeds, but also to cultivated plants.

How is road salt used as a weed killer?

Due to the far-reaching consequences for the environment already described, the use of road salt as a weed killer is not without controversy. If you still want to use this remedy for individual, very stubborn weeds, you should proceed as follows:

  • Dissolve 100 grams of road salt in one liter of water.
  • Thoroughly wet the weed plant.

The dissolved salt that has penetrated the soil is absorbed by the plants. As a result, the above-ground parts of the plant wither and you can easily remove the weeds.

Warning: road salt is not a permitted weed killer

Section 6 of the Plant Protection Act regulates which herbicides may be used. The following applies to house and garden owners: The use of plant protection products is prohibited in all open spaces that are not used for gardening. These include the terrace, the courtyard entrance and all paths around the building. But not only weed killers are forbidden here, even supposedly harmless household remedies such as road salt or vinegar may not be used in these areas for the purpose of weed killing.

What alternatives to road salt are there?

Hot water, which destroys the roots of the plant and the above-ground parts of the plant, is completely harmless to the soil and nature. For example, you can use the potato water that accumulates in the kitchen anyway and pour it directly onto the weeds. The weeds die and can then be easily removed.

If you want to get rid of weeds that have spread in the cracks in the paving stones, you can remove them mechanically with the joint scraper. However, this can be quite tedious for larger areas. Here it has proven useful to flame off the unwanted green with a special device. The heat damages the plants so lastingly that the paths remain weed-free for a long time.

tips

To prevent weeds from settling in the joints of the paving slabs in the first place, you should put weed-inhibiting joint sand or rock flour (€14.13) in them. These materials fill even the smallest cavities and compact so much that weeds are deprived of their basis of life.

Category:

Herbs