Question
Dear Jim,

I have a question regarding what I believe to be salt damage from ice removal.  I knew better, but in the middle of the winter up here in Michigan, I used a bit of salt to de-ice the 4 inch coating of packed snow on the driveway and walk.  This is my first spring owning ahouse, and the lawn was just beautifull this past summer.  I have sprinkling, and did apply a Scott's winterizer in the fall.  Now that the grass is slightly beginning to green a bit, I notice that I do have a few small spots, only by the driveway, that do not seem to be doing anything.  They are pretty much a dead brown color.  Needless to say, I am very upset, and would like to know if this grass will eventually develope because it is still early, or do I need to take some steps now to regain control of these spots.  Thanks for helping out a rookie.

Jeff

Answer
Hi Jeff,

This is a common 'spring discovery' when people use de-icing salts on walks and drives.  Sometimes the damage can be blamed on the city when city workers spread salt on roads in the winter months.

Depending upon the chemistry and physics of your top-soil,...the added salt will eventually disperse and seep into the ground and the grass should not have a problem with it.  Time and watering should fix things.  However, with certain soil types like high-clay soils, this may take quite a long time. The time it may take for a full recovery cannot be predicted.  You can excavate away the worse of the damaged areas and add some commercial potting soil where there is salt damage to speed up the process.

Grasses like Bermuda grass are generally very salt tolerant and will re-establish themselves faster than the 'tufted' cool-climate types like Fescue, Rye, and Bluegrass.
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I Hope this has answered your question(s)!

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