How To Fix/Repair Rock Salt Burned Yellow Lawn!?

[MICHELLE H.]

Hello All,

This question I am asking is not a problem that I have, but a problem that I am trying to help someone with. I have an eldery 85 year old neighbor, that I am trying to help out.

Here is the problem. Last year he says he spent $4,000 to have all brand new "Kentucky Bluegrass" sod installed on his front yard.

In the winter, the neighbors next to him dumped piles of rock salt/ice melter all over their driveway everytime there was a snowstorm, and when they shoveled their driveway, and threw the snow up onto the edge of his yard, all the rock salt landed on his grass, and now he has BIG Yellow patches of grass, all on the side of his yard.

I feel really bad for the eldery gentleman, who lives alone, and never has anyone to come over to help him out, and I want to try to help him fix it. HE doesn't think that it can be fixed, because the rock salt/ice melt is now mixed in with the soil.

What about adding some topsoil as a "topdressing", and then new seed? I have a bag of "Organic Topsoil", I could give him? Would that "Scotts Patchmaster" stuff work? Or that new "Scotts EZ Seed" I keep seeing commercials for?

I also have a bag of "Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss". Should I try spreading some "Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss" on it for him??

What would be the best way to neutralize the soil of all the rock salt, and revive the lawn, to turn the Yellow spots Green again?

ANY info. will greatly be appreciated!

Thanks!

[mike]

Water a lot to help flush the salt out. Top dressing with compost afterward won't hurt.

[John Gilmer]

I think he should just bring in some good sized gravel and create a shoulder. If you add "top dressing" once any plant starts to get established the roots will go down into the salt.

I ASSuming the property line is at the paved edge of the driveway. If it isn't, it's the neighbor's problem. Insofar it extends into his property he can install the gravel strip. The gravel will prevent serious erosion, doesn't look all that bad, etc. Some edging will separate the "good" parts of his lawn from the gravel strip.

In the fullness of time, rain on the gravel will wash the salt down.

[norminn]

Snow piled up deeply on the grass might do as much damage as the salt. I would water it well....probably has rained enough to get rid of most of the salt. The folks who did the sodding should be able to recommend same type of seed to repair dead areas...mebbe they'd even do it for him. Call them and ask about treating the soil ... I would be very leery of any "special product" they might try to sell. If seed is raked in among the dead grass and watered well, the dead grass will help retain moisture and keep the seed in place. Gotta water lightly every day or two.

[Joe]

Mike's advice is good. In addition, it might be prudent for the gentleman to install a nice crap blocking fence along his affected property line with the thoughtless neighbors. Cost would be a few hundred $$ and cheap insurance against a ruined lawn. It would help to make the barrier as high as legal for code compliance, thus making it a real effort to throw slush over the top. FWIW, in a few years the clueless neighbor's driveway will be a mess of spalling concrete with continuous salt treatment. His house entryways won't stand up to the abuse very well either.

Joe

[MICHELLE H.]

Thanks for all of the great advice so far. I will tell the guy to give his lawn ( especially the Yellow spots ) plenty of water.

To try to answer some of your questions, the Yellow sports are located about 2-3 feet inward from his neighbors driveway who piled the snow and rock salt on his yard, so yes, the Yellow spots are about 2 feet across his property line.

As far as him SUEING his neighbors? The problem with that is, the homeowners that threw the rock salt on the guys lawn, are long gone, because their house was foreclosed on a few months back, and put up for public auction, so right now the house is currently vacant, and who knows where the other neighbors moved to??

Plus, I don't think the guy would want to sue them. He is 85 years old, and keeps to himself. He never has anyone come over to visit him or help him, so I usually ask him if he wants help mowing his grass or raking his leaves or shoveling his snow, but he always refuses and wants to do it himself.

But when I talked to him yesterday, when I was wishing him a "Nice Memorial Day", he says that he doesn't know what to do or how to fix the "rock salt burnt grass".

I think that "Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss" may help neaturalize the soil, but I am not 100% positive about that??

[dadiOH]

If they tossed it on his property they are responsible for fixing the damage they caused. Tell them so. Or have a lawyer tell them.

Even if they threw it at the edge of *their* property they are probably responsible since one cannot create a situation where runoff goes on to neighboring properties.

[Shaun]

Well if you don't get any help here, you could always take it on Oprah, especially if the geezer is in a wheelchair...

[dpb]

MICHELLE H. wrote: ...

No, won't do a thing for salt.

All that is possible to do other than removing the contaminated soil and replacing it w/ other is to water those areas _heavily_ to dilute it. If it hasn't actually killed the grass entirely, it's not too bad so a couple of years and it'll probably be pretty much gone.

Whatever you tell him, _don't_ suggest adding N-rich fertilizer that will only demand more water to keep from burning it up during hot weather...

Once it's there, it's there, and there's not a chemical treatment I'm aware of that will be beneficial other than, as noted, dilution.

I've seen claims that the products for dog spots will help; I'm not convinced but guess it probably wouldn't hurt anything, basically they're diluents anyway. The yellowing in those spots is basically from high N concentration rather than salt, but then again, on thinking as writing this, those are ureic salts so, just maybe...

Another I've heard that I don't have (and couldn't find any factual info to back it up) is a sugar solution. Certainly sugar has been shown to be beneficial in poor soils as a fertilization aid; again I don't see any reason that it would help other than dilution and a ready food source that isn't N-based for excess salinity. Have to ask the County Agent if he knows anything about that one next time I see him.

All in all, water and more water and time...

Oh, and there's no point in trying to reseed until the salt concentration is reduced -- if adult grass is being affected, certainly seed germination will be impaired and seedling survival will be poor at best. The bluegrasses and particularly KY blue are especially susceptible to salt, btw...

Not much help on cure, but some useful reading...

Oh, there are anerobic bacteria that are halophiles that attach to salt and have been studied for use in areas that have high salinity or irrigate w/ water w/ high salt content. That's a big-time solution to a small problem for just treating some lawn spots...

--

[keith]

They're busted. No blood in those stones.

No, you need to flush out the salt. It may take a few years, unfortunately. My might contact your state/local extension services department and ask them.

[aemeijers]

The poor dude is 85. He may not ever SEE any slow repairs. Does he have household insurance? Proper permanent fix is to cut the sod out of the damaged areas (plus a little more), replace a couple inches of soil underneath, and insert fresh sod. I'd call the company that laid the sod and explain situation to them. They may be willing to cut a break on the price, especially if some kind soul like you does the manual labor of removing the damaged sod, and all they have to do is roll out the new stuff and trim it. How many square feet are we talking about?

[Oren]

Correct. Salt will leach faster from sandy soils than clay soils.

If it were me, I would attach a portable sprinkler on a garden hose and water profusely at low speed.

OP! Nice of you to help your neighbor. I would not spend money for peat moss -- water the spots for now and then think about it ;)

[Oren]

Not from my experience in Saranac Lake, NY. Snow melted the 3rd week of June. Summer was on the 4th of July.

Fishing in August, you might need a flannel shirt...

The pilots landing planes had "clickers" that turned on the runway lights.

Snow nervier hurt my lawn.

[MICHELLE H.]

"The bluegrasses and particularly KY blue are especially susceptible to salt, btw...".

END

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Well, I guess that answers why he has big spots of bright Yellow grass all on the side of his yard now. Because when I asked the eldery guy what type of grass it was, he said that it was KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS!!!!!

He said that "when the snow melted, there was PILES of rock salt piled up on his lawn", thats how much rock salt his previous neighbors threw down in their driveway.

The must have knew that their house was in foreclosure, and they were getting kicked out, so they probably said "who gives a damn!", and just dumped out entire bags of salt everywhere!?

[Roy]

=3D=3D I concur...the salty soil must go. =3D=3D

[MICHELLE H.]

The guys front yard is not very big. Its only about 40 feet long and about 15-20 feet wide.

The spots that are all Yellow are about 12 feet long and about 3 feet wide.

In a way, I guess he's very lucky that he has a 6 foot high stockade fence on the side of his house where his former "foreclosed" neighbors driveway is, or his lawn would probably be Yellow patches all the way down his property line, if his neighbors would have been able to throw the rock salt there to.

[dpb]

MICHELLE H. wrote: ...

If it had been that much it wouldn't just be yellow it'd be dead and brown. Sounds like they just pile the snow itself containing the salt in large pile so it concentrated it.

It'll heal in time w/ enough water; depending on locale and water rates it may be cheaper to have it resodded, removing a few inches of topsoil in the affected area. If it's such a problem as to make it worth it, that's the only immediate fix as somebody else noted also.

[aemeijers]

It's been a few years (like 30) since I had the fun of unrolling sod, but IIRC 12x3 adds up to about 6 or 8 'jelly rolls' of sod. That is a layer or two off a single skid, unless they pack it differently these days. That would be a 15 minute job to unroll and lay out, if the site was prepped and waiting. I think the odds are good the sod company would be willing to add that on to the next job they have in the area, and drop it off on the way back to the farm. They wouldn't want to send a big truck out for such a small order, but if you know somebody with a pickup truck, it would easily fit in one load.

[Tony]

It's not easy and surely no quick way to get the salt out of the lawn. His best bet is to dig out all the dead areas, fill it with topsoil and reseed. No shortcuts.

[Stormin Mormon]

My grand parents used to live in Saranac Lake. Somehow, they had grass in the summer. If you could see the grass, for the black flies.