How to Leach Soil of Salt Buildup

Print this articleRelated Searches:Salt buildup in your soil may be caused by poor drainage.All soil contains salt, but it is usually in a low level. Too much salt in the soil can be dangerous to plant growth, resulting in effects from poorly developed leaves and blossoms to plant death. Too much fertilizing or watering in poorly draining soils can cause the buildup of saline in the soil. This may create a white crust on the topsoil. Properly modifying the soil by removing salt from the plant root area will help your plants grow again.

Difficulty:Moderately EasyInstructions Things You'll NeedShovel1

Remove a sample of soil from the garden and send the sample to your local university extension service for salinity testing. The soil salinity test will tell you the amount of salt in your soil and how much water is necessary to leach the salt from the soil.

2

Till the soil to increase drainage and relieve compaction.

3

Apply a soil amendment such as compost to the soil as recommended by your local university extension service.

4

Add 10 to 12 inches of water to the soil, or the recommended amount from the soil test, to dissolve the salt.

5

Test the soil several months later to a depth of 4 feet. Apply water again to disperse the salt if necessary.

ReferencesColorado State University Extension; Managing Saline Soil; G.E. Cardon et al.; May 2007Government of Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development; High Salt Content in Garden SoilTexas A & M University; Managing Soil Salinity; Tony Provin et al.; July 2001Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images;Read Next:

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