Subject: Re: "Safety" Salt as herbicide????
From: "Bill Robinson" <roseguy@flash.net>
Organization: Flashnet Communications, http://www.flash.net
Date: 22 Sep 1997 13:20:39 GMT
Message-ID: <MOD$970922.19374@rec.gardens.ecosystems>
References: <MOD$970919.4453@rec.gardens.ecosystems> <MOD$970921.12409@rec.gardens.ecosystems>


Stephen Ross wrote:

> I've noticed that where I spilled walkway safety salt, even the couchgrass died.
> So how toxic IS this stuff? Is it worse/better than round-up? In dilution
> through the groundwater will it cause lasting harm? I'm thinking I could
> just lay a line of it along the couchgrass and let the rain take care of
> the rest.
> >
> > Maybe a biochemnist out there could enlighten me on the potential evils of
> > safety salt.. I _think_ it's a chloride of some sort...
I garden in "iceless" Southern California and I don't have any personal
experience
with "Safety" salt but I do have a formal background in chemistry and
formulations.
I understand that "safety" salt is hydrated ammonium chloride. If so,
"safety salt"
wouldn't be "safer" than regular rock salt because of significantly
different toxicity,
it would just be more water soluble and leeche out of the soil more
rapidly. The
overall effects is that the material is still very toxic to the soil
organisms, it adversely
effects the soil struture, and it would add addditonal chlorides to the
water table -
not a good way to go!

Bill

of
which would be easier
on the soil organisms and soil structure than regular rock salt but in the
overall picture,
it is still a toxic material. It is "safe" mostly in terms of long term
residual effects. and it will kill the ,