A homeowner shared their solution to killing weeds in a post on Reddit, sparking quite the storm of criticism for their "salting" technique. "Results are nothing short of outstanding," the original poster said. "Every weed has become bone dry and easily plucked."
While the post was meant to showcase a simple before and after, Reddit users were quick to point out that too much salt can be bad and really let the main poster have it in the comments.
"So you've killed the soil and everything in it," one comment said. "Everyone should know this is a very ill-advised solution; salt is toxic to soil, plants, earthworms, and all of the beneficial critters who make up the soil microbiome.
🗣️ What's the hardest thing about taking care of your yard?
🔘 Mowing the lawn 🏡
🔘 Controlling weeds 🌿
🔘 Keeping pests at bay 🐿️
🔘 I don't have a yard 🤷
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
"Congrats on creating a barren plot, I guess." Yikes.
While having a nice, clean driveway is nice, the absence of any trees and plants came as quite a surprise. One of the members of the r/gardening community said, "What on earth does this have to do with gardening? Pave paradise and put up a parking lot?"
They've got a point.
Some commenters recommended more sustainable, environmentally friendly options to kill weeds to not disrupt other plants in one's yard. Switching to a native lawn is great for helping pollinators and the surrounding ecosystem, and it's also great for keeping weeds in check. Native grasses serve as competition for weeds because they grow fast and dense — beating out the weeds for sunlight. Grasses also take up the nutrients and water and weeds need to survive.
A thick layer of mulch can also help keep weeds at bay: all natural, no salt.
The Reddit post was a reminder to gardeners to consider the long-term health of the soil over quick fixes. The original poster could take something from the onslaught of comments: "There have been one of two helpful comments suggesting the amount of salt used was superfluous and I had wasted a bit of money."
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