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

 

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!

 

On Tue, 1 Jun 2010 12:35:33 -0400, FALCONGIRL@webtv.net (MICHELLE H.)
wrote:


The neighbor who polluted the lawn needs to pay to remediate the soil
and reestablish the lawn, if not sue.

 

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??  

 

 FALCONGIRL@webtv.net (MICHELLE H.) wrote:


This URL sort of suggests watering  a lot and gypsum to dilute the salt.

<http://www.garden-counselor-lawn-care.com/why-grass-stays-brown.html>

"The best thing to do if you are facing this situation is to pass large
quantities of water through the soil, trying to leach the mineral salts
out of the root zone. This can be enhanced by the application of
powdered gypsum.
Gypsum binds with salt ions and helps to carry them through the soil.
Apply at least 10 pounds per 100 square feet, and water, water, water.
If the water starts to run off, stop and let it soak in for a while.
Then repeat for as long of an interval as possible without run-off.
Cycle through many times and hope for the best. To avoid some of this
danger, and fertilize more effectively, read this article"

--
Bill  S. Jersey USA zone 5 shade garden
     What use one more wake up call?  

 

On 6/1/2010 1:46 PM, MICHELLE H. wrote:

Like Bill who putters says, salt needs to be washed out.  I've spilled
fertilizer and once it took a couple of years before grass fully came back.

I also suspect neighbors used rock salt or sodium chloride rather than
calcium chloride:

http://lawncare.about.com/od/lawncarebasics/a/Ice_melt.htm

Really bad snows and stores run out of recommended snow melters and sell
regular salt which is hard on concrete and plants.  Your friend should
at least tell the neighbors to be more careful in the future.