Australian Politics Forum - Desalinating a lawn effectively

UnSubRocky

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Desalinating a lawn effectively
Sep 28^th, 2020 at 12:42am

I have a saline lawn that has patches of grass, patches of dead grass, and patches of no grass. There is no real uniformity among the lawn and I have not seen the grass green for about 5 years.

I have tried to use the gypsum and potting mix. I have sprayed the lawn with liquid fertiliser. I have tried to sow in lawn seeds. I have left the hose to soak the ground and try to wash the salinity out of the soil. All to no avail.

Does anyone have any solutions to the problem of undoing the salinity? Perhaps I could plant some kind of halophyte plant to suck up the excess salt in the ground.

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UnSubRocky Gold Member Offline Crocodile Hunter: Origins Posts: 25018 Rockhampton Gender:	Re: Desalinating a lawn effectively Reply #1 - Sep 28^th, 2020 at 12:29pm Apparently, I have to make good drainage away from the house to fix much of my my lawn problems.
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Bobby. Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 106080 Melbourne Gender:	Re: Desalinating a lawn effectively Reply #2 - Sep 28^th, 2020 at 1:03pm UnSubRocky wrote on Sep 28^th, 2020 at 12:29pm: Apparently, I have to make good drainage away from the house to fix much of my my lawn problems. Yes - or replace the soil. Are you sure it's due to salt? Some ideas here: https://www.researchgate.net/post/I_want_to_remove_salts_contamination_from_soil...
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UnSubRocky Gold Member Offline Crocodile Hunter: Origins Posts: 25018 Rockhampton Gender:	Re: Desalinating a lawn effectively Reply #3 - Sep 29^th, 2020 at 10:34pm Yes, Bobby. Salt in the soil after I mindlessly added the wrong stuff to the grass.
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Bobby. Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 106080 Melbourne Gender:	Re: Desalinating a lawn effectively Reply #4 - Sep 30^th, 2020 at 7:06am UnSubRocky wrote on Sep 29^th, 2020 at 10:34pm: Yes, Bobby. Salt in the soil after I mindlessly added the wrong stuff to the grass. What exactly did you put on the lawn and how much?
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UnSubRocky

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Re: Desalinating a lawn effectively
Reply #5 - Sep 30^th, 2020 at 1:34pm

Bobby. wrote on Sep 30^th, 2020 at 7:06am:

UnSubRocky wrote on Sep 29^th, 2020 at 10:34pm:

Yes, Bobby. Salt in the soil after I mindlessly added the wrong stuff to the grass.

What exactly did you put on the lawn and how much?

Are you ready for this? I put epsom salts over parts of the yard to see if the claims made by the product really did what it said it did. Of course, the epsom salts contained salts. The salts spread over the yard with the help of the rain. I have patches of dead/yellow grass. And patches of green. I put it down to having a schizophrenia episode about this time 5 years ago.

All the potting mix, liquid fertiliser, and lawn seeds have done nothing much to help the regeneration. The gypsum I have used to break up the clay has done little to improve the soil.

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Bobby.

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Re: Desalinating a lawn effectively
Reply #6 - Sep 30^th, 2020 at 2:20pm

UnSubRocky wrote on Sep 30^th, 2020 at 1:34pm:

Bobby. wrote on Sep 30^th, 2020 at 7:06am:

UnSubRocky wrote on Sep 29^th, 2020 at 10:34pm:

Yes, Bobby. Salt in the soil after I mindlessly added the wrong stuff to the grass.

What exactly did you put on the lawn and how much?

Are you ready for this? I put epsom salts over parts of the yard to see if the claims made by the product really did what it said it did. Of course, the epsom salts contained salts. The salts spread over the yard with the help of the rain. I have patches of dead/yellow grass. And patches of green. I put it down to having a schizophrenia episode about this time 5 years ago.

All the potting mix, liquid fertiliser, and lawn seeds have done nothing much to help the regeneration. The gypsum I have used to break up the clay has done little to improve the soil.

Epsom salts = Magnesium sulfate,
should not harm you lawn.
Magnesium sulfate is used as fertilizer to promote the grow of roots.
I think you need to get your soil tested.
There is something else wrong.

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UnSubRocky Gold Member Offline Crocodile Hunter: Origins Posts: 25018 Rockhampton Gender:	Re: Desalinating a lawn effectively Reply #7 - Sep 30^th, 2020 at 3:18pm No. Epsom salts contain salt. Hence the reason why the grass died in patches near where I sprayed it. In 2008, I had the best lawn with good care from my constant attention. These days, I have all sorts of weeds taken over in the good area and brownish grass near where I sprayed the epsom salts.
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Bobby.

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Re: Desalinating a lawn effectively
Reply #8 - Sep 30^th, 2020 at 4:18pm

UnSubRocky wrote on Sep 30^th, 2020 at 3:18pm:

No. Epsom salts contain salt. Hence the reason why the grass died in patches near where I sprayed it. In 2008, I had the best lawn with good care from my constant attention. These days, I have all sorts of weeds taken over in the good area and brownish grass near where I sprayed the epsom salts.

It should be only Magnesium Sulfate
not containing Sodium Chloride.

Are you saying that it had high impurities?

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Gordon Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 20687 Gordon Gender:	Re: Desalinating a lawn effectively Reply #9 - Sep 30^th, 2020 at 4:26pm Roundup the lawn then follow up any green shoots a week later. A week later get 10cm of new turf mix and lay new turf. All the work will also burn 2000 calories per day.
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Gordon Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 20687 Gordon Gender:	Re: Desalinating a lawn effectively Reply #10 - Sep 30^th, 2020 at 4:48pm I also reckon all of the salt would have leached away ages ago and your lawn isn't growing because you have poor soil.
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UnSubRocky

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Re: Desalinating a lawn effectively
Reply #11 - Sep 30^th, 2020 at 10:11pm

Gordon wrote on Sep 30^th, 2020 at 4:26pm:

Roundup the lawn then follow up any green shoots a week later.
A week later get 10cm of new turf mix and lay new turf.

All the work will also burn 2000 calories per day.

I think I might just go and dig up the lawn where it looks brown and then lay down some turf. Or just try to get the lawn seeds to take hold. I have some weeds coming through in the back yard that needs to be pulled out. The rest of the lawn does not look too bad.

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UnSubRocky

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Re: Desalinating a lawn effectively
Reply #12 - Sep 30^th, 2020 at 10:15pm

Gordon wrote on Sep 30^th, 2020 at 4:48pm:

I also reckon all of the salt would have leached away ages ago and your lawn isn't growing because you have poor soil.

If we got about 2000mm of rain every year for the last 5 years, the salt would have washed away by now. I have left the hose running in the browner patches of the yard. That has greened up the area from time to time. But, other than the drought issue from last year, it will have to be a matter of just micromanaging the lawn.

I could probably rip up the poor part of the yard and lay down lawn seeds. Then I could put liquid fertiliser around the yard a week or two later. The incoming rainfall should probably be enough for this yard.

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UnSubRocky

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Re: Desalinating a lawn effectively
Reply #13 - Sep 30^th, 2020 at 10:16pm

Bobby. wrote on Sep 30^th, 2020 at 4:18pm:

UnSubRocky wrote on Sep 30^th, 2020 at 3:18pm:

No. Epsom salts contain salt. Hence the reason why the grass died in patches near where I sprayed it. In 2008, I had the best lawn with good care from my constant attention. These days, I have all sorts of weeds taken over in the good area and brownish grass near where I sprayed the epsom salts.

It should be only Magnesium Sulfate
not containing Sodium Chloride.

Are you saying that it had high impurities?

I was obviously too naive and mentally unstable when I trusted the product to do the yard some good. But I would love to just undo the damage somehow.

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Bobby.

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Re: Desalinating a lawn effectively
Reply #14 - Sep 30^th, 2020 at 10:28pm

UnSubRocky wrote on Sep 30^th, 2020 at 10:16pm:

Bobby. wrote on Sep 30^th, 2020 at 4:18pm:

UnSubRocky wrote on Sep 30^th, 2020 at 3:18pm:

No. Epsom salts contain salt. Hence the reason why the grass died in patches near where I sprayed it. In 2008, I had the best lawn with good care from my constant attention. These days, I have all sorts of weeds taken over in the good area and brownish grass near where I sprayed the epsom salts.

It should be only Magnesium Sulfate
not containing Sodium Chloride.

Are you saying that it had high impurities?

I was obviously too naive and mentally unstable when I trusted the product to do the yard some good. But I would love to just undo the damage somehow.

But you're making too many assumptions.
You assume that the Magnesium Sulfate
had Sodium Chloride in it.
I doubt that.
You put gypsum in the soil.
That needs to be raked in and left for a while to break down any clay.
In the meantime the soil will be very alkaline - or caustic
until it does its job.
How about just getting a rotary hoe and tilling all the soil
and replanting new seed?

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