[NikeFace]

From asking questions and reading almost every thread here (I'm obsessed), my KBG/PRG lawn is green and lush and soil is improving.

This has me mentally preparing way ahead for winter. Being in Boston, we get slammed with snow and, in turn, road salt...

My house is very close to our dead end road (front door is about 12 ft away from road). EVERY single year, the road salt burns and essentially kills a long strip of grass along the road. Obviously this is more impactful given my front yard is so small.

Is there any potential way to attempt getting ahead of this issue? Something to proactively apply to soil etc to up the odds of minimizing the seemingly inevitable salt damage?

Any help is appreciated.

 

[BXMurphy]

Gypsum. When I saw what that did for salt damage... wow! In fact, that experience is what got me hooked on lawns.

I devoured every lawn forum I could find. Around The Yard was my favorite. They started getting weird and wouldn't allow new accounts. A lot of the most active members over there got fed up and started The Lawn Forum. I've never looked back. This forum has everything you will EVER need.

Other experts on your original question will be along shortly.

 

[gm560]

Since you already have rye, maybe throw down some more salt tolerant cultivars in that area to fill in dead spots?

"Manhattan" comes to mind: https://www.preferredseed.com/detail/index.cfm?nPID=392

Another interesting read, http://www.mtviewseeds.com/downloads/datasheets/perennial_ryegrass_salinity.pdf. Regards to germination, but I would assume (perhaps falsely) this would translate to mature grass as well. I see Grand Slam does well, which also happens to do very well in the NE.

 

[NikeFace]

Thanks for the links, gm560. I'll do more research, but from the basic description, the Manhattan may be a good fit along that strip if it does die again after this winter.

In terms of gypsum, I thought it only had a place among the truest clay soils - which my soil is not - and even that seems debated.

Does anyone else use gypsum in defense/preparation of winter road salt? If so, do you apply in winter before snow as preparation or once the snow melts in the spring?

 

[Green]

If so, do you apply in winter before snow as preparation or once the snow melts in the spring?

As soon as the snow melts and the ground is warm enough and dry enough to walk on. Or if you don't have a busy road and can stand in the street, you can throw it onto the border areas from there, using up to 30 lbs per thousand square feet.

It really works.

 

[BXMurphy]

If so, do you apply in winter before snow as preparation or once the snow melts in the spring?

As soon as the snow melts and the ground is warm enough and dry enough to walk on. Or if you don't have a busy road and can stand in the street, you can throw it onto the border areas from there, using up to 30 lbs per thousand square feet.

It really works.

+1 all around. In spring and it really works. I did it one year and when I saw the results, I was hooked on taking my lawn game to the next level.

You don't need much to repair the salt damage. Just sprinkle it around by hand and you will be fine. Be careful about putting down too much because it will lower the pH.

This stuff works by leaching the salt out of the soil. That means that there has to be salt there in the first place in order to be leached out. That's why you put it down in the spring.