Excessive amounts of sea salt can be bad for plants, but when used in moderation, it can provide your garden with numerous benefits. Sea salt contains trace minerals, such as magnesium, calcium, and potassium, all of which enrich garden soil and promote healthy plant growth. Plus, sea salt is a natural way to deter common garden pests. Ahead, experts share how to safely use sea salt in the garden.
Angelika Zaber, a lawn care specialist and gardening expert for Online Turf
Tammy Sons, master gardener and founder of TN Nursery, a leading tree and plant nursery
Can You Use Sea Salt in the Garden?
Yes, sea salt can be used in the garden to help your plants grow faster, protect your bulbs from pests, and even prevent unwanted weeds. But according to Angelika Zaber, a lawn care specialist and gardening expert for Online Turf, if used incorrectly, it can cause damage to plants and the soil, which is why some gardeners choose to avoid it.
Pros and Cons of Using Sea Salt in the Garden
Using sea salt comes with several pros. Sea salt can act as an herbicide and plant food, meaning you don’t need to buy multiple products for treating weeds and fertilizing plants, says Zaber. This can help you save money and storage space. Another perk of sea salt is that it’s widely available and can be purchased from most shops, making it easier to access than certain professional gardening products, she adds.
But sea salt comes with a few drawbacks. If used in excess, sea salt can cause soil degradation, reducing water retention in the soil and leading to long-term problems, such as impacting the structure of different soil types for years. Too much sea salt can also harm beneficial microorganisms and even kill nearby garden plants.
Ways to Use Sea Salt in the Garden
When used correctly, sea salt can effectively kill weeds, prevent pests, fertilize plants, and more. According to our experts, these are the best ways to use this pantry staple in the garden.
Kill Weeds
Sea salt provides a natural way to terminate weeds in your garden. Because sea salt is primarily composed of sodium chloride, Zaber says it can kill weeds by dehydrating the plants and disrupting the internal water balance of their cells. “Once absorbed, the weeds will wilt, turn brown, and eventually die,” says Zaber. To make your own herbicide, fill a spray bottle with a 3:1 ratio of water and salt. For best results, spray the foliage of the weeds. But be careful when applying this mixture—nearby garden plants could experience the same fate as the weeds if the saltwater touches them.
Control Snails and Slugs
Salt is not a friend of snails and slugs. Salt draws the water out of a slug or snail, says Zaber, dehydrating them and decreasing their population. “Once it makes contact with their bodies, they try to produce mucus to wash it off, dehydrating themselves within a few minutes,” she explains. If you can’t hand-pick snails and slugs and relocate them, you can try sprinkling some salt directly on top of them—just be sure not to get the salt on your garden plants, as the salt can kill them.
Fertilize Your Plants
Sea salt contains sodium, iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and traces of other minerals, allowing it to act as a fertilizer for plants. “When used as a fertilizer, it can increase plant growth, result in better tasting crops, and allow your plants to have a greater resistance to pests and diseases,” says Zaber. To get the best results, mix 2 tablespoons of sea salt with a gallon of water and spray your soil no more than four times a year, as moderation is key. “Overuse of salt will dry out plant roots and can throw off your garden soil’s natural balance,” warns Tammy Sons, master gardener and founder of TN Nursery, a leading tree and plant nursery.
Protect Bulbs
Sea salt can keep squirrels and moles from digging up your bulbs. Simply add a pinch of sea salt to the hole you’ve prepared for the bulb before placing it inside, says Zaber. Squirrels and moles cannot eat or absorb large amounts of salt, meaning adding salt to your soil will keep these common garden pests away from your bulbs. However, excessive use of sea salt can also sterilize the soil, so it’s important not to use it too often in the areas where you are planning to grow more plants in the future, Zaber warns.
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