Does salt in the soil kill plants?

Answer 1

Watering a most plant species with salty or brak water will kill them.

Plants absorb water from the soil by osmosis. Osmosis is a flow of water molecules from a solution with lots of "pure" water to a solution with lots of solvents - across a semipermeable membrane (which in the case of the plant is the cell membranes of the root cells).

Normally there are more solvents in the water inside the plant (a higher concentration), so water flows into the root hair cells from the soil.

Watering the plant with salt water changes the "osmotic potential" of the soil - making the water surrounding the root more saline than the cell sap within the plant. This leads to reverse-osmosis, where the nutrients are actually drawn out of the plant and into the soil.

In the short term this leads to wilting as the plant is not able to absorb enough water to sustain metabolic functions. Then nutrient deficiencies become apparent in the plant. Eventually the plant may die.

Average bottled water contains about 300 parts per million (ppm) of dissolved salts. The majority of plants can withstand concentrations up to about 1200 ppm of dissolved salts. Plants that grow in alkaline soils can take up to about 2500 ppm. One of the most salt resistant plants is the Date Palm, this can take salt levels up to 12,000 ppm. Sea water contains about 35,000 ppm of dissolved salts.

There are a group of plants known as halophytes which are adapted to growing in very salty water. These are common to coastal areas and salt marshes.

Answer 2

It usually depends on the type of plant. If it is a form of seaweed then obviously no, but if it isn't then it most likely will. When plant cells take in too many salt molecules the cells shrivel up making the plant unhealthy and usually leading to death. It is the same when over watering. If the plant engulfs too many water molecules the cells expand and burst.

Answer 3

The roots of a plant take in water from the soil by way of "osmosis", where water moves through a semi-permeable membrane. Water molecules can pass through, but not larger (dissolved) molecules. But since water actually flows both in and out, in both directions, the plant needs a surplus moving to the inside. High concentrations of dissolved substances in the ground water (solutes) tend to block the inward flow and prevent the plant from absorbing enough water to sustain its life processes.

Answer 4

Salt has a tendency to take water away from the plant, which will interfere with its ability to grow. That said, some salts, in certain amounts, are beneficial, if not necessary to plant health.

Answer 5

Excess salt in the soil can be harmful to plants as it disrupts the balance of nutrients and water uptake. High salt levels can cause dehydration in plants, inhibit nutrient absorption, and disrupt the osmotic balance within plant cells, ultimately leading to plant death.

Answer 6

cuz it cloges our artaries

Salt is not bad for plants unless used accessively. Just like anything. To much of anything at one time will eventually do it in.

Answer 7

yes it dehydrates them and makes their stems weak

Answer 8

Salt causes water retention, giving people the bloated feeling. In plants, this means that water levels are not as they should be. The delicate balance of life has been upset.

Answer 9

Road salt can kill plants because it draws the water out of them. Salt is a substance that absorbs water.