Laserfiche WebLink
alt Tolerance of Temperate Zone Plants Colorado State University Extension Tri River Area Mesa Delt... Page 1 of 7 <br />Print this Page <br />SALT TOLERANCE OF <br />VARIOUS TEMPERATE ZONE ORNAMENTAL PLANTS <br />Prepared by: <br />Curtis E. Swift, Ph.D., Area Extension Agent (Horticulture) <br />Colorado State University Extension <br />Tri River Area <br />An Introduction to Salts <br />Publications Available from Colorado State University <br />The Plant List <br />Trees <br />o Deciduous <br />o Coniferous <br />. Shrubs <br />. Vines <br />Flowers <br />. Grasses and other ground covers <br />An Introduction <br />Soluble salts can cause harm to plants if they are in high enough concentration in water or soil. This effect is <br />mainly indirect by pulling moisture out of roots and reducing the uptake of water and nutrients to affected <br />plants. Some salts can be toxic to root tissue. Tip and edge burn of leaves, slow growth, nutrient <br />deficiencies, wilting and eventual death of the plant can occur if the salt level is excessive for the plant and <br />the problem is not corrected. To avoid plant loss in salty sites, a soil test should be done to determine the <br />soil salt level and plants selected based on their salt tolerance. <br />Soil testing laboratories will report the salinity (conductivity) of soil in decisiemens per meter (dS/m) <br />(equivalent to the old measure of millimhos per centimeter). The salinity of irrigation water is typically <br />reported in micromhos per centimeter (umhos/cm) or microsiemens per meter (uS/m) . <br />Conductivity is defined as the ability of a solution to conduct an electrical current, or the reciprocal of the <br />solution's ability to resist the current. This current is conducted by electrically charged particles called ions, <br />which are present in almost all solutions. Different solutions have different kinds and amounts of ions: <br />distilled water has very few ions, and.therefore a low conductivity, while sea water has a large number of <br />ions, and a high conductivity. The greater the conductivity of the solution the higher the reading. <br />Publications Available Elsewhere <br />The following references on salts are available from the Colorado State University Publications on Line Site: <br />http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/TRA/PLANTS/stable.html • 10/23/2008 <br />0 (Revised Nov 2008) Attachment 2.05.4(2)(d)-2-8