Salt Water Rehab | This Old House

Summary by Krater

Landscape contractor Alex Burke and host Roger Cook review salt-water damage to plants after Superstorm Sandy in Manasokan, and demonstrate how to clear out salty soil and replant resilient greenery.

From the video

Answers: How do you repair landscaping damaged by salt water after a storm?

• salt water damage to landscaping
• soil testing and remediation
• selecting salt-tolerant plants
• planting and mulching

What it concludes

• Boxwood, Arborvitae, and Leland Cypress do not handle salt-water inundation well and die when exposed to salt water.
• Japanese maples, American hollies, roses, hydrangeas, maiden grass, Helleri holly, catmint, and daylilies can survive or recover from storm salt damage with proper pruning, fertilization, and soil preparation.
• Soil tests showed that salt had leached out of the soil over the winter, but organic content was missing.
• Mixing two-thirds topsoil with one-third compost successfully restores organic matter to storm-damaged soil.
• Hardwood mulch is preferred over stone mulch around plants because stone reflects heat and dries out plants quicker.