Asparagus and Salt

[NOG]

As Asparagus is a seaside plant and can cope with salt. Has anyone tried salting an Asparagus bed to prevent weeds.

[Nicos]

Well- not to kill weeds as such .
We were given some plants and a knife by a commercial grower a few years back- and he said the best thing for them is to salt with the stuff Snadger nicks from the sides of the road!()
You sprinkle it on the surface once the plant is cut back and leave it for the winter- the sand and salt sort of work them selves in by the time they start coming up.
I've then planted lettuce on the surface of the mounds which have done really well so I guess the salt must have been washed in? ( easier than weeding too!)

[Hazel at the Hill]

As Asparagus is a seaside plant and can cope with salt. Has anyone tried salting an Asparagus bed to prevent weeds.

I would imagine that if you put on enough salt to kill any weeds in your asparagus bed, it would also kill the asparagus. And anything else you'd like to plant in that bed!

[Dottie]

I was given some established asparagus that had only lived in a large bucket. I cut off the bottom of the bucket and slotted it into a prepared bed, in order not to upset the roots.

Read about using salt and was very tempted, but was concerned about the effect on soil structure, so in the end decided not to. I enjoyed about 20 sticks of asparagus over a few weeks and then grew basil in the same bed. If I'm at the sea at anytime, I might try and bring back some seaweed, as I feel that will be a gentler way of adding salt.

But open to ideas and will check how this thread develops.

[bobleponge]

Nicos, can you run that bit by me again?
Where do you plant the lettuce? Actually on top of the crown once its died back or have I misunderstood? (most likely explanation)