We (in Germany) use salt in winter to defrost the pavement and streets but it doesn't have a big effect on the weeds. They still appear from any crack they can find.
I remember hearing that the Sahara desert was created by Romans salting the earth.
That can't possibly be true?
Also I wonder how it is connected to Jesus saying 'you are the salt of the earth'. That seems like am entirely different thing, but then again maybe not?
I feel like the most modern equivalent is Vietnam.
“Salting the Earth” is an idiom that references possibly apocryphal stories of ancient warfare where an invading army would literally put large amounts of salt or salt water in the enemy’s fields so that they wouldn’t be able to grow crops. This was done to make sure that the population couldn’t rebuild and become a threat in the future. Nowadays it is used to mean that someone is making really, really sure that something is destroyed and not coming back.
Edit: Part of the meaning is going out of your way in a big way to do it, because enough salt to actually have an effect, or digging a trench to get the ocean to fill the fields would have been astoundingly expensive.
Salt (sodium) messes with the ability of plants to absorb certain nutrients from the soil, so if that soil wasn't very rich to begin with it can easily starve whatever is nearby.
I personally tried to kill weeds with salt in certain spots of my backyard and failed because it has plenty of nutrients and good drainage, salt doesn't last long after a couple rains.
I'm pretty sure it's positive. Salt is (was, but still is to a lesser extent) extremely valuable. It's literally where the word "salary" comes from. Every person, and animal, needs salt to survive, and it used to be much harder to obtain than today. It's only bad in extremely high amounts in a field you're planning to grow crops.
34 Comments
AlligatorBlizzard@sh.itjust.works · 42 pts · 244d
How else am I supposed to remove the ice from my sidewalk???
Zozano@aussie.zone · 51 pts · 244d
ayyy@sh.itjust.works · 27 pts · 244d
But it’s my fault for global warming because I left a light on that one time.
0ops@piefed.zip · 15 pts · 244d
Just don't get too close to any load-bearing steel beams
msage@programming.dev · 1 pts · 242d
Russian snowblowers can't melt steel beams!!1!
FundMECFS@anarchist.nexus · 3 pts · 244d
Some places have heated sidewalks for this lol
DioramaOfShit@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 244d
Some places.... like where rich folks live
FundMECFS@anarchist.nexus · 6 pts · 244d
Or places where there is critical infrastructure like Train platforms in some european countries
affenlehrer@feddit.org · 21 pts · 244d
Can someone explain?
fossilesque@mander.xyz · 24 pts · 244d
affenlehrer@feddit.org · 27 pts · 244d
Sorry, I still don't get the part about "salting the earth". Is that something people do to get rid of weeds?
saltesc@lemmy.world · 46 pts · 244d
Yep. Did this recently actually lol.
But also commonly known as a war thing, done to render the enemy's land infertile. Can't grow food for a while and stuff.
Neither of these things really make much sense in context, though.
affenlehrer@feddit.org · 3 pts · 243d
We (in Germany) use salt in winter to defrost the pavement and streets but it doesn't have a big effect on the weeds. They still appear from any crack they can find.
artifactsofchina@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 244d
I remember hearing that the Sahara desert was created by Romans salting the earth.
That can't possibly be true?
Also I wonder how it is connected to Jesus saying 'you are the salt of the earth'. That seems like am entirely different thing, but then again maybe not?
I feel like the most modern equivalent is Vietnam.
Saapas@piefed.zip · 19 pts · 244d
No, Romans didn't make the Sahara. The myth is usually that they salted the earth when they destroyed Carthage but that isn't true either
MajorMajormajormajor@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 244d
Carthago delenda est!
BartyDeCanter@lemmy.sdf.org · 12 pts · 244d
“Salting the Earth” is an idiom that references possibly apocryphal stories of ancient warfare where an invading army would literally put large amounts of salt or salt water in the enemy’s fields so that they wouldn’t be able to grow crops. This was done to make sure that the population couldn’t rebuild and become a threat in the future. Nowadays it is used to mean that someone is making really, really sure that something is destroyed and not coming back.
Edit: Part of the meaning is going out of your way in a big way to do it, because enough salt to actually have an effect, or digging a trench to get the ocean to fill the fields would have been astoundingly expensive.
fossilesque@mander.xyz · 5 pts · 244d
affenlehrer@feddit.org · 1 pts · 244d
And it's just as bad / good as glyphosate?
quediuspayu@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 15 pts · 244d
No, salt is not toxic. But makes it hard for most things to grow until the sodium washes up.
ryedaft@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 244d
The handy men did manage to kill one of our roses by salting our sidewalk against weeds.
quediuspayu@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 244d
Salt (sodium) messes with the ability of plants to absorb certain nutrients from the soil, so if that soil wasn't very rich to begin with it can easily starve whatever is nearby.
I personally tried to kill weeds with salt in certain spots of my backyard and failed because it has plenty of nutrients and good drainage, salt doesn't last long after a couple rains.
marcos@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 244d
It's way worse than glyphosate. Nothing grows until it washes up, what can take many years.
lobut@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 244d
Homer Simpson's take on it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0BxqHgwlvs
Aquila@sh.itjust.works · 17 pts · 244d
Monsanto did some fucked up shit
Tollana1234567@lemmy.today · 4 pts · 243d
salting the earth, prevents plants from growing.
Randelung@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 243d
I've always wondered about the whole "you are the salt of the earth" thing. Did they mean it in a positive or negative way?
Cethin@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 242d
I'm pretty sure it's positive. Salt is (was, but still is to a lesser extent) extremely valuable. It's literally where the word "salary" comes from. Every person, and animal, needs salt to survive, and it used to be much harder to obtain than today. It's only bad in extremely high amounts in a field you're planning to grow crops.
baka@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 1 pts · 242d
I didn't realize until you said that
DaddleDew@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 244d
Vinegar works faster
friend_of_satan@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 243d
corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca · 5 pts · 244d
\sigh
MajorMajormajormajor@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 244d
Maybe they mean they're at the brimstone till to buy some brimstone.
Or, maybe they're a brimstone farmer and need to till the land specifically for brimstone.
We'll just never know...
psud@aussie.zone · 1 pts · 242d
I don't think they know they're trying to abbreviate 'until'
sem@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 243d
Brimstone. Girls would never take him home,
humanspiral@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 243d
is that supposed to be glycophosphate? If not what is that?
edit: nvm... I may have been saying it wrong all these years.
Shayeta@feddit.org · 0 pts · 243d
A fitting fate for Carthage I say! Right after we destroy it!