Pros? Cons? I've heard it both ways......do it or DON'T do it!

I have four, 30-foot long beds that are producing nicely...........the trouble? Weeds.....largely after harvest


My beds are on my "back forty" and surrounded by Ma Nature.......vs. being in the middle of suburbia. Lots of wild stuff floating around PLUS I mow around the beds in this same wild stuff, spreading it further.

Of course, I do NOT blow the clippings into my beds.......

I've mulched with old leaves and that seemed to help. I have 100's of yards of wood chips, and have seen guys use them lightly so the sprigs can still bust up through......

A guy I met that's had asparagus beds for 40-years thinks salt is the only way to go.

If so, how much how often????

Open to ideas!

MZ

Had a buddies dad who had an impressive asparagus patch that swore by salt. He would sprinkle a a few handfuls of softener salt in the bed each spring. The way I understand it is asparagus originated as a plant that grew near the sea. This being the case it doesn't thrive with salt, it tolerates it. This being the case you should only need enough salt to prevent competition from weeds which wouldn't take very much.

Deer population may be hard on your beds if you use salt.

A good friend salted a few wild patches and the deer destroyed them.

I use it with no problems just don’t over do it or it will attract deer

My sister had a big asparagus patch she dumped the water/ice/salt on it from home made ice cream. No ill effects that I ever saw.

Salt works great on asparagus beds, sure cuts down the weeds... deer no problem.... fills freezer !

Multi tasker I see lol

never heard of this, learned something already today

It is no BS used it here for years if round up cant kill it a little salt never will lol

Preen pre-emergent. My brother says salt compacts the soil over time.

sooooo......it sounds like there are more pros than cons.

How much salt does one use? My beds are about 30 inches wide with the asparagus largely dead-center, so lots of exposed soil to the sides of the plants on both sides.

Since my weeds are a problem largely AFTER the sprigs come up, should I wait and sprinkle lightly in between the sprigs and around rest of bed OR am I overthinking it?

What type of salt? Does it matter? Table salt (in bulk)? Rock salt for driveways? Water softener salt?

My asparagus starts in May and I can usually keep harvesting it well into June

MZ

Regular salt a few hand fulls I’ve even used water softener salt

Use Salt then if the Deer are attracted to mit just have Venison with your Asparagus. Just ask Martha Stewart for a really good Recipe.

I've also heard that salting beds is effective for weed control, but good luck trying to find anything solid on applications rates. Maybe I'm overthinking it as well, but have never been comfortable with the trial and error method.

I wouldn’t sweat it too much, there are thousands of patches per townships throughout our state and I’ve never seen one patch that has been babied. Grows in fencelines right alongside sprayed fields, tree groves where there is barely any ground light, and everywhere in between. Just be careful of nesting hen pheasants scaring the bejeezus out of ya as you bend down to pick….

my grandparents always had impressive asparigrass beds and used mulched leaves

but not sure how well that will work on the back 40

theirs was about 50 feet from the kitchen so it was as fresh as could be when you ate , as a kid get sent out with a knife to cut asparigrass while grandma was cooking and she had a pan ready for it when you brought it in , it was so good

What time of the year do you apply the salt ?
I really want to try this out

this is what I had heard and what I found as the recommendation on line
Use it after the last harvest when no spears are above the soil or in early spring broadcast it over the entire bed before shoots appear.

Deer have just about wiped out my beds the last two years. I sprayed Liquid Fence around the perimeter which works until the next rainfall. I've never used salt, but heard it works. I don't need anything more to attract deer. They even ate all the flowers off my squash plants.

I havent used salt as of yet, Had a 10x30 bed almost wiped out a year ago by some subterranean creature during the winter, under the mulch.. Maybe it would deter that?