salt on the patio?

I saw my neighbour the other day putting salt on the weeds growing through her patio..

I've also heard somewhere about defeated armies salting the earth so that nothing grows ( sort of like " ok, you can have it, but we'll ruin it first.." )?


so does this work?

i've a few large bags of salt knocking about in the shed for de-icing the front path in the winter and no weeds seem to grow out there, but then that's laid on a concrete base, so no dirt under it..

try it and see.

From a gardening site.

"SALT WEED KILLERS
Geoff Hamilton recommended a spoon full of salt to kill Dandelions and the like. Salt draws water out of cells to leave them dry, and salty soils kill plant roots.
So target its application and use sparingly.

Excess salt poisons the soil. Many important organisms: bacteria, fungi, earthworms; will be killed by salinity. It will eventually wash out, even so I would not use it on land intended for cultivating plants.
For some gardeners it is an option to consider with drives and gravel areas where plants are not intended to grow and where run off can be contained.
Remember, salt will not biodegrade, so regular use will eventually be detrimental to surrounding areas."