Most people are familiar with the corrosive effects of deicing salt to cars and road surfaces.
Salt is also injurious to many plants growing along roadsides and driveways. The sodium and chloride ions separate when salt dissolves in water,and are absorbed by plant roots. These ions are carried through the plant to actively growing portions such as leaf margins and shoot tips. Here they can accumulate to toxic levels and result in marginal scorch. Rock salt readily absorbs moisture in the soil that normally would be available to roots.