Since the Extension Service is a non-profit organization affiliated with an agricultural college, you can be assured the answer you get is correct and current. The extension office in your county will be affiliated with your state's Morrill Act college. For example, in New York Cornell University was founded by the Morrill Act. As such, the Extension Service in New York is called Cornell Co-operative Extension . The Farm Boys MarketPlace website makes it easy to find your extension service.
Salts can damage, even kill, plants.
Symptoms of salt damage to plants include brown needles, needle drop, brown leaf margins, sparse leaf production and, dead plants. Plants are more susceptible to salt damage in late winter or early spring than they are during the middle of the winter. This is because the plants are starting to come out of their winter dormancy in late winter. An extremely long soaking will help the salts to leach out of the soil. Add gypsum to soil that has been exposed to salts.