Irrigating with salty water

Every watering with brackish water leaves its salt behind when the water evaporates. Over time it builds to a concentration where the root can no longer draw water at all — so the plant wilts in damp soil. This explains most cases of "it died even though I kept watering it".

Leach the bed

Once a fortnight, water far more heavily than usual — about double what the plant needs — to push the salts below the root zone. It feels wasteful, but it is cheaper than losing the crop.

Choose what tolerates it

The differences are enormous. Beetroot, spinach, okra and cowpea take salinity that kills bell pepper, lettuce and green bean. Every crop in this app carries a salinity rating — use it if your water comes from a well.

Drip irrigation

Drip puts water at the root and cuts evaporation, which means less salt left behind. Avoid overhead sprinklers with brackish water entirely: the salt dries on the leaves and burns them.