Are Rain Gardens Resistant to Salinization Stresses? The Consequences of De-Icing Chemicals’ Implementation for Soil Health, Plant Condition, and Groundwater Quality

Rain gardens are efficient nature-based solutions (NBSs) for the sustainable management of surface run-off in urban areas. The functionality of a rain garden in an urban environment depends on the resistance of plant and soil components to anthropogenic stressors. In temperate climates, the negative effects of de-icing chemicals applied in wintertime are one of the major anthropogenic stressors for the rain gardens’ ecosystem. The research aimed to study the effect of a NaCl-based de-icer in the mesocosm experiment, where materials of soil mixtures (seven parts by volume of quartz or carbonate sand and three parts by volume of loam or peat), plants ( Hemerocallis hybrida ), de-icer dose (529 mg L −1 for Cl − and 472 mg L −1 for Na + concentrations), and irrigation period simulated typical conditions for the Moscow city—the largest world megapolis with permanent snow cover during the wintertime. For all soil mixtures, a short-term negative impact of salinization on soil health included a decrease in microbial biomass (4–7-times) and basal respiration (2–3.6-times). After six months, soil health indicators recovered by 80–90% in the peat and carbonate sand mixture, whereas the negative effects on the quartz sand and loam mixtures remained irreversible (1.3 and 3 times lower than the control, respectively). The chlorophyll content of the plants on all soil mixtures was reduced compared to the control plants (37.1 ± 4.1 vs. 39.9 ± 1.2 SPAD units). The worst plat condition was observed for soil mixtures based on quartz sand. In this variant, the negative effect of salinization coincided with low nutrient content. In our results, the ash content was up to three times less compared to the initial state, as well as to the other materials. Plants grown in mixtures based on loam were more resistant to salinization due to higher nutrient content than peat. Overall, based on soil Na uptake, plant biomass, and recovery of soil microbiota, soil mixtures based on peat, loam, and carbonate sand will be the most resistant to NaCl-based de-icers and could be recommended for the creation of rain gardens in cities with permanent snow cover in winter.