Using rock salt on sidewalk and driveway might help melt some of that glass and snow this wintertime , but it can cause a deal more headaches down the road !
Winter is here , and that means dealing with slippery conditions around the home . And more time than not , the solution for many homeowners is to reach for that vainglorious bag of rock’n’roll Strategic Arms Limitation Talks .
sway salt is by far most popular choice when it comes to trying to melt nose candy and ice on surfaces . It is also , coincidentally , one of the least expensive to purchase .
And it indeed works well . specially when temperatures do n’t dip too far below freezing .
But unfortunately , using rock salt causes a tremendous amount of damage to both your landscape , and your hardscapes ! And here is why :
Why Not To Use Rock Salt On Sidewalks, Driveways & Patios
rock music salt , or sodium chloride as it is officially screw , is extremely corrosive to concrete , asphalt and brick . As it unthaw the Charles Percy Snow and chicken feed , trace elements remain behind .
And those corrosive remnants find their way onto the hardscape surface . But even more damaging , into the porous holes of them .
The table salt that remains on top can scar and spoil the surfaces for good . Leaving unsightly streak and stigma .
But the salt that gets into the cracks can create real problems . creating hole and cracks that only widen with freezing and thawing . And ultimately , the surface need repaired or supersede .
Although some of the common salt remainder remain on and in the surface , most are wash off into nearby lawns and flowerbeds . And that can do a lot of poor and farseeing term problems .
When excess salt interpenetrate the filth , works ingest the sodium from the salt through the roots . Because common salt appeal water , the rock candy salinity in the stain robs flora roots of essential water , have dehydration .
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks damage to deciduous plants and trees might not be noticeable until spring , when plants fail to produce leaves or do n’t bud decent due to saltiness damage . Salt - damage grass is often dark-brown and patchy .
Unfortunately , the dependable and best answer of all is keeping the walkways exculpated with right old fashioned shoveling or snow - blowing .
But beyond that , there are some alternate result that are both safer for plant , and the hardscapes .
Although it wo n’t melt C , moxie is a good choice for adding traction to slippy surfaces .
Beet succus is another lifelike core that is gaining more and more attending as well . It really has a lower freezing point than tilt salt , and safe for both works , open & creature .
Calcium Chloride is another option that is at least safe for plants and lawn . It actually can bring Ca to the dirt , which plants need .
It is far dependable on pavement and patios , but can cause some streaking and equipment casualty if used in high amounts , or left to sit on the surface . If you do choose to apply it , taste to clear off residuum that remain after the snow has melted . Affiliate Link : Calcium Chloride
Here is to keeping those sidewalk clear , and your concrete , pavers and plants healthy !
Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening , DIY and recipe articles and books for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm . The two are frequent loudspeaker system on all things garden and dearest to go in their spare prison term .
