Minimizing ice melter damage to garden
By: News Canada
Posted on: January 22, 2003 at 2:26:31 PM EST
?When using an ice melter safety concerns related to slips and falls usually takes precedence over the risk of damage to surrounding vegetation. You can take precautions however to help eliminate over-application, which is usually the main cause of most of the damage. This is particularly true with the damage that results from direct contact with the melted brine solution, which is produced by all ice melters.
In addition to landscaping with hardier, salt-resistant plants by walkways, etc, there are some basic steps you can take to help minimize damage. These include:
1. Changing snow removal procedures to disperse shoveled snow over a wider area, thereby spreading potentially damaging ice-melter laden snow over a broader area.
2. Raising plant beds and redirecting drainage of liquid brine away from vegetation will also help minimize damage.
3. Lastly, the type of ice melter you apply is probably the singularly most important factor in helping to minimize vegetation damage. Don’t use rock salt! Rock salt is not a very efficient ice melter. It contains a mixture of large chunks as well as small particles and dust. The large pieces and dust reduce the overall efficiency to melt ice, require you to use more product; more product increases the likelihood of damage. High performing ice melters, such as Alaskan Ice Melter, are much more effective and you can use far less material. Less material equal less potential for damage. Ice melting products, again like Alaskan, that are coloured with environmentally inert dyes, help better identify how much product has been applied, further reducing the likelihood of over-application.