Take care with ice melt

Categories: Plant Care Gone Bad Uncategorized Water

Applying salt to help melt ice and snow is a common practice.  From a plant (and environmental) perspective, I would like to caution you to consider what happens to the salt as it runs off with the melting snow and ice.  The photo below was taken of a spot I walk daily.  This is not an uncommon sight in the winter time.

Here’s the same sidewalk from last June!  And keep in mind that bermudagrass is one of our most salt-tolerant landscape plants.

It took until late summer for this turf to fully recover.  Recovery is dependent on several factors including plant species, soil type, and precipitation.   Given the winter that we’ve had, the lack of heavy rainfall and the weak turf from last year’s damage, I would say there is a good chance next years damage might be worse.

If you deal with this type of situation on a regular basis, you have a few options:

• Sweep up the excess after it dries and reuse it.
• Consider using sand.  While sand is a reasonable alternative for a traction aid, it is slick in it’s own right when dry so it should also be swept up, or at least off the walking surface.
• Some floor sweep and kitty litter products also make good traction aids.
• Fertilizer can also be used, but commercial fertilizers are also salts so care should be exercised.  Avoid fertilizers as ice-melts if the runoff will be leaving the property and entering the stormwater system (or a close by stream or pond).  Especially avoid products high in phosphorus (the middle number of a fertilizer formulation).  For example; 18-46-0 would contain 46% phosphorus, a very poor choice for this task.  Milorganite (6-3-0) is often used for this task as it has a low nutrient content.  Most of it’s ice melt value comes from it’s dark color.

Before you rush out and buy Milorganite, be advised: it is “activated sewage sludge”.  Yes, that’s right.  People poop.  It has been processed properly so there is no danger of it being a health               hazard but it has a distinctive odor and your friends, neighbors and family members might not be pleased.