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URI Outreach Center

How to Protect Your Landscape from Salt Damage

Plant Pro

Every winter, southern New Englanders apply tons of ice melting materials to sidewalks, driveways and steps. These chemical deicers will remove ice but they can damage the environment if not used carefully.

Most de-icing chemicals are technically "salts" that work by lowering the freezing point of water below 32 degrees. There are a number of different products that have different minimum working temperatures and speed of action. Most of the products cause wear and tear on concrete and metal surfaces. Also, in our gardens, these salts can damage plants in two ways:

  • Direct contact with the salts or with salt spray can lead to bud death or twig dieback. For example, it is common to see brown branches on evergreens along highway usually showing up in February or March. Also, grass along driveways may die or the growth may be stunted from salt.

  • Repeated application of salts over years can result in a build-up of salts in the soil. This will damage plant roots and ultimately may kill grass and other plants.

Here are some tips to prevent garden problems from use of deicing salts around your home.

  • Avoid using traditional road salt (sodium chloride). It is the most harmful to plants and also has the highest potential to contaminate waterways (it is very soluble).

  • Always use a deicer product after you have shoveled and swept - don't try to use it to melt the snow and ice - shovel or sweep away as much as possible, then put the deicer down - in a very thin layer.

  • Applying deicer after shoveling will also protect your plants by keeping you from shoveling snow that contains deicers directly on to the plants.

  • When you can, substitute an abrasive material such as sand or kitty litter for salt. This can be messy (when tracked into the house) but the sand or kitty litter won't harm your plants and will provide good traction on ice.

  • If you need a little more melting power, try mixing the deicing salt with sand or kitty litter so that you can reduce the amount of salt used. This will melt the ice and provide traction.

Salt spray from the roadways also can damage roadside plantings. If you are planning a new landscape:

  • Keep plants as far back from the road as possible.

  • Plant salt tolerant species next to roads or driveways and walkways that are likely to be treated with salt. For example, white oaks and white ash trees can tolerate more salt spray than white pines and hemlocks.

  • A list of salt tolerant plants can be obtained by calling the URI CELS Outreach Center Gardening Hotline at 1-800-448-1011.

If you live near a busy road or highway that will be treated with salt, mechanical barriers can provide protection:

  • Put up a snow fence to protect low-growing shrubs and small trees.
  • Or use burlap to protect your plants from damage.

Renewable Energy Siting Partnership Stakeholder Meeting #4

When: December 1, 2011, 6pm - 9pm
Where: Hazard Rooms @ URI Coastal Institute Bldg, Narragansett Bay Campus
Details: The focus of this meeting will be presentations on the acoustic impacts of wind turbines and project economics. Attendees must RSVP to Amber Neville at 401.874.6106 or amber@crc.uri.edu due to space limitations.
Directions

The meeting is open to the public, and all are welcome, as the goal is to have a diverse and well-rounded stakeholder process. A light dinner will be provided from 5:30-6pm.

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Holidays in the Park

When: December 10, 2011, 11am - 2pm
Where: Roger Williams Park Botanical Center, Providence RI
Details: Admission-free with donation of a nonperishable good to be donated to RI Food Bank

Escape from the cold outdoors and join us in celebrating the holidays! Activities will include demos on do-it- yourself decorations just in time for the holidays, exciting educational crafts for kids, live music, gifts for every gardener, a raffle and more surprises to come.

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Renewable Energy Siting Partnership (RESP) Wind Resource Assessment Lecture

When: January 24, 2012, 6pm - 7pm
Where: North Kingstown Free Library
Details: URI researchers will present their current work related to the wind resource assessment component of the Renewable Energy Siting Partnership.

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