Winter Is Here Let’s Gear up for Winter and Talk Salt
E
ven though in many associations the driveways and roads will be plowed for you and the sidewalks will be shoveled in a timely fashion, many times the application of salt on these areas is not included as a part of the contract. For those residents in single family homes, you are most likely already doing these services for yourself. Winter brings many different weather patterns, frost/heave cycles, and slippery surfaces around our home. My mother’s most dreaded forecast is “freezing rain”, and she’s been known to stay at home for over a week rather than risk driving in it! For the rest of us, however, we must persevere and tackle this winter weather head-on. To stay safe on our driveways we can apply myriad salt products. When buying salt at the hardware store, big box store, or grocery store (HINT: Table salt is not cost effective for your driveway but great for making water boil faster), take heed...
The Skinny On Salt: Note: All temps in Fahrenheit Calcium Chloride —
Effective down to negative 25! Fast-acting and better than rock salt, this can damage grass and plants when over-applied and lead to association notices in the spring. Apply sparingly or skip altogether. — Effective to 20 degrees, this is for contractors only, and while it is environmentally friendly, it can damage concrete. Avoid! Calcium Magnesium Acetate
By JESSE DUBUQUE, CMCA® , Director of Client Development
Magnesium Chloride —
Effective to negative 13! This is best for pet owners and gardeners; however, it can be lethal to pets that suffer from kidney disease if ingested. This salt is more effective than sodium, environmentally friendly and is safer around pets. Though no salt is 100% safe around pets, this is a good choice for extremely cold days. Can damage plants when over-applied. Potassium Chloride —
Effective to 25 degrees. This is also environmentally friendly and safer for pets, but again, lethal to pets with kidney disease if ingested. Can damage grass and plants when over-applied. Sodium Chloride/Rock Salt —
Effective to 20 degrees. Inexpensive on the front end but can damage asphalt, concrete, brick, stone, metal, grass, plants and wood. Do not use on new concrete. All that and lethal to pets. Best to avoid. Urea/Carbonyl Diamide — Works
down to 10 degrees but better at 25 and up. This can damage plants when overapplied and is not very effective. All salts have minimal to moderate damage to surfaces—so apply sparingly and only as much as needed!
Here are some application tips to lessen the slip and save the greenery for a colorful spring: Tip 1: Clear the snow first! Don’t apply salt where there is lots of snow or it will work on the snow and not the ice. Tip 2: Spread
it out! Use a spreader to evenly spread salt; if you accidentally dump a big pile use a broom to spread it out. Highly concentrated areas of salt are even more caustic to asphalt and concrete surfaces. Remember to wear gloves (but in cold weather, you most likely already are)! Tip 3: Skip
salt altogether! Try using sand or kitty litter for traction and leave the ice alone. If you must melt the ice, avoid magnesium, as that is the most caustic, and keep it on the ice and off the lawn. Special thanks to Tim Pearson with Natural Green Landscape Management for giving me a working knowledge of icemelting salt terminology! Stay warm, stay safe, and don’t jump over snow piles—you may land on a sheer sheet of ice on the other side! (Trust me on this one.)
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Minnesota Communit y Living