Salt and safety this winter.
Snow and ice can make sidewalk and drives hard to negotiate, salt can be an easy answer. Salt can be harmful to plants and the soil on your property as well as the environment down stream (both figuratively and literally). Think about what to use, amount and type of material you are using.
- Sand (torpedo), crushed limestone (TB) and kitty litter can work well on there own.
- Rock salt (sodium chloride) only is effective down to about 20 degrees, mixing with any of the above is a good way to reduce the salt being used.
- Potassium chloride and Calcium chloride are used for colder temperatures but also can be mixed with sand to reduce the amount used.
- Re-use your salt, day or two later there are small piles of dry salt, sweep them up put them in a plastic bucket and use them next time.
Safety is the most important factor but care can be taken not to damage plants and the soil.