Salt Deicing Done Right – Safe Practices for Your Lawn and Sod

SUMMARY

Salt deicer, a more specific type of ice melt, is a substance that is used to melt snow and ice off of walkways like roads and sidewalks. The salt will create a solution that will prevent water from freezing and allow it to remain liquid. It is both cost-effective and efficient. However, it does negatively impact the environment. If you use it frequently, it can lead to soil and water contamination, as well as affecting plant life and aquatic ecosystems. That’s why it is so important to manage it responsibly. Since salt deicers can negatively affect plants, it is important to ensure the process is ‘done right.’ In this article, we will go into further detail on how damaging improperly managed salt deicer can be, how to make it more eco-friendly, and what to do if you think it is hurting your lawn or sod. Read on to find out.

Understanding the Impact of Salt Deicing on Your Lawn

How It Affects Your Grass and Soil

Salt deicer, if not used carefully, can hurt your grass and soil if it comes in contact with it. Since salt deicer draws moisture from the soil, it can dehydrate the grass roots. This is not very good because the sodium ions can also interfere with how grass absorbs the nutrients it needs, like calcium, potassium, and magnesium. This nutrient blockage can hinder grass from growing nice and healthy. The high chloride concentration is also toxic to grass since it impairs its ability to photosynthesize correctly. The salinity can affect the soil by reducing soil permeability, increasing soil compaction, increasing the alkalinity of the soil, and causing overall structural degradation of soil health.

Signs of Salt Damage

Signs of damage caused by salt deicer or any ice melt are brown patches in your lawn, wilting or yellowing grass, browning of nearby shrubs and evergreens, the soil being crusty and compacted, and your grass starting to turn an orange color, reminiscent of a plant that has been singed or burned by fire. Besides physical damage, salt deicer can cause plants to take longer to ‘green up’ and grow nice and lush for the spring. Since salt deicer can weaken the grass’s health, it makes it more susceptible to diseases and pests. This is why following best practices when using salt decider is important. However, what are good practices to follow?

Safe Salt Deicing Practices to Follow

Choose Eco-friendly Deicing Products

It is possible to choose a more eco-friendly option for a salt deicer. This applies to ice melt as a whole. When it comes to choosing eco-friendly deicing salt, choose chloride-free and nontoxic deicers. This is because chloride-free deicers are made from natural ingredients that are less environmentally harmful. Remember that eco-friendly products like regular deicers might not work below certain temperatures. So, check the product specifications and see if there are certain temperature limits. Even though they might not be as effective, eco-friendly deicer products are pet-safe and child-safe, less corrosive, and better for the environment.

Apply Deicer Strategically

When you prepare to lie nicer down, think of it strategically, and don’t apply it willy-milly. Try to maintain a certain zone when applying deicer. By effectively keeping deicer 12-18 inches away from the concrete edges of your driveway or walkway, it will help prevent the salt from running off your lawn. Try to focus on high-traffic areas where you and your family frequently walk. Targeting high foot traffic areas will minimize the amount of deicer you use and thus minimize the exposure your lawn gets to the deicer. Lastly, another way you can minimize deicer use is to minimize its use overall. This means shoveling snow daily and avoiding needing a deicer to melt the compacted snow. By maintaining a consistent snow removal routine or hiring out snow removal services, you won’t need to use deicer frequently.

How Do You Repair Salt Deicing Damage?

Flush the Soil

Oh no, the ice melt has negatively impacted your lawn! You see bare spots as well as yellow grass. Is there a way to reverse the problem, or is your lawn a goner? Luckily, you can resolve the problem through several effective means. Sometimes, you can flush the deicer out using a hose to water and dilute the deicer. You can wash away excess salt from the soil. Doing this several times over a few days is best to ensure the salt is properly dissipated. Another thing you can do is to remove the damaged turf and replace it with new turf. Sometimes it is best to start over again. So, take the turf out and reseed the area. One last thing you can do is to use gypsum to counteract the salt. Gypsum helps replace sodium with calcium and sulfur, improving soil structure and reducing salt uptake by the grassroots. Using these methods, you can hopefully restore your lawn from the damage it has incurred from salt deicer.