Sidewalk Safety In Winter

How to Keep Sidewalks Safe in Winter Without Damaging Plants

By Willi Galloway, eHow Expert in Home & Garden

Icy sidewalks and garden pathways turn everyday, simple tasks like getting the mail or walking the dog into a dangerous proposition. Keeping your sidewalks ice-free is an important way to protect yourself and passersby from injury. It’s also the law in many municipalities. But salt and other deicing compounds can cause harm to plants and local watersheds. Here are some ideas for reducing the usage of deicer while keeping your sidewalks—and plants—safe throughout the winter.

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Step 1
Compacted snow quickly turns to ice, so timely removal of snow from sidewalks is the first step in preventing icy buildup. During a snowstorm, shovel the walks frequently to prevent snow from building up. Frequent shoveling also makes the job easier! A sharp, metal snow shovel is the most effective tool for removing snow that has been walked on or otherwise compacted.

Step 2
When the snow stops—and you’ve cleared the walkway—spread a thin layer of sand over the pavement to provide traction. Wear rubber-soled shoes when walking outdoors and encourage your neighbors to do the same.

Step 3
If you cannot avoid using a deicer, purchase a product that is more environmentally friendly and safer for plants. Regular rock salt (sodium chloride) is a classic deicing material, but this salt can corrode metal, accumulate in the soil and harm plants. Using a product made with calcium magnesium acetate is a better choice. This salt-free compound doesn’t corrode metals and causes minimal harm to plants. Avoid products made with magnesium chloride, which may contain a cyanide derivative or potassium chloride, which can cause soil and plant damage. If runoff from your property drains into a stream or pond, you can help protect the water quality by avoiding the use of deicer whenever possible.

Step 4
Reduce the amount of deicer you use by only applying it when absolutely necessary and using the smallest amount possible. With this in mind, consider investing in a liquid deicing product. Liquid formulas use less deicer and cover a greater area than solid products. They tend to be more expensive, but remember, you will use less of the product with each application. Reduce the amount of deicer you use by only applying it on public walkways that border your property and on sidewalks that you must use to access your home.

Step 5
Keep in mind that deicers do not make ice removal unnecessary—rather they are designed to make ice removal easier by preventing the ice from bonding with the pavement. If you must apply a deicer, do so judiciously at the beginning of a storm, before ice has a chance to accumulate on the pavement. This makes ice and snow easier to remove and requires less of the deicing product.

Step 6
The best way to protect your plants and the local watershed is to not use deicer. If you do use a deicing product, avoid shoveling snow that contains a deicing compound in it over your plants. In spring, you can help flush deicer out of your soil—and away from your plants’ root zones—by thoroughly watering garden areas directly adjacent to sidewalks and driveways where deicer was used.

Step 7
If your municipality uses a salt deicer on streets, you can protect your plants from salty spray by erecting a burlap screen in front of them in winter. If plants bordering the street begin to show signs of salt damage–evergreens with browning needles or dead branches on deciduous plants–consider replacing the affected plants with ones that tolerate salt better, such as rugosa roses, mock orange, potentilla and snowberry.