I hear salting driveways and walkways is bad for nearby plants and some paving surfaces. Is that true?
While deicing agents such as salt and calcium chloride are effective at melting the snow and ice, they can also harm some plant material. It’s best to keep the use of salt and calcium chloride products to a minimum, and to remove them from your driveways and walkways as soon as the surfaces are clear and dry. If you do use a deicer, spread the smallest amount necessary to begin breaking up the hardened chunks of ice, then get in there with your shovel and some elbow grease. Besides your plants, many driveway and walkway surfaces do not hold up well to excessive salting or deicing, especially those made from concrete. And don’t forget that on softer paving surfaces, such as brick, concrete pavers and flagstone, you should stick with a plastic snow shovel. Metal shovels can chip and damage the material lying just below the ice and snow.
