Save Local Waters

Sometimes it’s not an easy choice between our safety and the safety of our plants and soil. If I lived alone, I’d give the nod to the latter. But, I must be prudent to protect my family and guests from winter perils, namely an icy slick sidewalk or driveway.

If you live in an area where this can be a problem, you know that deicers are a common way to eliminate it. But too often we don’t use deicers properly. Their job is to loosen ice from below making it easier to shovel or plow, not remove ice completely.

So, why would I discuss deicers in a gardening article? Because, improper or over use of deicers is detrimental to plant life and the environment. Most deicers are chemicals containing high concentrations of salt. Excess salts build up in the soil, just as with the overuse of chemical fertilizers. They impede the uptake of moisture and nutrients. Others cause leaching of heavy metals which eventually make their way to water supplies.

…read this article in its entirety here.