With winter coming up, you’re probably preparing to stock up on rock salt to prevent your driveways and sidewalks from becoming slippery and dangerous. While it is certainly important to keep some friction on your walkways for the safety of you and your guests, you might also wonder what kind of effect spreading that salt will have on your lawn and plants.
Here’s some information about whether or not you can expect rock salt to be affecting your lawn in Monroe, LA, and steps you can take to protect your property.
Rock salt and grass
Rock salt can, in some circumstances, be harmful to the vegetation on your property, including your grass. The substances found in rock salt that make it possible for it to eat through ice can result in some damage to your lawn.
When the salt sits on your lawn, it removes moisture from the soil. This means the grass will not get the water and oxygen it needs to survive throughout the winter months. The salt sucks water out from the grass’s roots, leaving it in a drought-like state that will make it difficult for the grass to regrow once spring returns.
So, what can you do to prevent this from being an issue? There are several steps you can take. You likely aren’t going to want to avoid putting down rock salt, because that can quickly become a safety hazard on icy walkways. Instead, consider taking some of the following steps:
- Temporary fencing: You don’t have to install permanent fencing around your yard, but there are snow and silt fences you can put up around your lawn to keep it safe from potential rock salt damage. Simply run the fencing along the edges of the pavement, and it will create a barrier to prevent that salt from being kicked up onto the grass.
- Spread carefully: You’re probably going to be in a hurry while spreading your rock salt, because the weather is likely to be cold outside. Nevertheless, take some care with how you’re spreading it. Keep all the salt on the pavement—don’t let it drift on to the grass and into your garden beds. While some salt might end up getting tracked onto the lawn, this will at least help you prevent some avoidable damage.
- Watering in spring: Once the weather warms up, it can be helpful to deeply soak your lawn every day for a little while to make sure you’ve fully drained the salt out of your lawn and mitigated any damage that was done to the roots and soil.
- Repair quickly: If you notice spots that were definitely affected by rock salt over the winter, repair those damaged spots by seeding in the spring once the weather is warm enough for new seed to grow. Follow all instructions on the seed packaging to make sure you get the best results out of the new seed.
Ram Rent-All, Inc. carries all the equipment you need for a wide variety of lawn projects. For more information about rock salt affecting your lawn, contact our team today.