Salt damage to turf grass and plant material may happen if you are using the wrong de-icing products. De-icing products containing sodium chloride may be hazardous to your grass and plants health. Most turf grass varieties are susceptible to salt damage. The benefits that you gain in the winter time may take away from the end result in the summer. Not all de-icing products are damaging as sodium chloride products. Products that contain magnesium or calcium chloride are much safer to use on sidewalks and parking lot areas. These products will help minimize damage to your property.
Plants that have a high risk to salt damage.
There are a lot of arborvitae varieties that have a high risk of being damaged by salt. Salt damage on evergreen plants is the worst, because they are not deciduous. Deciduous plants may receive leaf damage caused by salt, but they will recover better. Deciduous plants drop their leaves every year, so the following spring they will have a new set of leaves. Salt damage can reach the root system of the plant or just cause foliage damage. If you have evergreens and they receive salt damage, they most likely will not recover. If you have an evergreen that has experienced salt damage, you might be able to prune out the damage depending on the extent. Most of the time, salt damage to evergreen’s is fatal because too many branches die out. If you have a good portion of the plant die out, there is no productive way to prune the plant. If you cut too much dead material out of the plant, it will look unsightly. If you experience this much salt damage, it is best to just remove the entire plant. Make sure to replace the plant with a more salt tolerant variety.