How Road Salt Can Affect Your Plants

Northeastern winters can be dreadful, filled with snow, rain, salt, and an icy coldness. Although particularly unpleasant and unaccommodating to humans, the winter weather can also negatively affect plant life.We all observe trees and flowers slowly dying throughout late fall and early winter, but sometimes garden plants can survive. They receive more care and attention (from you), which can usually keep them alive throughout the cold season. However, they still manage to be threatened by an unlikely enemy – ice-melting salt.

The Dangers of Road Salt on Plants

Ice-melting salt (also commonly known as sodium chloride) is one of our most prevalent allies against snow as it is both inexpensive and effective. This salt however, can cause intense damage to plants, even if it comes into contact with them indirectly. When salt interacts with plants, the stems, buds, and leaves become affected. This spreads mainly to the buds, which burn open and expose tissues that aren’t supposed to be exposed during the cold season. These unprotected buds and leaves are still developing and dry out, but this isn’t noticed until the spring. These plants are also affected by runoff water which has traces of salt in it, as a result of salt mixing and working its way into the water cycle. This salty water dries up plants and their roots, and leads to reduced or stunted plant growth.

Protecting Your Plants from Ice-Melting Salt

So how exactly can you protect your beloved backyard plants? Well, the team at Premier Landscape is perfectly equipped to assist you in this battle. With a simultaneous focus on landscaping and snow removal, Premier is the perfect candidate to help you rid your surroundings of snow without murdering your plant life. To solve the issue, Premier Landscape will reduce salt use and apply the little salt they do use with extreme caution, while also protecting your plants with physical barriers. It is highly advised you call a professional landscaper instead of attempting this yourself, as this is one of our specializations for surrounding area businesses.With experience in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts, Premier Landscape is available to assist with any of your major landscape-related needs. Feel free to contact us at 401-682-2959 for a free consultation on how we can be of assistance to you.