If you live anywhere remotely cold, you’ll be very familiar with using salt to melt snow on driveways, sidewalks, and other paths. But did you know that salt can damage your lawn?

How Salt Can Damage Your Lawn

Salt is a powerful drying agent in winter, and when it melts through all the snow and ice, it ends up in your lawn, seeping into the ground and drying out roots in the process. Your lawn may be able to quickly rebound from the salt damage, depending on the severity — but oftentimes, the damage will result in brown patches of dead grass once spring rolls around.

3 Ways to Protect Your Yard from Salt Damage

Thankfully, preventing salt damage to your lawn can be simple! Follow these tips to protect your grass this winter:

  • Cover up. Make use of burlap sacks or purchase some landscaping fabric from your local hardware store or nursery to cover the edges of your lawn — this protects the most vulnerable areas of your yard from salt damage.
  • Shovel. Shoveling snow from your driveway and walkways prevents it from building up into ice and means you can remove snow without harmful chemicals. If you go out of town or miss a day or two, make sure to move shoveled snow away from your lawn, as the residual salt may nullify your hard work!
  • Use salt alternatives. Rock salt, AKA sodium chloride, is the most common salt to melt snow and ice with, but there are other ways to increase your grip on the pavement. CMA (calcium and magnesium acetate) is the least toxic alternative to rock salt. It’s also the most expensive, unfortunately. For a cheaper option, try sand or cat litter!

There are many ways to prepare and protect your yard from winter weather. Contact the Purple Pros at Purple Care today to learn more about how we can help you get the inside and outside of your home ready for the cold.