Our UW Extension horticulture educators are incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. Today on Garden Talk, Larry Meiller visits with Sharon Morrisey of Milwaukee County.
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Expert Recommends De-Icing Products Safe For Plants
Wisconsin is again getting hit with another week of extreme cold and as tough as the ice and cold is for people, it’s no surprise that it can be rough for trees and shrubs as well.
One of the challenges is finding products that will de-ice sidewalks and driveways that are plant friendly and that will also work at low temperatures. Sharon Morrisey, the University of Wisconsin Extension consumer horticulture agent for Milwaukee County, said that “there are a few products that do work at low temperatures that are also pretty friendly to plants.”
One choice, Morrisey said, is calcium chloride.
“It probably works at the lowest temperatures,” she said.
While it’s a lot more expensive than rock salt, Morrisey said that only about a third of the amount is needed to be effective.
“If you’re careful with how much you apply, it’s certainly not exorbitantly priced,” she explained.
Morrisey said that it’s better for plants than the more common sodium chloride, “which can be hard on them.”
Magnesium chloride is another plant-friendly option, as is calcium magnesium acetate, but Morrisey emphasized that “if the temperature range for that product is not as low as the temperatures we’re having, putting it down is not going to help anything. So, wait until those temperatures rise a little bit for some of those products.”
Of course, another option that some Wisconsin communities are turning to for road de-icing is cheese brine, but that’s likely not an option for most homeowners.
Episode Credits
- Larry Meiller Host
- Judith Siers-Poisson Producer
- Sharon Morrisey Guest
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