What is salt?
Salt is a natural substance occurring in caves, mines etc. We use it every day in our food and in some drinks usually in the form of Sodium (Na). Sodium though is a very volatile element on its own, therefore, to stabilize it, it’s combined with chlorine making that table salt (NaCl) in your cabinet and on your kitchen table. What would we do without salt? I personally love it.
What is rock salt and what types are there?
Rock salt is a “chunkier”, less refined version of that salt we consume daily, but there are other versions that are unlike what we consume. Cheap everyday rock salt is NaCL, sodium chloride, and it does a great job melting snow and ice, but it will not work well in temps as they drop into the teens and below. That’s where Calcium Chloride(little white balls), CaCl2, comes in. Calcium on its own is an even more volatile salt than Sodium. That volatility is why it works better. Then we come to the best ice melt, MgCl2, Magnesium Chloride. Magnesium is what I like to call ultra volatile. It almost explodes and lets off a very bright greenish light when on its own hits water. I remember Chemistry class very fondly. The more effective, the more expensive the salt is.
Is rock salt good or bad for us and our plants?
Rock salt is fine for us personally, but it does a number on sidewalks, buildings and most importantly, our cars. The salt is very corrosive and will dissolve things like cement and also rust our vehicles. Other than that, it’s not really harmful, unless swallowed. But for our pets and even wild animals, rock salt is bad for their paws, then they lick it off and consume it. It’s one of the reasons why I use rock salt sparingly. I don’t want to hurt the animals or sidewalks. And rock salt in large amounts, is NOT good for our plants as it desiccates them (dries out) and can do major damage or even kill them. I use calcium chloride because it actually benefits your plants, used in small amounts, as the calcium is good for them. Again, use as sparingly as possible.
Is there an alternative to using rock salt to melt snow and ice?
Well, you can use sand as it does have some salt in its composition and it will give you some traction while driving or even walking, but it’s an absolute mess. I would only use it if it was such a bad winter that salt became scarce. Now that you’ve learned about salt, go wash your car off. I’ll bet it’s covered with a film of salt from the winter storms, at least here in NJ/PA. And if you think your plants or grass have gotten too much wayward salt spread on them, get yourself some Gypsum and apply it as it helps in salt remediation.
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