Q: I want to do better about avoiding salt on my sidewalks and driveway. What are our options to avoid killing plants?

• Terri from Austintown

A: There are many products out there that can be used to melt snow and ice from your driveway and sidewalks. The most popular is rock salt, or sodium chloride, which is the same thing as table salt, but in a less refined state.

It is very popular because it works well at lower temperatures, is relatively cheap and is easy to find.

The downside to using sodium chloride is that it is very corrosive and can cause severe damage to landscape plants. When salt comes into contact with plants, it creates a scenario with a high concentration of salt outside of the plant cells than within the cells, so the water moves from low concentration to high concentration. When the water rushes out of the cells, it dehydrates the plant and it begins to wilt.

The simple solution would be to water the plant, right? Well it will certainly help wash away some salt, but when the water rushes out of the plant cells, it does so violently that the cell membrane ruptures and it can no longer hold water. This is how road salt damages plants in a nutshell.

Some popular alternatives to sodium chloride for deicing include magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, potassium chloride and calcium magnesium acetate (CMA). All of these will still cause damage to your landscape plants as they act just like sodium chloride within the plant.

The safer alternative for your landscape plants would be CMA as it is not a salt and is made from dolomitic lime and acetic acid.

The key word there is safer — if you dump an entire bag on your landscape plants, they will die, so use only the amount needed.

Of course, if you can live with the ice, try to use an abrasive such as cat litter to provide traction. Cat litter won’t melt the ice, but it is a lot better for your landscape plants.

When designing your gardens, only plant salt tolerant plants near the perimeter of any areas that may come into contact with salt. They will do much better than some less hardy plants, and you will have a lot more green come springtime.

If you have an asphalt driveway, sealing it during the summer will darken the surface and require less salt as the sun will melt the snow / ice much faster.

Whatever you choose, please be safe. If you have any questions, OSU Extension is here to help.

For some tips on choosing deicers and salt tolerant plants, go to http://go.osu.edu/deicersandmore .

Barrett is the Ohio State University Extension educator for agriculture and natural resources in Mahoning County. Winter hours for the Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic vary. Submit questions to the clinic at 330-533-5538 or drop samples off to the OSU Extension Office in Canfield. Hours vary throughout the winter season.