The mercury has dipped and keeps dipping. You look out of your window and see a dazzling, white blanket of snow covering everything from your car, to your mailbox, to your driveway. This snow needs to be removed at some point. Ice and snow removal is an unavoidable part of winter and somebody’s got to do it. Before you start, stop to consider if the way you remove snow and ice is harmful to the environment. There are many ways of removing ice and snow. However, a lot of these methods affect our environment, our children, and our pets. Snow and ice control can be done with more sustainable materials.
Let us look at some environment-friendly alternatives to removing snow from our properties(snow and ice clear tips)
- Organic de-icer – Instead of using salt, use organic de-icer. These may be slightly more expensive but are not as harmful as salt. These are also pet-friendly and do not harm plants.
- Coffee grind – When you drink coffee, store the grind for use later. Coffee grind is of a dark color and will absorb sunlight even when it is cloudy. As a result, it will melt ice and not harm your plants or pets in the process.
- Alfalfa meal – Being a natural fertilizer, it is not as harmful to the environment as salt. It provides traction for vehicles and clears ice on roads.
- Sugar Beet Juice – Juice obtained from sugar beet can be used as a natural ice melter. It reduces the melting point of both snow and ice.
- Sand – Sand is a good thing to use for traction, but in moderation. Too much of it might clog drains when the spring melt begins.
- Snow Melt Mat – This a great way to melt the snow from your driveway and it does not harm the environment as much as salt does. It involves installing a snow melt mat underneath the driveway. Once the ice and snow accumulate, from the comfort of your home, switch on the mat. It will heat up and melt all the snow away.
- Snow Blower – If you use a snow blower, upgrade to an electric model. The snow blowers that run on gas, pollute the air and add to air and noise pollution.
- Shovel – There is no better and more environmentally friendly way to remove snow than to shovel it. It is good exercise and it will ensure that ice melt products are used as little as possible. Choose a good shovel so that you don’t strain your back.
Besides these, there are many reasons not to use conventional ice melt products. Salt melts ice very easily but it comes at a high price. It is corrosive and causes damage to cement and metal.
Used excessively, it could eat into pipes and affect groundwater. it could damage your car. If salt gets into lawns, it sucks the nutrients and the oxygen right out of the soil. It can stick to the paws of our pets and affect their health when they lick their paws. At the time of spring melt, it runs down into local water bodies and pollutes the water.
If you want to know more about snow and ice control, contact All American Turf Beauty or call All American Turf Beauty at (515) 996-2261 and schedule an appointment today
Top 10 Great Ways to Get your Lawn Spring Ready
Spring is here and so comes the mowing season! Whether it’s to highlight the appeal of your yard or to transform it into a family bonding paradise, there is no question that it’s the season when lawn care is a must. Make sure you are doing it right with our ten tips for a lush, green spring-to-summer lawn.
Clean up
Rake away that thatch. Yes. Rake. Although it is something that seems to be done to your lawn almost all year round, as there is also raking in the summer and autumn, it is one task that is up on the priority list! Deep raking is particularly necessary as it not only removes the leaves and grass blades, it gets rid of snow mold and the thatch build-up, too! This makes hitting two birds with one stone totally worth the effort!
Get your soil in top shape
Liming. Before growing a healthy lawn, it is a must to be sure it is ready to grow healthy. After what winter has put your soil through, it pays to check your soil PH to know if your soil needs amendments. Get that soil test kit ready early in spring and see whether your soil is acidic or alkaline. Take note that the presence of moss may often mean there’s acidity. Take caution in applying lime, though. Do not apply lime within 2-3 weeks after fertilizing. This may cause a reaction on the ingredients and they will lose their effect altogether.
Lawn Aeration. Compaction is the enemy of growth. Make way for water and essential nutrients by loosening your soil through aeration. You may have to wait until late spring to apply this process, though, as it is best during high-growth periods for your grass to continue to thrive.
Say no to bare spots! What could ruin your grassy lawn worse than a bald spot? Well, there is no cause to panic. Simply flush the spot with water and remove the dead grass. Level the spot out with soil and reseed with your grass variety. Voila! Off with the bare spot!
Fertilizing. Go light on feeding your greens in the early spring. Give them time to digest the fertilizers. Very often, overwhelming your grass with fertilizers does far worse. Not to mention the amount of weeds you will invite by overfeeding your grass!
Control your weeds before they take control
The magic of herbicides. You’ll be surprised at the competition your lawn grass has with crabgrass and other weeds. That is what pre-emergent herbicides and post-emergent herbicides were created for. If weeds and crabgrass are known to pester your lawn perennially, go for pre-emergent herbicides. Be mindful of timing when applying this, though, as it does not only go against the growth of crabgrass and weeds but of your grass seeds, too. Count back two to three weeks when weeds begin to grow and apply the pre-emergent herbicide on your lawn. It works against the growth of your grass, too, so if proper timing is missed, resort to post-emergents. Apply post-emergent herbicides to destroy already established weeds.
Pulling the weeds. You cannot keep all the weeds off your lawn. It is all too easy for natural causes like animals, birds, and even the wind to blow weed seeds from other lawns. Hence, it is not a bad idea to employ pulling of the weeds as a prevention method!
Mowing. Invest in well-maintained mowing equipment and make your summer and autumn mowing a breeze! As they say, it pays to take care of your mower so it can take care of your lawn. Their blades are meant to be sharp so the grass is cut crisp and they can heal fast after cutting. Remember not to cut more than the top third of the blade off. It is never a good idea to scalp your lawn. Also, did you know that mixing up your mowing directions ensures a uniform cut and reduces the possibility of compaction?
Watering. Keep in mind that cold air is very drying to plants and lawns. Do not let your lawns go dry. Make sure your lawn gets at least 1” of water per week! Lawn Maintenance. Keep your lawn safe from insects as much as you do from weeds. Summer brings insects that may damage your carefully grown grass. Be ready with insecticides to be sprinkled on your lawn for the elimination of soil grubs and insects. This is usually a one-time application that lasts for seasons