Avoiding Vegetation Damage From Deicers

euOA iss) Avoiding Vegetation DamageFrom Deicers (NAPS)—Homeowners and maintenance professionals can avoid creating a new problem while solving an old one. They need to consider the importance of the effect on vegetation when selecting and using a chemical deicer. Any deicer can harm plantlife if it’s over-applied. Deicers are not intended to melt snow and ice completely. Experts at The Dow Chemical Company point out that the correct way to use a deiceris to spread it at the rate recommended by the manufacturer, wait for it to break the bond between the snow or ice and the pavement, and then shovel away whatisleft. A test conducted by Iowa State University suggests that calcium chloride poses less risk to vegetation than other common deicers. And because calcium chloride melts more ice and snow than other deicers, less is needed, low- ering the potential for damage even further. More information is available from The Dow Chemical Company’s calcium chloride Web site at www.peladow.com