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We still have ice in some shady places around our church especially on sidewalks in front. What is the easiest way to melt it?

I see y'all talk about putting out salt. How do you use it? Will it kill the shrubs?

I understand this might sound ignorant but if you do not know, you do not know.

Thanks.

jekjr said:

We still have ice in some shady places around our church especially on sidewalks in front. What is the easiest way to melt it?

I see y'all talk about putting out salt. How do you use it? Will it kill the shrubs?

I understand this might sound ignorant but if you do not know, you do not know.

Thanks.

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Magnesium chloride is what I use on sidewalks works in -20 degree temps and works fast. Otherwise ill scrape it with a mutt (like a heavy duty floor scraped but made for ice) don't put it in the shrub beds and you'll be fine a little won't hurt but a lot can do very bad damage like kill your soil ph for years

Salt wouldn't 't work unless you have activity to make it work like a lot of people walking on it. Where I live salt is used for roads and sidewalks and it doesn't seem to kill the grass or shrubs. But they also mix something with it to make the salt work better. I have found that just plane sand seems to work the best .

The salt they are talking about is rock salt. Unless you put down a large amount it shouldn't hurt the scrubs. I have been trying to figure an application rate for you, but probably two hands fulls should do about 5 feet of sidewalk. In other words a sprinkling of about 2 inches between rocks should be sufficient.

We us rock salt in the aparagus patch to kill the grass, and it takes turning the ground white like snow to do that.

I'm a bit surprised that there's still some ice way down south where you are. We (ATL) still have some in places where there is no southern exposure. I don't think we'll get a hard freeze tonight so it will all be gone soon. :thumbsup:

This doesn't answer your question but may help in the future. Whenever we get snow or ice, I shovel my front steps and walk right after it stops. It's easy to do at that point (it hasn't been trampled down).

What they had couldnt be taken care of right after it was litterly snowing/raining ice The report i read said 2.5" of solid Ice I think Rock salt will do but something stronger may be necessary go buy a mutt and start chipping.

Alabama got a good ice storm before the snow. We was lucky and only got the snow

Down here we did not get hardly any snow. Just a whole lot of ice.

We get ice up quite frequently you guys freak with ice storm we get one bad one a year lol mag chloride is your friend buy it at your local hardware store look at the ingredients of the de icer you'll find it

Don't worry about it. Warm weather is on the way if it isn't already there. The high tomorrow is 66, by the time you get salt the ice will be gone.
You do know that ice melts.... right?
Monroeville, AL Weather Forecast from Weather Underground

RobertBrown said:

Don't worry about it. Warm weather is on the way if it isn't already there. The high tomorrow is 66, by the time you get salt the ice will be gone.
You do know that ice melts.... right?
Monroeville, AL Weather Forecast from Weather Underground

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Lucky up here we generally don't see the ground between Dec and mar lol but this year has been weird the rest of the country got our weather

exotion said:

Lucky up here we generally don't see the ground between Dec and mar lol but this year has been weird the rest of the country got our weather

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As soon as it warms up....how about you get the garage cleaned up and get a new avatar? Deal? :ashamed: :laughing: :laughing:

RobertBrown said:

As soon as it warms up....how about you get the garage cleaned up and get a new avatar? Deal? :ashamed: :laughing: :laughing:

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I will this summer <3 going to have to add my new stuff in the pic I'm excited besides it may be messy but its my messy and it discourages my wife from going in there I hate it when she takes a tool and doesn't tell me then I find it 3 months later in her tool box :/

exotion said:

I will this summer <3 going to have to add my new stuff in the pic I'm excited besides it may be messy but its my messy and it discourages my wife from going in there I hate it when she takes a tool and doesn't tell me then I find it 3 months later in her tool box :/

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She has a tool box? :cool2:

High today sposed to be 64. High tomorrow sposed to be 68. Rain coming back tomorrow.

jekjr said:

High today sposed to be 64. High tomorrow sposed to be 68. Rain coming back tomorrow.

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Sounds to me like the weather will cure your ice problem.

reynoldston said:

Sounds to me like the weather will cure your ice problem.

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Ya now to deal with flooding lol

When I posted, I suggested sand. I have a camp in the northern mountains of NY state. This part of NY has some of the most severe weather in the whole lower 48 as to being the coldest and most snow. Salt is useless here as far as ice control go's because the temperature is below -0 a lot of the time. What they do use is sand which works very well. Then when the ice and snow melts in the spring they just sweep it to the side of the road and the grass grows in it. My front lawn grass just seems to grow very well in it. There must be other very cold climates that they must do this very same thing.

This morning I went out there and took my blower and started blowing at the edges. When I did the Ice started rising up in sheets because of air flow under it. I am going back this afternoon and what ever ice is left I am going to try blowing away. Hopefully it will be melted before dark. It is short sleeve weather outside now.

For ice, dust (screening) or sand is great. It won't harm really. To remove from the grass, use a power broom.
Don't use salt on interlock! It will chew on it!

Sand is a plus. Put it on the ice then blow it on the grass. Most grass loves sand