Deicing salts are essential to winter travel in Illinois and provide necessary safety in a landscape setting by melting dangerous ice on precarious steps, sidewalks, entryways, and other areas of frequent foot traffic. However, winter damage from salt can be a major problem in some landscapes by negatively impacting plant health or sometimes outright killing plants from overexposure. 

Rock salt for snow and ice

Rock salt, or sodium chloride, is the most commonly used deicing agent. It is relatively inexpensive, very effective, and widely available.