Rock salt is a valuable material for any groundskeeper or club owner. It even has benefits for your garden, including:
- De-Icing
- Making Slippery Surfaces Safe
- Weed Control
Whether you have a large sports ground to work with, or just a patch of turf behind your home, it’s important to understand the pros and cons of rock salt, so you can see optimal results.
First, the basics.
What is Rock Salt?
Rock salt is the natural form of salt as it is mined. In order to be used in cooking, it has to be refined further. Our rock salt, as well as similar products, is salt in its purest form, and is also known as industrial or agricultural rock salt.
It takes the form of crystals that vary in size, but are larger than table salt.
The colour of rock salt can vary depending on the other minerals present in its compound. For example, if iron oxide impurities are present, the salt will look pink. The colour can affect its effectiveness, which is why brown and white salt are recommended for gardens and grounds. However, these two are not interchangeable.
What is Rock Salt Used for?
There are two main reasons to use rock salt. The first is de-icing surfaces. Salt dissolves ice, turning it into brine, which has a lower freezing point than normal water, so it will remain liquid even overnight or during bad winter weather.
This means that you can ensure that your paths, steps, and outdoor areas don’t freeze over, and are safe to use throughout the winter. We recommend using rock salt regularly on any surfaces that are walked or driven on, including car parks and in-roads to your grounds that aren’t gritted by the local council.
Rock salt is also great for killing weeds. Salt, when diluted with water, is something invasive plants hate, but doesn’t contain any harmful chemicals, making it one of the most environmentally friendly ways to get rid of weeds.
However, it’s important to remember that your turf will also be affected by salt, so it should only be used on weeds growing along paths, not in grassy areas. For the latter, we have selective weedkillers that will get the job done.
The Best Rock Salt
White rock salt and brown rock salt both have their pros and cons.
Brown salt gets its colour from a mix of clay, dirt, and other materials that make up less than 10% of the compound. While it is effective at de-icing surfaces, it will leave a brown, slushy residue that can make a mess of an outdoor area. As a result, brown salt is best used for gritting roads, car parks, and some industrial areas where a few muddy footprints won’t cause too much hassle.
White salt, on the other hand, is much purer as it is most often made by evaporating seawater. As a rule, it will be 99% pure salt, with only a small amount of impurities.
White rock salt is excellent at removing ice and restricting weed growth, but doesn’t leave residue. At most there will be a few pieces of grit, a small price to pay for removing ice from doorsteps of a home or business and/or the paths leading up to it.
The downside of white rock salt is that it is more expensive than brown salt. Because of the abundance and simple production of the latter, prices are low and it is therefore a cost-effective solution for large spaces.
However, white salt doesn’t make a mess, and our 25kg bags are affordable. The price is worth avoiding cleaning, and you’ll be able to cover large areas with ease.
Our White Rock Salt
We only supply a single rock salt product, simply because it’s all you’ll ever need. Our 25kg Rock Salt bags are excellent for de-icing, getting rid of frozen patches quickly. It also lasts a long time, saving you from using it on a daily basis on top of all your other tasks.
If you’re a groundskeeper or club owner, you understand the importance of keeping outdoor areas clean and tidy. By using white salt, there will be no clay residue tracked inside.
Every bag contains pure, granulated salt. The smaller granules make it applicable with spreaders, so you can make the task of de-icing as efficient as possible.
Last but certainly not least, we treat our salt with an anti-caking agent, so it can be stored for a long time. If you’re trying to keep your orders to a minimum, finding out that your previous orders are now unusable is incredibly frustrating. Not an issue with Battersby Sports Grounds; we’re always finding ways to make our products last without sacrificing quality.
Rock salt is best paired with top dressing and soil conditioners. If you want to improve the look and health of your grounds, the turf must be the primary focus, just make sure that paths and walkways are free from ice over the winter too.
How to Use Rock Salt
Rock salt is easy to use, even for someone who is new to garden or grounds maintenance. Professionals may have used rock salt in the past, but not in the optimal way, so it’s worth reading on to find out if there’s something missing.
To use rock salt, you will need:
- Rock salt
- Protective Gear* - Gloves, Boots, and Eyewear
- Spreader or Shovel – Depending on the size of the area you need to cover
*Rock salt is safe to use, but can irritate the skin or eyes if handled improperly.
Here’s a step-by-step guide:
Step One - Check the Weather
While you may be used to working outside, the weather will be an important factor for spreading rock salt, especially during the tumultuous UK winter.
You need to spread your salt before the snow begins to fall in order to get the best results. While rock salt can be used to remove ice, it’s much easier to prevent freezing in the first place.
If you time it right, you’ll be able to spread salt the night before the cold closes in, and there will be no ice to worry about the following day. Perfect for if you have an event to prepare for or just a normal day at your venue.
Step Two – Clean your Surfaces
For the best results, you should remove loose snow or slush from your surfaces before you apply salt.
While not essential, this will help the salt to last longer, so it’s worth the effort.
Cleaning doesn’t need to be too thorough unless the surfaces are particularly dirty, in which case there may be some residue to remove after the salt has done its work.
Step Three – Spread the Rock Salt
There are two methods for spreading rock salt.
First is doing it by hand, sprinkling it using a shovel or similar tool. This is fine for small jobs, such as a doorstep, but for paths or a car park it will take far too long. You may also end up with patches of ice if you miss any areas.
The more professional method is using a spreader. These will help you to measure out the correct quantity of salt, and then will spread it evenly across a large area. We have a range of heavy-duty spreaders that will work perfectly even across rough terrain.
Focus on the key areas where you expect ice to build-up, or where the most foot traffic will be. A barely used footpath can still be gritted, but may not be necessary if there are other areas to focus on first. Remember that our white rock salt can be stored long-term, so there’s no requirement to use more than you need straight away.
Step Four – Clean Up
The next day, you’ll see where the rock salt has been hard at work. If there are any remnants of the salt, you can sweep these away or dilute with water.
If there is a lot of this, consider using less salt next time.
Agricultural Materials and Equipment you can Trust
No matter whether you need rock salt, fertiliser, grass seed, or all of the above, look no further than Battersby Sports Grounds for your next order. You’ll find everything you need, and we also stock equipment and tools to help you make the most of our products.
If you have any questions about us or any of our products, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We look forward to hearing from you.