Chinook Landscaping and Design – Landscaping Calgary Specialists
Calgary, Alberta
403-452-8552
Mon-Fri 8:00 AM- 5:00 PM.
Chinook Landscaping Calgary

Year: 2020

Chinook Landscaping CalgaryLandscaping Calgary Blog2020
04 Apr 2020
0 Comments By david Landscaping, Landscaping Calgary

Landscaping you can do around your home while waiting out the coronavirus COVID-19

Consider some things you can do around the exterior of your home while you wait out the coronavirus COVID-19.

 

Clear snow from around your foundation areas

Now is a great time to clear snow from around the foundation areas of your home.  You may be in an older home where paving stones or concrete walkways and patios have sunken.  This sinking can create positive drainage towards your house.  When you see areas like this it is best to use a shovel to move the snow away from the foundation and pile it in an area where the spring run off will not create run off towards your homes foundation.  Try not to pile this snow on top of your garden or shrub areas as this extra snow will slow the spring growing of your shrubs and perennials.  As well, there may be salt in the snow and too much salt is not good for your plantings.

Divert runoff from your downspouts and away from low lying areas

We almost always see downspouts that are set up incorrectly and create issues with water draining towards your home.  IF you can safely divert the downspouts to another area it is best to do that before the big thaw starts.  If you can’t divert the downspouts then you should consider creating trenches in the snow to help channel the water away from your home and towards low lying areas.  A drainage assist arbor may provide a good drainage solutions for diverting water over your pathways.  You can call Chinook Landscaping  if you would like a estimate for that.

Rake up leaves, pinecones

Some areas of your lawn may be free of snow at this time,.  You may also have areas under your large spruce trees or other trees that have been protected from the snow.  Now is a good time to get a head start on spring maintenance and rake up leaves, pinecones and other debris around your yard.  You can toss the lawn debris directly into your compost container.

Prune trees, shrubs and perennials

Early spring is a great time to prune trees, shrubs and perennials.  It is always best to do your pruning before your plants wake up and start to put out fresh green buds.  Pruning trees and shrubs can easily be done with a good pair of pruning shears or you can also use a small hand saw.  Pruning larger trees may require a ladder and special tools so make sure to be very careful if you plan to prune large trees.  It may be best to hire a professional arborist for your larger trees.  Shaping shrubs can be enjoyable and you can trim them with pruning shears or a automatic hedge trimmer.  This is also a good time of the year to trim back your hedges.  If you have a cotoneaster hedge and it is diseased with oystershell scale you may want to consider pruning them right to the ground.  This will allow them to regrow without the virus.  If you are going to do your own pruning make sure to follow guidelines on pruning trees and shrubs

Create a landscape design on your computer or with a pencil and paper

If you have lots of time on your hands you could create a landscape design on your computer or with a pencil and paper.  If you want to try landscape design on your computer there is lots of landscape design software out there to help you with this.  Professional landscape designers use expensive CAD based Software but you could try some of the more simple software options if you are not familiar with Autocad.  Some software you could consider is smartdraw
If you just want to try sketching with a pencil and paper a great way to start is by getting out your RPR.  RPR or Real Property Reports show the footprint of your house on your lot.  Make some extra copies and sketch in patios and walkways, trees, shrubs, landscape features, retaining walls etc.

If you would like help with a landscape design give us a call or request an estimate on our estimate request page.

 

 

 

02 Apr 2020
0 Comments By david chinook landscaping, COVID-19

Calgary garden centres offer delivery during COVID-19

Calgary Garden centres are offering delivery during COVID-19.  You can now order all of your garden supplies from your local garden centre and they will delivery it to you or you can pick it up.  This is great news for everyone who wants to start up their gardens this spring.

It is best to shop online if you can

Social distancing is very important right now so we highly recommend you go online and order your products rather than do your shopping in person. Here is a list of Calgary garden centres offering online shopping and curb side pick up.

Calgary garden centres offer delivering during cover-19

Greengate garden centre.
Greengate offers contactless shopping.  You can purchase seeds, seed starting supplies, soils, mulch and much more.  Greengate garden centre is located at 14111 Macleod Trail SW.  Visit their online store here Greengate Garden Centre

Spruce it up garden centre
Spruce it up garden centre is locate at 159 210 Avenue SW

You can visit their website here Calgary garden centre

Golden Acre home and garden

Golden acre home and garden is located at 620 Goddard Avenue NE

You can visit their website here Golden acre home and garden

 

There are warm days ahead.  Stay safe and healthy!

21 Mar 2020
0 Comments By david COVID-19 Landscaping Calgary, Landscaping Calgary

COVID-19 and Landscaping in Calgary

Updated March 1st, 2021  Like everyone else around the City and around the world we are closely monitoring the Coronavirus COVID-19 guidelines and protocols.  These are unique times indeed and we are doing our best to stay open for estimates while still practicing social distancing.

Estimates at a distance

Many of our customers are calling or emailing us to ask about Coronavirus COVID-19 and Landscaping in Calgary.  We are still open for estimates but in order to help with social distancing we will not be meeting with customers inside their homes.  As well, we will make sure to keep at least 2 metres from our customers while providing estimates outside. There are many estimates that can be completed accurately by emailing with our customers.

We had hoped this would be over by now

A year ago at this time we were all hoping the Covid-19 virus would come and go quickly.  That has not been the case of course.  During the summer last year we experienced longer than usual wait times at our suppliers so jobs were taking longer than they would have before the virus arrived.  We also found there to be a substantial increase in material costs due to so many homeowners focusing on renovations around their homes while being locked down.  Things change quickly but at this time we believe we will continue to be able to safely landscape outdoors.  We have implemented many safe work practices to help keep our clients and our employees safe by abiding by the Chief medical Office of Health and Public Health guidelines/directives.   Of course, if new guidelines and orders from Alberta health arise we will be sure to strictly follow them.

Some landscaping supplies are limited

At this time we have found that most landscaping supplies are not affected.  However, we have experienced some delays in material shipments due to COVID-19 and very high demand. Most of our manufacturers are still producing landscaping products and getting them to our retailers on a tinley manner.  The cost of most landscaping materials has increased.  These increases included wood, paving stones, decorative rock and trees and shrubs.

We are working safely in small crews

We have reduced our crew size from four workers two two or three workers maximum.  Our workers arrive in different vehicles and do not carpool to worksite locations.  We have plenty of hand sanitizer on site and in all our our vehicles.  Employees are instructed to use hand sanitizer frequently throughout the day.  We are very mindful of neighbours and pedestrians and we always give them the right of way if they happen to be in the area.

We are accepting full payment via Visa or Mastercard and if you like you can make payments over a thirty day period with no added fees. Deposits remain optional.

Help others and stay safe

We would like to remind everyone to please help those who are vulnerable and/or elderly by doing whatever you can for them.  Also, please remind your friends, family and coworkers that social distancing and self quarantining will help to greatly reduce the spread of this virus.

There are warm days ahead.  Stay healthy!

 

03 Mar 2020
0 Comments By david Landscaping Calgary Awards

Chinook Landscaping Best of Homestars 2020

Chinook landscaping is proud to announce they are the recipient of the Best of Homestars 2020 award!  Homestars is a business listing website that helps customers choose ethical and professional contractors throughout Canada.  There are many landscaping Calgary awards but Homestars is one of the most meaningful to us.

Winning The Best of Homestars Award is a big deal

Homestars is not just another business listing site.  They are one of the few review sites who go to great lengths to verify their reviews.  Verifying reviews is very important in this age of social media.  You can find reviews on companies everywhere these days but are they authentic?  Authentic reviews can be hard to come by and businesses can get very creative when it comes to obtaining and posting reviews.  Homestars is very unique as they have implemented strict guidelines for anyone who chooses to leave a review for a business.  Homestars verifies business reviews by contacting the reviewer and asking for important information and even proof of invoices paid to the reviewed company.  So you know, homestars is a trusted place on the web where you can find Professional and ethical landscaping companies.

Good old fashioned honesty and hard work gets noticed

Chinook Landscaping is proud to have served Calgary for well over a decade.  In that time we have worked very hard to earn an excellent reputation for quality workmanship, honesty and ethical business practices.  Our ethics are demonstrated by never demanding deposits or progress payments, never increasing invoices beyond the estimated prices and always following through with our commitments to our customers.  We show up on time and we work very hard to complete our projects within the deadline we committed to.  Our customers return again and again to ask us to do more work for them.  A large amount of our annual work is due to repeat customers or referrals from customers that have worked with our company in the past.  All of our staff are well trained in landscaping practices and many of them have been with Chinook landscaping Calgary for several years. We sincerely enjoy working in the landscaping business and love to put smiles on each and everyone of our customers faces.  Chinook Landscaping Best of Homestars 2020 award was earned through good old fashioned honesty and hard work.

Thank you to all of our loyal clients who left us so many great reviews on Homestars!

20 Feb 2020
0 Comments By david fruit you can grow, Gardening

When to start tomato seeds in Calgary?

Tomatoes are some of the most nutritious of the fruit and vegetable family and they can be grown quite easily in Calgary’s climate.  It is interesting and fun to grow your own organic vegetables in Calgary and we all know they typically taste better than anything you can buy in a store. A tomato is a fruit you can grow in Calgary with just a little TLC. Knowing when to start tomato seeds in Calgary is key to making sure your plant is ready to move outdoors in spring.   The key to a good yield from your tomato plants is to make sure they are planted at just the right time in spring.  If you do not want to buy your tomato plants in pots from your local garden centre then you may want to consider starting your tomatoes from seed.

Use a good quality soil for your tomato seeds.

It is very important to start your tomato sees off right and the best way to do that is to use a good quality soil.  The best soil mixes include vermiculite or perlite, peat moss and organic garden soil.  You can create a good mix of these three components at home or you can buy a ready mixed soil from your local garden centre. The easiest way to obtain the soil is to buy it already in the seed pod in the container.  Once you have your soil ready you can fill small seed trays or pods with the soil.    Plant the tomato seeds about a quarter inch below the surface.

Choose a proven tomato seed

It goes without saying that you should make sure you choose a proven tomato seed. Proven winners can be found by searching varieties on the internet or visiting your local garden centre and speak to someone there who knows their tomatoes.  You can choose from many tomato types including large beefsteak tomatoes or cherry tomatoes.  Cherry tomatoes produce more fruit obviously but they are smaller.  The higher amount of single fruit means you can almost always check on your plants and have a fresh tomato ready to enjoy.  Young children especially love picking cherry tomatoes.  Tomato seeds are not expensive and some great varieties can even be found on Amazon.ca

Tomato seeds germinate and grow best under grow lights.

Having a grow light gives your tomato seeds a great head start and the grow lights will provide not only nurturing light to your tomato plant but a warm soil will encourage your seed to sprout quickly. So when to start tomato seeds in Calgary?  Tomato seeds should be started in late February or early march.  Starting your tomato sees at this time will give them a great head start for spring planting outdoors.  When to start tomato seeds in Calgary also depends on whether you plan to use grow lights or not.  Grow lights are recommended even if you have a fairly sunny window because the daylight hours in Calgary are so short in winter and spring.  You can purchase grow lights at many garden centres and other suppliers in Calgary.  It is best to keep your grow lights on for a minimum of 18 hours.  Keep your grow lights about 4 to 6 inches from the soil.  Tomatoes grow best when the temperatures is around 80 degrees Fahrenheit.  You may want to cover your tomato seeds for the first few days to retain the moisture in the soil.

When to transplant your tomato sprouts to containers

Once your seeds have germinated and reached a height of 1 1/2 inches its time to transplant your tomato sprouts to containers.  This is the most enjoyable part of your tomato growing experience.  You now have a living plant to tend to and watch grow!  Transport your tomato sprouts to 6″ pots.  You will not need to transplant them bare root, rather you can simply take the whole soil mass out of the container and transplant directly into the new soil in the new pot.  Try not to disturb the root system if at all possible.  Continue to place your tomato plants under grow lights and keep the light on them for 18 hours.  The best temperatures for tomato plant growth is 72-80 degrees in the daytime and 65-70 degrees in the evening.

Transplanting your tomato plants to the garden

You could choose to grow your tomatoes in planters or pots but they do now best when their roots are allowed to drain properly and in soil where their roots can grow deep.  Modern patio ideas do include some attractive deep planters you can consider. Tomatoes do best when planted in deep well draining planters or planted right into the ground.  Transplanting your tomato plants to the garden should only be done once you are sure there will be no risk of frost.  In Calgary, the best time to plant your tomato plants is after the May long weekend.  This time of year usually signals the end of frosty nights Calgary.  If you think a frost may occur after this you can cover your tomato plants with plastic or a tarp making sure not to damage the foliage.  You can plant your tomato plants amongst other trees and shrubs but make sure the tomatoes are not crowded in you shrub beds and that they will receive enough light. Landscaping in Calgary often includes a productive vegetable and/or fruit garden.

If you read when to start tomato seeds in Calgary you will know that February and March are the best months to do this. If you planted your seeds at this time your tomato plant should be over 12 inches tall and ready to plant in your outdoor garden.  Make sure to prepare your garden soil properly and don’t just plant your tomatoes in old silty or poor soil.  To enrich your soil and prepare it for planning loosen up the soil first with a pitchfork.  You will need to dig the soil area about 16″ x 16″ and 18″ deep.  If your soil has poor drainage you can add some pea gravel at the bottom of the hole.  Enrich the soil by adding some good quality garden mix that contains compost, peat moss and vermiculite or perlite.  Plant your tomato plant with the top of its root ball about one inch below the surface and make sure to pack the soil very well around the root ball.  Packing the soil with help the plant retain moisture and make the plant stock sturdier in windy conditions.  Stake your tomato plant or add a tomato ring.  A stake or tomato ring will help keep the plant upright and less stressed.  This will be especially helpful once the tomato begins to bear the heavy tomato fruit.  Fertilize your tomato with a good quality tomato fertilizer.  You may need to do this as much as once a week but be careful not to over fertilize.

Enjoy your fresh tomatoes by mid to late July all the way up until late September.  We hope you enjoyed reading when to start tomato seeds in Calgary.  Enjoy!

 

 

20 Feb 2020
0 Comments By david Landscaping, lawn

Lawn Pests in Calgary

You may have notices some changes in your Calgary lawn over the years.  The overall health of your lawn may be declining or you may see specific changes that are obvious.  Lawn pests in Calgary are quite common and they can really affect the health and look of your lawn.  It is important to know what pests you have in your lawn and how best to deal with them.

Dew worms

Dew worms or night crawlers as they are often called do not enhance your lawns health at all and in fact can be very damaging to your lawn. Dew worms are provably the most destructive of all the lawn pests in Calgary.  Dew worms can grow up to twelve inches in length.  Most worms are healthy for your lawn as they excrete worm castings that are full of nutrients.  Also the worms themselves provide nutrients to the soil when they die.  Dew worms are quite a different story as they do nothing but make a mess of your lawn. The damaging effects of dew worms can be noticed by mounds or bumps that appear throughout your lawn.  These mounds or bumps are caused when dew worms excrete a clay like substance after you water or after a rainfall occurs. These large mounds can making mowing your lawn a real hassle and walkway on your uneven lawn will be uncomfortable especially if you do it with bare feet.  The clay like substance that comes from the dew worms prevents good drainage and also interferes with the grasses rooting systems.

Dew worms are hard to get rid of

Dew worms are not easy to get rid of as they live under patios, walkways or deep within the surface of your lawn.  There are natural predators for dew worms like coyotes robins and other birds.  Trying to dig out dew worms is next to impossible as they are usually too deep to encounter with a shovel and they will scurry away quickly.  Totally replacing your lawn will definitely help with eliminating your dew worm problem.  New sod care will very much help your lawn stay healthy for years to come and fertilizing your lawn  will help prevent dew worms in the future.There are no proven chemicals or pesticides that work for killing dew worms.

Fairy rings

Fairy rings are caused by a fungus that can appear more often in drier locations or areas with poor soil conditions that have low nutrients including some soils in Calgary

You will typically notice a fairly uniform circle or ring of mushrooms appear on your lawn.  You may also notice dark green grass rings bordered by another inside ring of dead grass.  There may also be mushrooms growing within these rings of discoloured grass.  These mushrooms are typically a light brown or tan colour.  There are many other mushrooms that grow in lawns but these fairy ring mushrooms are distinguished by their small size and brown colour.  You may notice these fairy rings and mushrooms more during the rainy season or after you have watered heavily. As lawn pests in Calgary go, fairy rings are very common and can be seen most often during spring and early summer

Controlling your fairy rings

The cause of fairy rings is a fungi but as there have been no fungicides developed that will control the mycelium fungi you will need to address the fairy rings by doing some manual digging.  Lawn & garden care are the keys to keeping your lawn healthy.  A healthy lawn that is watered and fertilized will will be affected less by lawn pests in Calgary.  We have found great success by using a pitchfork to punch holes in the lawn wherever the fairy rings exist.  It is best to make your holes as deep as possible ( up to 12 inches) and they should be about 3-6 inches apart.  After you have throughly punched the holes in the affected area you can then apply water.  Soak the area thoroughly with water every couple days or as much as every day for at least a month.  if your fairy rings have gotten so bad that they have left the grass brown and unhealthy then we recommend watering daily.  You can also apply some generic dish washing liquid to the fairy rings before you apply the water.  To do this, simply mix a couple teaspoons of water in a large gallon bucket and pour it over your fork holes.  Then soak the detergent into the holes by applying more water.

Replace your lawn if yard pests have taken over

If you have found that dew worms, fairy rings or other lawn pests in Calgary have taken over your lawn then you may want to consider replacing your lawn and soil.  You may not need to do complete sod removal and replacement if there are only small affected areas. If for example you only have a small patch of fairy rings then totally removing the sod and lawn and replacing it will likely be less work than fighting with the fairy rings for weeks or even months.  We have found dew worms to be very persistent and are definitely the most damaging of lawn pests in Calgary. Customers often ask us when is it time for lawn removal? If your lawn has been over run with bumps and mounds caused by dew worms then it is probably best to totally replace your lawn.  Chinook landscaping Calgary would be happy to provide you with a free estimate for your lawn replacements.

07 Feb 2020
0 Comments By david Landscaping, Landscaping Calgary

Don’t pay for a landscaping estimate

We want to give a quick thumbs up for all the landscape contractors out there who work hard to provide free estimates to Calgary homeowners.  Chinook Landscaping and design has provided free landscaping estimates to our Calgary customers for over twenty years.  Landscaping estimates should be something that is provided at no cost regardless of what your project is.  There are some companies that will ask you for a fee in order to provide you with a landscaping estimate.   It is understandable to charge for a landscape design but a landscaping estimate should always be free,  Your landscaping estimate should include the following important details.

Itemized list of landscaping components

It is important to have a detailed itemized list of your landscaping components included in your estimate.  Some estimates just list a grand total for all the work you have requested.  We find our customers really like the detailed list of components.  This way you can pick and choose the landscaping components you want.  The separate costs for each landscaping component will help you decide whether the amounts fall in line with your budget.

Dimensions of hardscape components

Your estimate should include the dimensions of hardscape components like patios, walkways and retaining walls.  Knowing the dimensions will help you compare prices with other estimates you have received.  The dimensions will also allow you to double check the hardscape areas to make sure the measurements are correct.  There will always be some differences once your landscaping components are installed but the initial estimate should give you a very good idea of the dimensions of hardscape components.

Varieties of trees and shrubs

Knowing the varieties of trees and shrubs is very helpful.  This is an important part of all the free landscaping estimates we provide.  There are many trees and shrubs that grow well in Calgary but not all of them grow well under varying conditions.  Varying conditions include sun exposure, water availability, soil conditions and drainage.  We provide shrub and/or tree recommendations based on these variables.  It is very important that the appropriate shrubs and trees are placed in areas where they will flourish otherwise your plant investment will be wasted.

Landscaping options

We always like to included landscaping options in our estimates.  These landscaping options are important and give homeowners some choice when it comes to different landscaping items.  Common landscaping options include hardscaping such as patios and walkways.  We like to list material options for patios and walkway such as paving stones, exposed aggregate, stamped or broom finished concrete.  The prices of these different materials can very greatly so having options is very important.  Tree, shrubs and perennial options are also valuable and should be included in your landscaping estimate.  Many tree and shrub varieties will grow well in similar conditions so its good to know what your options are.

Request your free landscaping estimate 

22 Jan 2020
0 Comments By david Landscaping Calgary

Do you really need a landscape design?

We have seen many landscapers in Calgary push their landscape design packages to Calgary homeowners but do you really need a landscape design?  Landscape design components can look great on paper but quite often the beauty is not translated into being practical or affordable. As well, if a landscape design is not accurately created it can cause many issues once your installation begins.

Landscape designs can cause more problems than they solve

A landscape designs main purpose is to give you and your landscape contractor an exact plan to create your landscaping project.  We have seen some designs where measurements are not accurate, grade changes are not accounted for and landscape design components just don’t fit in the spaces they are supposed to.  When these mistakes occur it can cost you money to re-install the comments and/or cost you time wasted on head scratching.  Drainage issues may also occur when grade changes are not taken into account.  These drainage issues can cause major issues with your landscaping and in the end these issues will cost you money.

Choose your landscape designer carefully

If you do plan to go ahead with a landscape design make sure you are diligent in choosing a designer with several years of experience in Calgary.  There are many landscaping companies in Calgary, some of them are very new to the city and they may not understand the climate changes, drainage issues and other factors that come with Calgary’s unique weather.  If you have a smaller project then a landscape designer is likely not going to be needed.  You can save the design costs and put the money towards the actual landscape work.

Smaller landscaping projects usually do not need a landscape design

If you have a smaller landscaping project such as patios and walkways, fence, mowing pavers or small garden bed retainers then you likely won’t need a landscape design.  These smaller landscaping components can easily be sprayed out on your property.  A spray out design on your property is the best design of all as it is there in front of you and drawn on the space the landscaping component is going to occupy.  Revamping garden beds is another time when you probably don’t need a landscape design.  Allow for mature growth when you plan a garden bed and place the shrubs in their pots in the garden.

When we recommend a landscape design

Landscape designs can be a very important part of your landscaping process but not in all cases.  We recommend a landscape design for our Calgary landscaping customers often.  Landscape designs are particularly important if you have a large landscaping project.  A large landscaping project with multi levels or large grade changes is another case where you may need a landscape design. If you have a new home with no landscaping in place yet then a landscape design will be helpful but only if it is done correctly.  If you are a visual person and cannot visualize your landscaping then you will benefit from a landscape design to help you see the overall plan more clearly.

Check out our landscape design Calgary page for more information.

 

 

21 Jan 2020
0 Comments By david Landscaping Calgary

When is it time for Lawn removal?

Many lawns around Calgary can begin to look old, overgrown and weed infested over time.  Even new lawns can look sick and poorly established if the loam underneath was not installed properly.  The question is when is it time for lawn removal?

Bad soil or loam means your lawn will struggle

Many newly installed lawns were not properly prepped with good quality loam, some properties have little or no loam and the sod or new lawn was just laid on top of silty clay.  You may have purchased a new home from a builder in winter only to discover a sick poorly established lawn once spring arrived.  Bad soil or means your lawn will struggle and you will struggle trying to get it looking healthy again.  Regardless of what you do to help it your lawn will still have problems getting established and staying healthy.  New sod care  with Fertilizer your lawn will help a little but only in the short term.  Aerating and powering raking are also short term solutions.  Poor soil means it is time for lawn removal.

Weed infested lawns can be an endless battle

What to do with weeds? If your lawn has been infested with weeds and there seems to be more weeds than lawn then it is likely time for lawn removal.  Many weeds like dandelions for example can be controlled with herbicides or by weeding by hand.  Other more evasive weeds like clover and quack grass can take over lawns quickly and they are not easily controller by herbicides or hand weeding.  Weed infested lawns can be an endless battle.  You may find yourself weeding on a daily basis and you still aren’t able to keep up with the weed problem.  It iss time for lawn removal if weeds have taken over your lawn.

Lawns growing over and above sidewalks and walkways

Over time your lawn can begin to get higher and higher until it is many inches above your walkway or city sidewalk.  This happens because the lawns roots are getting larger and larger taking up more space beneath the grass blades.  This causes the lawn to rise up making it very awkward to trim or mow it properly.  You may also notice that your lawn is leaching soil onto your walkway because the soil is above the walkway or sidewalk.  Dew worms can also cause major problems with lawns and they are also in many cases, responsible for pushing up lawns and leaching soil onto walkway.  You need to remove old sod if dew worms have become a persistent problem.

We can help you with sod or lawn removal and answer any questions you may have.

 

 

 

 

 

16 Jan 2020
0 Comments By david Landscaping, Landscaping Calgary

A great alternative to salt for your walkway

For many years now Calgarians have been using salt or gravel to melt snow and ice from their slippery winter walkways and sidewalks. Salt can be especially harmful to your plantings and sod and other landscaping. A little salt is ok but too much salt can cause short and long term damage to sod, shrubs, trees and perennials.  Not only is salt damaging to the foliage but more damage is caused by salt being taken up by the plants root systems.

Salty spring runoff is harmful

In the spring or during warm chinook weather, the snow melts and mixes with the salt.  This salty spring run offThe water and salt is absorbed by the plants root systems and eventually reaches toxic levels.  In spring, during new plant growth, you may notice your plants are slow to leaf out or they are not showing any signs of life.  Your lawn or sod may look brownish and the grass blades may be mushy. Minimize salt damage to your lawn in Calgary.

Lava rock is a good option

Lavagrip is a great option to using salt or gravel.  Lavagrip is actually crushed Lava rock that provides a very grippy surface when applied on walkways on patio surfaces.  The lava rock is harmless and won’t damage your plants or lawn.  Lava rock is porous and this allows your plantings to still get air even if you apply a lot of lava rock to your walkway.  Lavagrip will not melt ice and although it provides a good drip on top of ice it is still best to shovel your walkways clean of snow and ice.