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At this time of year you may be wonder- ing how to melt ice. It's a good time to review the use of melting salt and the effects of it on your plants. How harmful is deicing salt for my plants? I get asked this a lot and my answer is: There is always some damage. It can be minimal or extensive. It depends on certain factors. The factors involved are what type of salt is used, what plants are involved and their location in reference to exposure, and how often it is applied. — What type of salt is being used? All salt can damage plants, especially in excess. Although the chloride in salts causes the most damage, what it's mixed with does make a difference. Sodium chloride is your worst choice. It is the most harmful to your plants because a high level of sodium in the soil is also bad. This is the type of salt that is most prevalent in road salt mixes today, mainly because of expense. This is why the plants next to the road normally suffer the most. For your own personal use on side- walks, driveways, etc. find a less damaging salt to use. Calcium, magnesium or potassi- um chloride salts are less harmful to plants. These types are less damaging because the plants use these nutrients more readily, and if levels get too high, are less harmful. The type should be listed right on the bag. If you're planting next to a road, try using salt-resistant varieties of plants. Trees such as white spruce, Austrian pines, oaks, honey locust and birches are good choices. Serviceberry, hydrangea, winterberry, mockorange, potentilla, cotoneaster and shrub roses are a few good shrubs to use. Good perennials include Karl Foerster feather reed grass, daylilies, thrifts and yarrows. If continuous color from annual plants is what you're after, try ivy gerani- ums, moss roses, lantana and coleus. Exist- ing plants that might already be there can be protected by covering them in the winter to avoid direct contact from splashing, then flushing the soil in the spring with clear water. Lastly, limit the use of salt as much as possible. The less salt used, the less damage incurred. Instead, you may want to try straight sand or a mixture of sand and salt. Also, don't apply salt when it is below 5 degrees because it isn't real effective and doesn't dissolve. Try not to pile salt-laden snow over or around your plants. Also, never apply salt in spring when plants are coming out of dormancy; they are more sensitive at this time. There can be a delicate balance between winter safety and plant health from the use of salts, but as you can see, there are alter- natives out there to help protect our plants, so give some a try. Happy gardening! (Michael Timm is a horticulturalist with Ebert's Greenhouse Village, Ixonia.) Construction firms added 45,000 workers in December as the industry's unemploy- ment rate declined to 7.5 percent from 8.3 a year ago, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of Ameri- ca. Association officials noted that the robust job gains come as a new industry outlook shows most firms expect to expand their head count in 2016 amid growing pri- vate- and public-sector demand. "Based on what most contractors have reported, the robust hiring the industry has experienced during the past few months should continue through 2016," said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist. "While contractors continue to be worried about labor shortages, regulato- ry burdens and health care costs, most expect growing demand for many types of construction will allow them to expand this year." Construction employment totaled 6,538,000 in December, the most since Janu- ary 2009, and is up by 263,000 jobs compared with a year ago, a 4.2 percent increase. Res- idential construction increased by 23,100 in December and by 137,200, or 5.7 percent, compared with a year ago. Nonresidential construction employers added 21,200 jobs for the month and 125,400 jobs compared with last December, a 3.2 percent increase. December marks the third month of large increases in construction employ- ment, the economist noted. The growth in construction employment comes as 71 per- cent of firms report they plan to expand their total head count in 2016, according to the association's 2016 Construction Hiring and Business Outlook. Simonson noted that more contractors report they expect spending on most market public and pri- vate segments to expand this year than con- tract. Association officials noted that most con- tractors remain concerned about shortages of available construction workers, noting that 70 percent of contractors report hav- ing a hard time finding workers. They urged federal, state and local officials to act on measures outlined in the association's Workforce Development Plan to support new career and technical education pro- grams. HOMES PLUS JANUARY 2016 2 AARONS LAWN CARE N16 W22033 Jericho Dr. Waukesha, WI 53186 We're the best in the business. All we ask is for the chance to show you. 247744003 Call For FREE ESTIMATE AARONS LAWN CARE Trained Technicians using the right product, the right amount at the right time Certified • Licensed • Insured Customized Snow Removal Solutions Your Service for All Seasons! SNOW PLOWING/BLOWING RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL 24/7 262-691-2304 Distributed by: ©2011 by Conley Media LLC Waukesha County Homes Plus is published monthly by Conley Media - Waukesha County, 801 N. Barstow St., Waukesha, WI 53186. Contents of this publication may not be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the publisher. A publication of Conley Media Sales Director: Jim Baumgart 262/513-2621 jbaumgart@conleynet.com Editor: Dan Muckelbauer 262/513-2626 dmuck@conleynet.com Production: Patricia Scheel 262/513-2690 pscheel@conleynet.com Homes Plus Volume 5 ■ Number 1 ■ January 2016 Methods, varieties that can survive sodium chloride Highest level since January 2009 Construction firms add 45,000 jobs in December MICHAEL TIMM Deicing salts and how they affect your outdoor plants

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