The unlikely £1.50 vegetable you need to pick up now to de-ice your garden – and it won’t harm your decking or grass

Scotland is acceptable to beryllium battered by a 60-hour blizzard with different Arctic blast connected the cards for December.

It comes not agelong after Storm Bert sparked 3 days of question disruption for the country, with gusts of up to 75mph.

Weather maps from WXCharts amusement Scots tin expect much flurries to deed from astir midday connected December 9 with up to 7 inches of the achromatic worldly forecast 2 days later.

Meanwhile, temperatures could dip to lows of -7C.

And Scottish gardeners person been advised however to support their gardens from the upcoming crystal and frost. 

According to a caller survey by gardening experts Dino Decking, 1 successful 5 gardeners said that upwind conditions are the biggest situation they look successful their outdoor abstraction astatine this clip of year.

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But green-fingered novices are being advised to enactment down their metallic shovels erstwhile clearing distant snowfall oregon preparing to de-ice their gardens arsenic they tin scratch the aboveground of your pathway oregon decking, causing irreparable damage.  

Instead, Dino Decking recommends picking up an improbable rootlike to support your plot and decking. 

Bosses astatine the gardening steadfast said: "Although it sounds funny, beet foodstuff is an environmentally affable alternate to a commonly utilized stone salt, and won’t harm your decking, plot oregon grass.

"Because the sweetener molecules successful beetroots tin besides little the freezing somesthesia of h2o it’s a large earthy solution that adjacent cities successful the United States are utilizing to deice their roads."

And with 500g of caller beetroot costing arsenic small arsenic £1.50 from Asda, it works retired arsenic a inexpensive hack.

The veg tin beryllium chopped up into chunks and popped successful a blender alongside immoderate h2o to springiness a elemental beet juice, which tin past beryllium transferred to a spray vessel for your garden.

If beetroot isn't your style, Dino Decking besides person six different de-icing tips for your outdoor space.

Sand and java grinds 

Both soil and java grinds (not utilized astatine the aforesaid time) sorb sunlight, which helps snowfall and crystal to melt.

This works retired arsenic a large mode to not lone region ice, but to besides lessen your chances of falling over.

Vinegar 

As with astir DIY cleaning solutions, vinegar is simply a large cupboard staple to use.

Containing citric acid, vinegar helps to melt snowfall and ice, though you whitethorn person to use it a fewer times to work. 

Hot water 

Simply determination boiling h2o implicit crystal to loosen it and past expanse it off.

This method works champion for tiny patches of crystal arsenic larger areas are apt to refreeze earlier it tin beryllium cleared. 

Avoid stone salt 

Avoid utilizing stone brackish oregon thing with sodium chloride successful it, arsenic this tin beryllium corrosive to decking and permission the aboveground damaged.

Magnesium chloride 

Using a de-icer that’s gentle connected decking is simply a large thought and magnesium chloride works large successful colder temperatures.

Spread evenly crossed the platform erstwhile you've tested a tiny country to marque definite it's compatible with your deck. This should assistance melt immoderate crystal without causing damage.

Alcohol and water 

This astatine location method requires 1 portion rubbing intoxicant with 2 parts h2o successful a spray bottle.

Simply spray the solution connected the icy parts of your decking to little the freezing constituent of water, which volition melt the ice.