Weedy block paving

I’ve salted mine. I’m sure lots of people will tell me it’s a bad idea, but it seems to be effective.

I sprayed weed killer and removed them when they shriveled up. Mine was only 10yrs old though, one of my grandsons jet washed and resanded it when i was selling it.

White vinegar poured along the cracks is very effective. The smell goes quickly.

As long as you have drainage gutters, one of the best things to use is biological washing powder. It’s not very pretty, but if you sprinkle it on the slabs, and leave it, the rain will do all the hard work for you. It does kill plants too though, so it’s only a good idea if the excess water doesn’t run into your flower beds. The bonus is that it also cleans the slabs. After a couple of weeks you can just brush the dead weeds out.

No, no no. Washing detergents are highly toxic to birds who like to peck gaps in block paving for insects, ants and grubs etc. It can cause anything from digestive distress to severe respiratory failure. Salt is no better. It causes kidney failure in birds and mammals, burns paws and feet and the wash off contaminates freshwater habitats Terrible thing to do at this time of year when parent garden birds will be hunting for food for their chicks.

This why I loathe block paving, the purpose of which seems to be to create labour, sell pressure washers and waste our precious water resources as well as being fatal for wildlife.

Every year I dread what can feel like the constant whine of these damn things as neighbours wash the blocks … which in urban environments ments look dirty again a fortnight later.

Employ someone to manually weed the drive, clean it with sand and a stiff broom, resand the gaps and then have it resealed. Sealant is toxic too as it’s likely to contain VOCs but less so once it is dried and cured.

That doesn’t work though Graphite. Manual weeding won’t remove dandelions or other long rooted weeds, so you’re back to square one in a few weeks. I’ve got a heavy mesh ground sheet, which I put over the patio when I put the washing powder down, no birds go near it, and when it rains it runs off into the gutter.

I use a brick weave weeder, a purpose made broom handle with a wire brush and sharp weeder on the end (available in discount stores and garden centres.) It's not a quick job and quite laborious, but it looks lovely when it's done.

Someone comes to spray weedkiller (which I dislike but needs must) then brushes sand into the cracks, but still the weeds and moss grow back.

The only place they don't grow is where a car is parked.

You can have the blocks resin coated and that is supposed to work but the cost is very high. I think the young man we asked for a quote (not the one we use to treat the drive) plucked the numbers out of the air.

I thought the sand was supposed to inhibit growth but it seems not.

I'll be interested in the answers too.

This why I loathe block paving, the purpose of which seems to be to create labour, sell pressure washers and waste our precious water resources as well as being fatal for wildlife.

I do wish we'd not had it laid when we had the drive done.

We have tried everything but it never lasts. Weed killers, salt, detergents, metal brushes etc.

Now my husband is disabled it will be down to me or I will have to pay someone to get rid of the weeds.

Primrose53

We have tried everything but it never lasts. Weed killers, salt, detergents, metal brushes etc.

Now my husband is disabled it will be down to me or I will have to pay someone to get rid of the weeds.

If you have a gardener or someone to cut the lawns, ask them.
The man who cuts our lawns does ours.

But you can remove long-rooted weeds entirely with a bit of effort especially after wet weather. I have a patio made from large square stones where the pointing has crumbled in places.

Weeds (and self-seeding cultivated plants such Leucanthemum, Centranthus and Geranium) do take root but I wiggle them out before they can grow too large, pot them up and pass them on to other gardeners through out local plant swap.

Larger plants may need a bit of effort to dislodge and may need careful use of a crack weeder to help them along but they do come up.

I never use weedkiller or any toxic substances as I do as much as I can to encourage garden birds. There is a large colony of ants under the patio which the birds love to forage for among the crumbling mortar. I don’t repair it as it’s an exit for the ants when they take flight in summer.

We only seem to have grass and moss.

Your skills as a dandelion puller must be amazing graphite, because I find the roots don’t go straight down, I can rarely get them out in one piece, and a week later they sprout again. As I live adjacent to fields it’s a constant battle.

My DH has a small handheld ‘flame thrower’ which he enjoys using.

It works really well as it’s a simple job every now and again and not as arduous as scraping.

I just use Roundup weed killer, it's been in use for 60 yrs and has never been proved to harm any kind of animal life, unlike salt, vinegar or washing powder and many other so called harmless remedies.
It's easily the easiest and cheapest too.

Domestic roundup is a different formula now I think you'll find. A "silent transition" has left this product apparently worse for wildlife - and it doesn't stay put either.
The agricultural one is unchanged.

I agree NS. Domestic Roundup is highly toxic to aquatic life when it enters water systems .. and we all know where water companies are pumping waste water.

Gosh! So many suggestions - thanks, all of you.

I bought the Ryobi patio cleaner which was really good. It won't remove the roots but I only had to do it once a year. I used to spray Jeyes fluid also.

Brickweave looks lovely when it's new, but it doesn't last. Hours of weeding, jet washing, sweeping in sand, I wish I had tarmac 😉.

I have only just acuired a house with block paving. I am just putting weedkiller on it, weeds die and get worn away by car tyres. It is not staying anyway, I intend to have the paving removed at some time and the parking area placed somewhere else.

Salt every time. Cheap and effective.

I have had block paving for over twenty years,every year I put sealant on the drive,yes it smells at first but on a fine day it drys really quickly I have always used Thompson’s block paving sealant,you can use a roller or long handled brush,deck paving brushes are good too
No problem with weeds