Blog

22 Oct

How To Stop Weeds In My Paving

A path, pad or patio laid with pavers is sure to have gap lines between each paving stone. They look terrific when laid but without proper prevention methods, weeds of all breeds can find their way through those joints and greatly reduce the overall appearance of the entire area. But that’s not all! The weed growth will almost certainly cause stabilising damage to the entire floor. With a few preventative measures, weeds can be avoided in the first place. That is why it is crucial to have Paving Services take care of your paving project for you.

Correct Installation

When installing pavers of any size or shape there will always be varying gaps between the pavers, bricks or stones. To prevent weed growth through those gaps it is important to make the effort to ensure proper installation. Paving Services are professional pavers and we will lay a sand bed and ensure that is tightly packed which will provide a level foundation for the path, driveway or patio. Once all the pavers are in place, additional sands will then be packed into the crevices. This process will ensure each paver stays in place and when packed correctly, will help to prevent weed growth. Using a professional crew like Paving Services will guarantee your project is correct.

Ensure Sufficient Water Run-off

We all know that once rooted, weeds thrive in cool, damp soil. When the paved driveway, path or patio is installed it is important to ensure sufficient incline to allow water to run off the paved area and not remain stagnant in the paving crevices and thereby not creating the conditions weeds need to thrive. Where possible, the incline of the paved area should always tilt away from any foot access to the ‘used’ area and preferably towards a garden or drain.

Preventing Weed Growth

Just like anything else, care and prevention is the best method of weed control between your pavers. With just a little consistent maintenance weed development can be halted before it even starts. But if you have purchased a property or have yet to set a maintenance schedule for your paved area and weeds are already present, there’s no need to worry. There are corrective measures that can eradicate the weeds and restore the look of your driveway, path, or patio.

Regular Sweeping

You may be surprised to know that in most instances those weeds you are looking at did not actually grow up from beneath the pavers. If laid correctly, it is likely that root weeds could not get through the dark packed sand base at that particular spot. They have probably started from various seeds that land on your pavers surface and end up settling in the lower joint gaps of the pavers as the wind blows them across the surface. Unlike travelling underground roots, seeds need to first take root at the top of those paver gaps so they can grow. Therefore regular sweeping of your pavers is a simple part of maintenance that will disrupt the seeds prior to rooting and greatly helping to inhibit weed growth.

Is It Too Late?

No, there is always a way to eradicate the weeds between your pavers. If weeds are already present you now have to move from prevention to restoration. There are a variety of ways you can remove existing weeds from your paver area. But don’t get too relaxed and place faith in the spray bottle from the hardware store because it is often the case that a single weed-removal method may not be enough. When you are looking to find effective remedies for the problem it may be more effective to search for ways that will involve combing two or more strategies which will depend on the severity of your weed problem. Once you have resolved weed growth, you should ensure you have prevention methods in place to minimise any return of the weeds.

White Vinegar

There is an eco-friendly way to treat weeds without the use of harsh chemicals and the best proven one is the white vinegar currently sitting in your pantry. 1 litre of vinegar together with ¼ cup of salt (to boost the low acidity) and a dessert spoon of dishwashing liquid (to act as a surfactant to adhere to the weeds) will give you a solution to kill weeds. The vinegar can be used at full strength or watered down by up to 50% but it may take a few days longer to kill the weeds with the lower concentration. However, unlike the more expensive chemical options, this method is not a preventative. To apply simply pour the vinegar into a spray bottle and apply in the gaps between the pavers, leaving it to sit and work its way into the sand. Hotter days are the best to apply this spray and after a few hours have passed, rinse away the vinegar with a garden hose. This eco-friendly remedy will kill the weeds without damaging the pavers or damaging nearby plants but you will need to apply more frequently than you would if using a chemical solution. Paving Service have not seen or are aware of any situations in which this solution has caused any discolouration to paving stones but it is always a good idea to do a test in an inconspicuous spot before treating the entire area.

Pressure Washing / Water Blasting

Pressure washing the whole paved area could not only remove weeds from the joint gaps between the pavers, it will also provide a deep cleaning to the pavers resulting in a ‘new look’ for your patio, driveway or paths. However, there is a big BUT here. If pressure washing you can easily blow out the sand between the jointing gaps and end up with a bigger problem than weeds. So, do not use the jet nozzle! Your best option is to use the attachment which is a rotating surface cleaner set at the lowest pressure option to avoid dislodging the set sand in the joints. Paving Services have the equipment to do all this for you.

Use Your Tools?

Here we are at the end of the list and this is where the good old pulling of the weeds by hands in gloves and a small fork or digger. But since those great inventions we now have a large variety of assorted tools that tell us the manual weed removal will be made easier with this ‘new tool’ in one movement. Regardless of that, to remove a weed you need to get down to the lowest point of the root stem and then carefully pull the weed. But it is highly unlikely that you will not get all the roots. Further bad news on your efforts is that any of the string roots you were unable to pull out with your first ‘pull’ will grow back. I think this last section is not so great because seriously, do any of us want to spend a weekend doing that?

Want To Get It Right?

Call Paving Services Sunshine Coast to North Brisbane

Subscribe

Notify of

new follow-up commentsnew replies to my comments

Label

{} [+]

Name*

Email*

Website

Label

{} [+]

Name*

Email*

Website

0 Comments

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments