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Tatty patio

I have patio that is looking tired.  I don't have the budget to replace it, but I am desperate to stop the weeds coming up through the cracks.  It is mostly Dandelions and Grass.

Can anyone suggest a good way to a) get rid of them (I assume a patio scraper) and b) a way to stop them coming through again?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

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Posts

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,064

    Treat it with a product called Pathclear which works for 3 months at a time.   Be careful not to get it on surrounding pants or they'll die too.

    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • Hi Longhead23

    Two things you can do that do not cost the earth

    1/ use boiled water from the kettle to kill off existing weeds by pouring the water over them

    2/ using cheap supermarket table salt down the cracks

    This works well and not dangerous if you have pets. I got the idea when looking at the grass verges during winter after the council had salted the roads. The grass always dies off in the area that gets salted by the lorries

    Hope this helps

  • sanjy67sanjy67 Posts: 1,007

    i always use salt water on my weeds too in cracks, works really well image

  • OK.  Salt water sounds like a popular method.  I'll give it a go.

    I'm not keen on the bleach idea, is it environmentally friendly?

     

    Thanks for all of your suggestions.

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,064

    None of them is environmentally friendly.  Plants don't like weedkilers or salt or bleach and nor, I suspect, do tiny soil organisms and small critters but the alternative is constant hand weeding.   Your choice.

    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • Every day is a school day.  That is why this forum is an invaluable tool.

    Thanks for the help.

  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053

    I am another that uses Pathclear. My weedkiller of choice for paving.

     

    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 8,352

    I would also use Pathclear - effective & residual to prevent germination of the weed seeds left in the cracks.

    I would also consider regrouting the patio after treatment. It's not expensive (sand & cement mix) & cheaper than keep buying weedkiller. However, it is a bit tedious and time consuming if you do it properly and tamp the mix firmly into the cracks - but if it's only a small patio it won't take too long & is worth doing.

    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
  • Salty water works a treat.

  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719

    We have a massive patio area, have tried everything, the worse problem is the seeds we put on the bird table, GRASS, the roots are under the slabs, so really difficult to remove, my Husband has been digging them out, and has re-grouted in between the slabs. So hopefully, they cannot seed themselves.  it is very hard work, but hopefully will only need doing the once!   I call myself the Pyjama gardener, because when it is light (very early in the summer) I go out and inspect my plot, and find stuff to do long before I have "time" to get dressed!

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