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How to kill this unwanted intruding plant

bradleyheathhayskqy71oZzbradleyheathhayskqy71oZz Posts: 2
in Plants
How do I go about killing the small weeds that are growing up through my patio pavers?  Sadly there's no weed mat underneath the bricks.  I've tried commercial spray herbacide twice on other weeds before and both times ended up effecting plants nearby so I won't be going that route again.  I tried pouring heavily salted water in the cracks but they aren't large enough and the water just ran down the sidewalk.  I guess I need something that'll do the job that I can brush on and has no chance of transmitting through the air like I've seen before.

thanks
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  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,995
    I like using boiling water on weeds in my patio.  Sort of depends on how many you are dealing with.  If I boil a bit too much extra water for a cup of tea I just take it out and dump it on a weed.  Sometimes I boil a few full kettles for the purpose.  
    Utah, USA.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Hello @bradleyheathhayskqy71oZz  and welcome to the forum 😊 

    Do you know what sort of weeds they are?  Are they coming up through the patio from below or are they growing from seeds that have blown into the gaps between the pavers?

    A photo would help us to know what you’re dealing with. 😊 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    @bradleyheathhayskqy71oZz I use a wire brush on a stick that I purchased from a Garden Centre. I have block paving but you would need to be very careful you could scratch your paving stones.

    I think you are wise not to use herbicide the slightest wind or run off and plants can be damaged. Not wildlife friendly either  there are less insects this year including Ladybirds which is a concern. Salt is more environmentally damaging than herbicide too.
    Many herbicides are either weaker now or weeds have mutated to a point that these treatments no longer work.

    In the future I think we may be more accepting of weeds everywhere in are gardens. There are various plants that no longer do well due to environmental issues. Attacked by insects or or disease. As that list inceases the humble buttercup and dandelion will be more acceptable.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    Boiling water - tick
    Malt vinegar - tick
    Salt - tick.

    GardenerSuze said:
    In the future I think we may be more accepting of weeds everywhere in are gardens.
    Some of us may, others will continue the battle.

    Though there does seem a trend to selfish pleasure seeking, and general slovenliness.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I'm guessing it's horsetail. That won't be easy to get rid of as it's been around since the dawn of time. All you can do is manage it, by hoeing/pulling if it's that. Some people find bruising/breaking the stems and then using a targeted weedkiller dabbed on is reasonably effective. A photo is needed though, to see what it is.

    However, as @GardenerSuze says - salt/boiling water etc damages everything else and won't get rid of persistent weeds anyway. Please avoid using those. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Maybe some folk are just broadening their understanding of the value, both aesthetic and environmental, of our native plants. 

    However it sounds as if the paving joints of the OPs patio would be better without any plants … so let’s have a photo to show us what we’re dealing with please …



    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    As usual a certain poster is encouraging methods that will destroy all nearby life. Surely this is not what real gardeners believe?
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    Salt will damage nearby plants as it will leach into the soil. Glyphosate (Roundup) won't if used correctly. Carefully spray along the cracks holding the sprayer up close, best to spray in the morning, and obviously not on a windy or rainy day. You can paint it on if you'd rather. The weeds will take a week or two to start to die off but they will die. 
    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    The new weedkillers which contain no glysophate now are acetic acid,  vinegar. It doesn’t work long term. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

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