Winter can take its toll on your garden, especially if it suffers unduly from being in the shade. Weeds pop up as plants struggle for light, and mould and grime hang on to pavers, making them dull and unsightly.
Weeds also sprout in the cracks of your pavers and must be dealt with before overwhelming a footpath or entertainment area.
If you’re about to sell, you’ll know you can’t put your home on the market with weeds as your most prominent garden feature.
Weeding between pavers is time-consuming, back-breaking work with no job satisfaction, so how can you eliminate them for good?
Hot stuff
Boiling water poured straight from a kettle over the weeds in paver cracks really does work.
Sour taste
Weeds hate white vinegar. Mix it with boiling water to make the solution hot, and that’ll do the trick on stubborn weeds.
Corny idea
Corn gluten meal is a natural herbicide preventing germinating weed seeds. It works best when you apply it in early spring. However, it‘s better at preventing weed growth rather than killing them.
Prevention
Weeds in pavers are often the result of seeds from your garden beds. To minimise this possibility, apply a layer of organic mulch, such as wood chips, straw, or shredded leaves. These stop weed seeds from germinating by denying sunlight.
Weed mats
You can buy weed matting at your local garden store. These deny seeds the sunlight necessary to germinate. They’re tricky to install around existing plants but offer an excellent long-term prevention strategy.
Be disciplined
Consistent maintenance is key to preventing weeds. It’s easier to control weeds when they’re small and haven’t produced seeds.