Weeds in block paving

no rephrase that, some block paving in my weeds!

What's the best way to deal with this? I bought some pathclear but it said not to use on paving, I did anyway but it did run everywhere and I had to use a stiff brush fast to stop it going on to the lawn, also didn't go very far but I thinks that's on account that I wasn't using a very fine rose on the watering can. any tips gratefully received EGW xx

Oh and I also have lots of oil stains on my block paving so if I can get rid of them all the better!!

 

If you're going to use weedkiller - put it in something you can spray it on with, either a proper garden sprayer or even an old spray bottle (I use the ones that have had kitchen/bathroom or window cleaner type products in them). You might have to refill it umpteen times, but it's easier to direct onto the weeds and, of course, it makes the solution go a 'helluva' lot further.

Depending on how large an area your block paving covers, I find that a nice 'sitting-down job' is to grab an old knife (I use an old cheese knife) and just scrape it between the blocks to get the weeds out. I know .... you can buy 'proper' scrapers, but I found that my bricks were laid so tightly together that the 'proper' tool was a bit too wide for the gaps between them. If you catch the little blighters early enough, a very stiff (or wire 'deck' brush - which I've seen in B&Q - basically a wire brush on a long handle) should sort a lot of them out before they take hold.

Perhaps, also in future, it might be better to try and find a weedkiller which states it can be used on block paving, some 'general purpose' weedkillers might stain or bleach your paviours. You can also buy block paving sealer, which of course, isn't cheap but once you've got rid of the oil stains it might be worth thinking about.

There are all sorts of 'home made' remedies for getting rid of the oil stain, ranging from cat litter (which will really only soak the stuff up), to pouring on bottles of coke! You might find something in the garden centre specifically for the purpose, but you could just as easily go into somewhere like Halfords and look for something called 'Gunk' - you can buy it in an aerosol can or in litre cans if you've a larger area. It's primarily an engine degreaser, but if you read the can it says "... Removes oil, grease & grime from many surfaces..."

 

Hi Ellie,I have block paving and never let the weeds grow between them.
The purpose built wire brush on a handle is perfect for removing them,this IS a laborious task but worthwhile.

Now, there is nothing that will remove oil from block paving.
I had this problem with a company van leaking oil.
The blocks need to be individually lifted and replaced,once you get one up it's easy.
Good luck and don,t let those weeds grow.....

 

my neighbour has a karcher pressure washer ... he has the small one and sprays his driveway approx once a month with water (connected to the hose) .... works a dream and cleans the paving and removes most weeds

also good in late winter where it removes the black algae with no chemicals needed ....

 

thank you for all your ideas xx

 

Thankyou from me too as there are some weeds inbetween mine as well.
I often thought of buying something to fill in the gaps so that nothing would then grow, but I have never seen anything other than white and that would then stick out like a sore thumb.

 

Vinegar for the weeds. Coca Cola (or similar) for the oil stains.
Nearly always work for me anyway.

 

I think somebody said on another thread that salt works for weeds too.