There’s nothing more frustrating than having a beautiful patio or pathway spoiled by weeds growing between the pavers. This is something that gradually sets in over time, and before you know it, the weeds can take over and be extremely difficult to remove.
This needn’t be the case.
We, at Paver Maintenance Specialists, feel your pain and want to help. Keeping brick pavers weed free is actually relatively easy. But to accomplish this, it’s important to understand where weeds are coming from in the first place.
Many people assume that weeds organically spring up from below, and while this is logical, it’s also incorrect. The most common way weeds grow and spread is from seeds blown in from other weeds close by. It’s likely that, if you have lots of weeds in your pavers, you probably also have lots of weeds in your yard as a whole.
Here are a couple tips to keep your brick paver patio weed free:
1. Tend the Yard as a Whole
Following the logic above, keeping your yard relatively weed free is obviously a good first step. Sometimes the best defense is a good offense, as they say. It can be challenging to maintain a weed free patio or walkway if it’s lined by a flower bed or a lawn that is overflowing with weeds.
2. Use a Homemade Weed Killer
Treating your brick paver surface with Bleach and RoundUp are a couple options, but we don’t advocate either of them for many reasons. They both are harmful to the environment, and can runoff into local water sources. A better solution is using white vinegar. The vinegar sold in grocery stores is about 5% acetic acid (the key ingredient), which is usually strong enough for most weeds. But if in doubt, buy vinegar with 10% acetic acid and it’s sure to do the trick. Apply the vinegar along the joints generously. For bigger areas, we recommend using a pump-up weed sprayer. Make sure to clear the dead weeds and debris after treatment.
3. Use Water to Remove Weeds
Another option for controlling weeds without the use of chemical herbicides is simply using boiling water. Throw a couple large pots on the stove, wait for them to boil, and then douse any problem areas with it. Using boiling water is an effective method for killing weeds, but be careful because this can also kill grass or flowers that are nearby and which come into contact with the water.
In our experience, keeping surrounding areas relatively weed free and applying some homemade herbicides will keep your brick paver surface spick and span. Whether you go with vinegar or decide to boil the weeds is up to you, but either will get the job done without introducing harsh chemicals into the environment.
Need Help With Brick Paver Maintenance in Macomb County?
If you need a contractor to help with brick paver maintenance in Macomb County we would be happy to write you an estimate, or simply share our expertise by answering a question. Paver Maintenance Specialists services Macomb County and Oakland Counties, as well as the entire Metro Detroit area.