Kill weeds on patios with water method that is ‘more effective’ than vinegar or chemicals
There is a simple way to get rid of the weeds growing in patio cracks "for good" without having to use ineffective white vinegar or spend lots of money on harsh weed killers.
Weeding can be an utter nightmare, especially when they get into the cracks and hard-to-reach places of a patio which can be incredibly difficult to remove.
Many gardeners can turn to toxic weed killers so they do not have to spend an afternoon pulling up weeds, but this can be hazardous to the environment and can contaminate the soil in a garden.
One natural alternative often shared online is white vinegar, which can kill pesky weed plants but it is highly recommended not to use on a patio as the acid can damage the surface of stone, especially limescale or concrete.
Instead, Karen Bertelsen, a gardener and founder of The Art of Doing Stuff, has shared there is a better way to completely remove weeds without using poison or doing back-breaking labour.
She said: “Killing weeds with boiling water is actually a fairly effective way to get rid of weeds, especially ones that are wedged into cracks where pulling them is almost impossible.”
It may seem simple, but boiling water is not only safe but will begin working almost immediately as you will see the weed begin shrivelling and wilting an hour after pouring.
Boiling water targets the leaves of the plant so it does not have energy to keep growing and will eventually kill off the root so this pesky plant cannot grow back.
Karen said: “Yup. Just pour boiling water on them. I know. I didn't think it would work either. But it does.
“One caveat to using boiling water is you'll have to repeat the treatment until the tap root eventually decides it can't take it anymore.
“It may take three or four treatments to get rid of the weed for good. Each time it grows back, treat it again. It will grow back less and less vigorously as time goes on until it doesn't grow back at all.”
All you have to do is fill up a kettle, carefully carry it to your patio and pour a generous amount of water on the weeds.
Make sure to pour slowly and not use this method near plants or grass as it can kill anything green in a garden due to the hot temperature.
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After a few days, if you see any young weeds sprouting up again make sure to repeatedly pour boiling water on them and eventually, the root will completely die off.
Karen said: “Boiling water kills the leaves instantly. The weed leaves are how they gather energy to grow, so if you get rid of those you're on your way to killing the entire weed.
“It's more effective than simply removing the leaves because the boiling water also damages the top of the taproot.”
Karen added that she used this method to kill weeds on her stone patio as well as a stone wall that was covered in weeds, and after one treatment the majority of the plants were dead within an hour.
After two more treatments, all the weeds were completely “gone for good” according to the gardener, making it an easy way to get rid of weeds without having to spend any money.
