You can control the wild growth on the terrace and driveway with:
- Grout scraper and wire brush,
- Flame burners,
- the high-pressure cleaner, (€ 85.90 at Amazon *)
- boiling water,
- Paving joint mortar,
- Dansand,
- Biological weed killers
also read
- Seven great tips on how to remove weeds naturally
- Effective means of permanently removing weeds in pavement joints
- Tips and tricks on how to remove weeds effectively
to grapple. However, some preparations that are passed on as tips are prohibited. Other methods work very well, but must be repeated regularly.
Grout scraper and wire brush
Removing the weeds in this way is effective if you work carefully and lift the weeds and roots out of the cracks. If this is not the case, the green quickly comes to a head again.
If you prefer to use a telescopic joint scraper, then you don't have to bend down and noticeably relieve your back. If the earth between the pavement slabs is slightly damp, the wild plants can be removed more easily.
Flame burners
You can use heat to destroy weeds with a special flame device that runs on electricity or gas. The high temperature causes the cells of the plants to burst, the plants dry up and can simply be swept away.
Handle the devices carefully and watch out for adjacent ornamental and useful plants so that they are not accidentally damaged. Hold the device over the plants long enough, as this is the only way for the deep roots to be reached by the heat.
high pressure cleaner
Weeds can be removed very effectively with the high-pressure cleaner. The device used should work with at least 10 bar. If you hold the nozzle directly into the cracks, the shallow-rooted weeds are simply flushed out. You can then sweep away the plants.
However, the high-pressure cleaner also rinses gravel and sand from the joints. This makes it necessary to regularly sweep in fresh material. Dansand is recommended, as it compacts strongly and thus removes the livelihood of the weeds.
Home remedies
Boiling water
Due to the high temperature, this destroys the cell structure of the plants and the plants perish. Depending on the type of weed, this takes between two and four days. With stubborn weeds like dandelions that have already reached a certain size, you may have to repeat the process several times. If you use the cooking water that occurs in the kitchen, this method is inexpensive, environmentally friendly and very effective on small areas.
Vinegar and salt
When mixed correctly, vinegar and salt are relatively effective against weeds. However, its use on paved areas is prohibited by law, as an environmental hazard cannot be excluded due to the inability to biodegrade. The use is to be classified as illegal according to §3 of the Plant Protection Act, since the agents violate the "good professional practice" in plant protection. There are good reasons for this, as many products used in the household, such as vinegar essence, are more harmful to the environment than users suspect.
You should therefore refrain from using this home remedy to destroy wild plants growing in the driveway or on the terrace.
Paving joint mortar
With this you can permanently get rid of weeds that keep growing in the terrace joints. The resin-based material is simply placed in the joints between the panels. There the frost-resistant agent hardens elastically, so there is no need to fear cracks in the winter months or when exposed to stress.
Weed-inhibiting joint sand
Dansand creates desert-like conditions thanks to its high pH value, when it is well swept into the cracks. This means that the seeds of the wild herbs have no chance of germinating.
Application:
- Thoroughly sweep into the dry cracks of the terrace stones.
- If possible, go over the area with a vibrating plate (€ 214.60 at Amazon *) to compact the material.
- The sand should only be able to be pressed a few millimeters into the joint with a spatula.
- If this is not the case, selectively refill some sand.
Herbicides
In specialist shops you can get a variety of weed killers for a wide variety of applications. As with the home remedies vinegar and salt, the use of many preparations on paved surfaces is prohibited. Therefore, do not choose a product that you still have at home indiscriminately, but only use products that are approved for the intended use.
Please be aware that many herbicides contain glyphosate, which is suspected of being carcinogenic. These agents should no longer be used in organically managed gardens.
Biological weed killers, provided they are used in accordance with the information on the packaging, are more environmentally friendly. Dilute this with water according to the package insert and pour the preparation specifically into the cracks in the slabs of the terrace or driveway.
Tips
If root weeds have settled in your garden, you should remove them as quickly as possible. This prevents the weeds from multiplying in the first place. In addition, small plants are much easier to pull out of the joints than large ones that have already formed a deep root.
