# Weed killer for block paving



## EA James (5 Apr 2021)

Hi all, 

Can anyone recommend an effective weed killer that i can use on my block paving? Commercial products that i see in garden centres seem to be quite expensive and i have quite a large area I need to treat. 
It's something that haunts me every year all spring/summer long so this year i want to sort it properly, otherwise I'm jet washing it once a month which is messy! 

Cheers


----------



## John q (5 Apr 2021)

I've used a cup of vinegar mixed with a tablespoon of salt in the past and it seemed to kill off the weeds and stopped them coming back between paving cracks.
I'd always assumed the above was an old wives tale but worked well for me.

Just be careful the acetic acid doesn't stain the blocks.


----------



## Courtneybst (5 Apr 2021)

Whatever you do don't use Roundup! 🙃


----------



## EA James (5 Apr 2021)

@John q I'll bear that in mind and that sounds like a good money saving alternative but i have quite a large area so I don't think that would work for me, ideally i need something that i can mix with water and put it in the watering can or a sprayer, cheers though 



Courtneybst said:


> Whatever you do don't use Roundup!


Never heard of it!! Is it a crap weedkiller? Something I'm guessing you've had an experience with?!! 

Cheers


----------



## John q (5 Apr 2021)

Roundup uses an active ingredient glyphosate, this is supposedly carcinogenic, although there are conflicting opinions on this.

You can buy distilled vinegar at tesco for about 80p a litre, 3 or 4 litres of that in a sprayer will go a long way.


----------



## lazybones51 (5 Apr 2021)

I have had great success with Glyphosate based products such as "Rosate 360 TF". I only bought a 1l bottle as you dilute it a lot due to it's concentration (25ml with 1l of water).


----------



## shangman (5 Apr 2021)

Weedkillers like Roundup work, but they're also very toxic to pretty much all life around them, they poison the soil, the groundwater, plants, wildlife, pets and people too. You wouldn't put a drop of it in your tank, don't put it in the garden, even if it does kill the weeds. Our casual annoyances as people shouldn't be easily fixed with toxic poison. Try the vinegar/salt, and you can also try pouring boiling water on young weeds to kill them.


----------



## Courtneybst (5 Apr 2021)

shangman said:


> Weedkillers like Roundup work, but they're also very toxic to pretty much all life around them, they poison the soil, the groundwater, plants, wildlife, pets and people too. You wouldn't put a drop of it in your tank, don't put it in the garden, even if it does kill the weeds. Our casual annoyances as people shouldn't be easily fixed with toxic poison. Try the vinegar/salt, and you can also try pouring boiling water on young weeds to kill them.



+1 to this. I've done extensive research on glyphosate and you don't want to be getting that stuff anywhere near you or wildlife.

The company also have around 30,000 pending lawsuits because of its carcinogenic properties. If you wanna know the tea, lookup Seralini.

IMO manual removal and physical obstruction is the best way. Where I had cracks in my walkway I cemented the cracks and now weeds don't grow through it.


----------



## not called Bob (5 Apr 2021)

Courtneybst said:


> +1 to this. I've done extensive research on glyphosate and you don't want to be getting that stuff anywhere near you or wildlife.
> 
> The company also have around 30,000 pending lawsuits because of its carcinogenic properties. If you wanna know the tea, lookup Seralini.
> 
> IMO manual removal and physical obstruction is the best way. Where I had cracks in my walkway I cemented the cracks and now weeds don't grow through it.


maybe that’s why Monsanto was wound up a few years back to make these cases not a problem for bayer...

fire works very well, a gas weed wand is cheaper long term than an electric one


----------



## John q (5 Apr 2021)

not called Bob said:


> maybe that’s why Monsanto was wound up a few years back to make these cases not a problem for bayer...


I think Bayer have set aside something like 2 billion dollars towards settling this class action.
They also released a statement in February on the subject. 

"On February 3, 2021, Bayer announced a formal agreement with plaintiffs’ class counsel on a class plan designed to manage and resolve future Roundup™ cases. A motion for preliminary approval of the class agreement was filed with Judge Vince Chhabria of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, who presides over the Roundup™ multi-district litigation."

Makes you wonder why glyphosate is still used in the roundup product.


----------



## zozo (10 Apr 2021)

A propane blow torch?...   Has the least environmental impact if you keep everything plastic out of the way... 

For me this works a treat, it's rather regular maintenance, but if I wait till it's a jungle again then it's less of an option.


----------

