Will vinegar kill weeds between pavers

What’s growing between your pavers: weeds, moss, even tiny trees? If you answer “all of the above,” you’re in the same boat as I was until recently. Seemed like my patio was more vegetation than bricks and I wanted to fix it … fast.

Find Top-Rated Landscaping Pros

Impatient though I was, I took time to research weed removal methods and choose the best. Read how I got rid of all the weeds between my pavers, the easy, green way.

Methods I rejected

As a home and garden writer, I’m amazed at the plethora of online tips and tricks to solve problems from eliminating weeds between pavers to using up a bumper crop of cucumbers. While some come from reliable sources, I’m pretty sure many recommendations – whether dangerous, ineffective, or wildly expensive in proportion to the problem they promise to solve -- have never actually been tested by the folks who promote them.

Start Your Project Today

So I turned the tables and rather than recommend methods of getting rid of weeds between pavers without trying them, I rejected certain methods without trying them. You’ll see my logic in a minute.

1. Salt. Applying salt to weeds between pavers sounds green and simple. However, heavy rainfalls have a way of spreading this substance from paved areas to the surrounding soil. And Gardening 101 says salt kills all vegetation, not just the kind you don’t want.
2. Baking soda. For many bloggers, baking soda is a magic cure-all. Why do they suggest using this product to kill weeds? Why, because of its sodium (salt) content, of course. Point 1 explains why salt is a bad thing for your landscape.
3. Bleach. See above, but even more so. Bleach is harmful not only to nearby soil and plants but also to the pavers themselves. Why risk discoloring your patio, path, or driveway with bleach when the whole point is to make it look better?
4. Vinegar. While a vinegar spray will indeed burn weed leaves, it will burn the leaves of every plant it comes in contact with, including your beautiful begonias. What it won’t do: kill weed roots, meaning soon you’ll have the problem all over again. Be aware, too, that vinegar’s acidity will lower the pH level of garden soil.
5. Hand pulling. Here’s a method that is safe for both pavers and the environment. Unfortunately, my back and knees voted "No" to this one.
6. Blowtorching. Since I’ve grown to truly hate those weeds between my pavers, burning them out is fiendishly appealing. Bwahaha! Unfortunately, I don’t own a blowtorch, and anyway I have a sneaky feeling that my condo committee wouldn't approve.
7. Herbicide. Commercial herbicides tend to be very effective at killing weeds, but with two caveats. First, they don’t kill weed seeds, so before you know it, you may have a new crop of unwanted vegetation. Second, their runoff is hazardous to the plants you do want.

NEED TO FIND A PRO FOR YOUR LANDSCAPING PROJECT?

What I actually used – with great results

My method of choice was … wait for it …. boiling water!

Advantages: Boiling water is cheap and readily accessible. What’s more, it has no long-lasting negative effects on the environment. The liquid hits those weeds with sizzling force, but by the time it drains off and reaches the lawn and garden, it’s cooled down harmlessly.

Results were very satisfactory (check out my photos!). The weeds immediately lost their oomph. An hour after treatment, they were seriously droopy. And by the next day, they’d become so dry and shriveled I could just sweep them away with a broom.

FINAL SCORE: Laura 1, Weeds 0.

Treat extra-large areas

Treating an extra-large paver-ed area with a kettle of freshly boiled water might not be practical. Instead, try pressure washing. Hot water works best. To avoid harming your pavers, follow manufacturer’s directions and start with a low pressure. 

Prevention

If you hire a contractor to build a new patio, make sure that there’s adequate drainage and pavers are fitted tightly together.

For both new and existing paver installations, fill the joints with polymeric sand. This blend of sand and special additives resists weeds, insects, and erosion.

Is your paved patio or driveway looking dreadful barely a year after installation? Newly paved patios and driveways are usually a beauty to look at. However- if left for long without any maintenance, you’ll begin noticing weed plants growing between your patio stones leaving you with a rather unsightly patio.

In this guideline on how to remove weeds growing between your stone pavers; we delve deeper into a variety of methods including using a vinegar, bleach heat, removal by hand and by use of baking soda.

How to Kill Weeds between Pavers

There exist various methods for eliminating weeds that are creeping into cracks and spaces between pavers or patio stones. We take a deeper look at some of them below:

1. Using herbicides

You can get rid of weeds that are growing on your patio/driveway using commercially available weed killer herbicides. Some of these herbicides are meant to be applied before the emergence of weeds, while some- after. When spraying chemical herbicides on your lawn it’s important to use the right protective gear to avoid personal harm.

2. Removal by hand

If you have time to spare and are looking for the safest possible way to get rid of the weeds growing between your paver stones, try removing the unwanted plants manually.

To do this efficiently, you first have to wet the spaces in between the patio stones to dampen the soil. This will make the weeds easier to uproot.

Alternatively, you can uproot immediately after it rains and the soil is still soaked. It’s advisable to use a sharp tool like a knife to get to the roots of the weeds in between the narrow paver spaces; as simply pulling from the top will detach the plant from the root; allowing the weeds to grow back after a few days.

Manually uprooting weeds is- therefore- a great weed control method as it dislodges their entire root systems, thus minimizing chances of them creeping back up on patio lawn again.

3. Sprinkling baking soda

Baking soda is also a proven weed killer- but requires repeated application for the best results. Fist off, sprinkle ample amounts of baking soda all over your paver stones, then work the powder into the spaces between the stones with a broom.

Finally, spray some water onto your patio. This entire process should be repeated every month until you no longer see new weed plants growing between your patio pavers.

4. Using heat

This is arguably the fastest way of getting rid of weed plants growing between the narrow crevices between your patio pavers. To do this effectively, you can use a blowtorch, which produces a consistent flame.

However since fire is extremely dangerous, you should take all the necessary precautions when using this method including avoiding use of the blowtorch close to storage areas.

5. Bleach

Undiluted bleach is a deadly weed killer that can be used to exterminate weeds between patio stones, gravel driveways and areas you don’t need any plants to grow. Killing weeds with bleach requires high level of caution. Bleach kills most plants that it comes into contact with. It is also harmful to aquatic lives and other insects.

When using bleach as a weed killer, protect yourself by wearing a gas mask and hand protective gloves. Use away from pets and children. Do not use near your other important vegetation and edibles such as fruits and vegatable.

6. Ground cover plants

Finally, a more natural way of controlling weeds between pavers is to grow a good ground cover plant in those spaces. These short grass or plants that will also add a greenery taste to your outdoor space have good weeds controlling abilities.

Their aggressiveness will not allow other weeds to grow in their midst. They form a dense mat which chocks other low growing plants.

7. Vinegar

A mixture of vinegar Epsom salt and dawn dish soap is known to be an effective, nonselective weed-killer that will get rid of any type of weed that it comes into contact with.

Vinegar is eco-friendly, less expensive and a natural weed killer loved by many gardeners.

What is the best time to kill weeds on your patio?

The best time to apply a weed killer is when the weather is generally dry, as rain can wash away your herbicide solution before it has the desired effect on the weed plants.

You should also choose calm, non-windy days especially if you’re planning to use a non-selective weed-killer like a vinegar-based solution. This is because wind can drift some of the chemicals onto the lawn /garden areas adjacent to your patio/driveway, potentially killing your beautiful lawn grass and desirable garden plants as well.

The other timing factor that you should take into account is how fast you need to get rid of the weeds. Say, for instance, that you’re preparing to host a cookout within a couple days and you need your paver patio to be completely spruced up by then. In such a case- it wouldn’t be wise to use weed removal methods that take several days to take effect.

Can I pour straight vinegar on weeds?

Will vinegar damage pavers?

What is the best way to get rid of weeds between slabs?