wifes just linked me to some ryobi cordless jobbie that looks like it has a wire brush type wheel that goes in the cracks to dig out weeds. looks like just the job for us as no sooner have we weeded it than theyre growing back again.
im not sure without seeing it in the flesh whether itd work tho as the wheel looks thicker than our cracks, and looking at other products i see theres some that have a gas canister attached and burn them, so not sure which would be best.
ideally id prefer to treat at source and ensure they never get the chance to grow in the first place, but even after brushing sand and cement into the cracks we still get them growing back, and then weeding breaks up the mortar again.
so, oh wise stw sages....... any experiences of these patio weeders? any recommendations for either a product or a method of dealing with them effectively?
thanks
Won't they always grow back unless you get the root out?
I bought a weed burner - pictured myself like Ripley in Aliens. The reality is much more boring, you just burn the leaves & then let them die off.
It seems to take ages. We're looking at repointing, brushing in cement & then sealing it all to see if that helps.
I use Doff weedkiller then, after a dry period, use a scraper to drag out the dead roots and sweep them up.
I don’t use weed killer, I do have one of the weed guns with a propane canister that I got from Lidl it’s effective. I have also used boiling water and very small amounts of petrol too to good effect.
I have always used spraying a mixture of white vinegar, 1 cup salt, and 1 tablespoon washing up liquid on sunny days.
Ive tried all sorts. As above i had visions of massive flames and being Ripley for the day. utter crap in reality. Ive also tried a lot of weedkillers. the best thing ive found for the patio (by a long way) is high strength vinegar for the weeds repeated applications and to clean 15% bleach
they still come back though. The only way to be sure is to nuke it from orbit.
Won't they always grow back unless you get the root out?
yup, so we always get the root out. so yeah it wont be the same weed growing, just all of its brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews 😀
they still come back though. The only way to be sure is to nuke it from orbit.
yep, thats about the size of it so im interested in the easiest removal method, accepting that theyll grow back.
we've got some pretty strong weedkiller, (not widely available to public) and have some success with this on the gravel, but its not long before our patio weeds starts sprouting again.
so really im asking if anyone has any of these ryobi type weed removers or similar, just for easy removal whilst standing rather than painstakingly sat gouging away with a er.... gouger.
If you want to do a Ripley, get a Sheen X300 paraffin weed burner. They're not cheap, but they're not 'alf hot, Mum!
https://www.mowermagic.co.uk/acatalog/Sheen-X300-Professional-Flame-Thrower-Weeder-SHEEN-X300.html
Ive tried all sorts. As above i had visions of massive flames and being Ripley for the day. utter crap in reality. Ive also tried a lot of weedkillers. the best thing ive found for the patio (by a long way) is high strength vinegar for the weeds repeated applications and to clean 15% bleach
they still come back though. The only way to be sure is to nuke it from orbit.
The expectation for weed burners is so high. It doesn take ages all you need to do os wave the flame at them. Then they die over a few days and you repeat.
Although personally i just think of them as little pockets of eco gardening.
You need the right sort of weedkiller, a lot just brown off the tops (quickly) not unlike flame guns leaving the roots intact to resprout. Use Glyphoste and it'll take longer to kill the weeds but it does properly kill the weeds. If you're worried about the cancer risk I'd be more worried about bacon and burnt toast vs the occasional careful use of consumer grade weed killer.
I have manual version of the Ryobi, ie a metal bristle brush. It does a good job of getting moss out the cracks and cutting the leaves and stem off the weed. But it does not remove the root so the weeds will often grow back. I have tight joints between the bricks on my driveway so can't get a knife in to dig out the roots and find this is a reasonable compromise.
I use a combination of vinegar & soap (best used on a spell of a few dry days) and regular wire brushing. Do it little and often and you keep on top of the weeds.
If I've been delinquent or the conditions have been good for the weeds and they've grown out of control then very rarely I use proper weedkiller to help level the playing field a little bit. It is satisfying just going round saying liquid and then sitting back for a few days for it to all clear it self.
Pressure washer is also quite good and requires less manual effort than brush and does not use nasty chemicals but it will wash out the sand between the joints so is really only useful if you're doing a full refurb job not just a weeding.
Bought a weed burner in Lidl on Thursday. Works fine and more robust than the previous one that the plastic bottle connector broke on. Does require some patience though.
https://www.lidl.co.uk/p/parkside-gas-weed-burner/p10046255
Weed burners don't do shit on dandelions or nettles though.
So I do not recommend burning weed. (Can't believe I wrote that)
Just had a look, what we've got is rosate 360TF. Happy enough with that, it's just we need somethings for digging out the weeds and roots when they come back.
Thanks
Our patio/lawn issue is horse/mares-tail, mainly originating from our next-door neighbour's garden, though it's since spread from hers into the verges on the street round the corner too. Lovely woman, but zero desire to tidy the wilderness that is the local rats and cat's playground of her back garden. It's since spread into our neighbour's garden on the other side of our house too. In fact, the only green stuff in her garden/patio is horsetail. It grows at an exponentially fast rate, and cannot be defeated other than:
to nuke it from orbit.
I've got a little patio hook that is basically a thin blade with a dog leg hook on the end. Works an absolute treat. I guess you could attach a long handle to it if you wished, you just slide it along and it tugs out any plants
First time is a bit harder but subsequent cleans are easy peasy. My joints are brushed in sand, so I just redo them, again super easy.
Also have a flame burner thing, it is great to just keep on top of things but less good if you're fighting a jungle
Years ago I planted my old patio with creeping thyme seeds and let it grow. It looked nice and out competed weeds
