Adopt This One Simple Cleaning Habit To Keep Weeds Away From Your Patio Pavers

If you designed a paved patio area yourself, you may have been partially motivated by wanting to reduce your yard work. After all, if your soil isn't getting direct sunlight, weeds won't be able to take root, right? Think again. Unlike our domesticated plants, which are as picky as Goldilocks in their need for just the right amount of soil, water, and sunlight, weed seeds can nestle in minimal dirt . They can even grow in the cracks between pavers and begin to thrive. The simple cleaning habit of sweeping your pavers will take you nearly no time to carry out, but it can save you time and money by eliminating the need for back-breaking weeding or harsh weed-killing chemicals.

While weeds do need many of the same things as other plants to thrive, these resilient and resourceful species have evolved to spread and take root via their seeds. All they need is a little wind to carry them to a new location and they will begin to grow. Since pavers are never perfectly smooth, the areas where the stones meet often have a few millimeters of space where a weed's roots can take a firm hold. At this point, the pavers work against you, making it difficult to remove the root systems entirely and giving the weeds an advantage. As underwhelming as it may be, simply sweeping your pavers several times per week can disrupt unwanted weed seeds from germinating and growing into nuisances.

Sweeping is an easy enough routine task to carry out, but if your paved area is big it may not be so simple to fit this chore in several times a week. Using a leaf blower can expedite the job while providing you with the same benefits. Your task will be even easier if you have a rechargeable blower that doesn't need to be plugged in to operate. Remember to blow between the pavers, especially if there is a deep groove at the joints in order to dislodge seeds instead of blowing over them.

If your weeds have gotten the upper hand, you may need to take some extra measures to eradicate their growth cycle for longer. Pressure washing to remove weeds can be quite an effective method, but remember to not be too heavy handed with the spraying. High-power pressure washers can crack paver stones and spraying close and hard enough to remove the sand foundation that the pavers are placed on top of can cause long-term, costly issues with your paved area. A good rule of thumb is to only use the pressure washer on weeds where the pavers are in good condition, rather than on cracked or chipped stones.