The Easy & Affordable Way To Prevent Weeds From Growing Between Pavers

Anyone trying to do work in their yard knows that weeds are a constant enemy. Even if you do everything right, it constantly feels like the plants are getting the upper hand. There are a lot of tricks to prevent weeds from appearing in between your pavers, but before you start an all-out war with these pesky plants, you may want to try out an easier solution first. Instead of fighting with weed-killers, mulch, plastics, and other materials, just go and get yourself a cheap outdoor broom and sweep off your pavers consistently. It's the easiest and most affordable way to keep those weeds at bay.

It may sound a little silly, but regularly sweeping helps to stop any seedlings from getting a hold in the gap between your stones. Plan on giving your pavers a thorough sweep at least once a week, though daily is better. It's important to choose the right broom for cleaning tasks around your house, and in this case, you will want a push broom. Its stiff bristles and long handle make it ideal for getting even the tiniest bits of dirt and debris up and away from your paved area.

Sweeping once a week offers more perks than just brushing out any seeds. By regularly taking care of your pavers like this, you can also help remove other problematic things, such as moss building up on the top and creating a slippery surface, especially when wet. Additionally, while you are out there, you can take the time to inspect each stone and make sure you have no cracks or broken areas.

That's not to say you should abandon all other weed-killing methods. For example, minimizing gaps between pavers and having a solid foundation made of sand can help reduce the number of weeds that can spread from other methods, such as rhizomes. In fact, polymeric sand placed into the cracks around your stones is another simple fix to stop weeds from growing between your pavers. If you install the polymeric sand correctly and stay on top of adding more when necessary, you can help reduce the number of weeds a lot as well. 

You can set up your pavers in such a way that water around them drains away as well, instead of sitting in puddles in the gaps. Another way you can help yourself is to choose the right type of pavers that won't break down or rot easily. However, you can't just use one method. Applying all of these with your daily to weekly sweeping will target weeds from all angles, stopping seedlings before they can grow and slowing down spreading plants that might try to creep into the gaps. 

If you are limited on time and mobility, you can use another tool. The key point of sweeping is to remove any seeds that land between your pavers. You can get the same benefits from things like leaf blowers, as long as you make sure you focus on the gaps between your pavers, as well.