Weeds love to grow in any area of soil they can find, whether that’s in between patio slabs, in flower and vegetable borders or in gravel.
Gardeners may have found a successful way to kill them, but ensuring they don’t return is a bigger struggle that many have not found the answer to.
Before reaching for a bottle of chemical weed killer, gardeners should always try natural methods first.
The two most common natural methods seem to be white vinegar and salt, however, they can end up damaging the soil.
For an alternative natural weed-killing solution, one gardener has shared the brilliant results she’s had with using boiling water.
Posting two before and after videos of her gravel weeds on the Gardening UK Facebook page, Sandra Hill said: “Last night I took a video in the morning, where I poured some boiling water onto a dandelion weed growing through my gravel pathway.
“I did an update video this morning but I can’t remember what time it was, but you will see that the weed has started to die just by pouring boiling water on the plant.
“I don’t put weed killers/salt/vinegar because I have a dog and I don’t want to make him ill or worse.”
When asked in the comment what the results were like after two to three weeks, Sandra responded: “They stay away. It has been a godsend to me doing it this way because I have back/hip and knee problems and the pathway was always mega overgrown and overwhelming to me.
“As you know dandelion seeds fly all over the place (from other gardens and open spaces) and self-seed, so if I see anything I just pour boiling water on them. I’ve done my driveway and the front of my house including the road edge.”
Fellow group members were also fans of the boiling water tip. Heather Charlesworth wrote: “I use boiling water. It works well and does not hurt the earth.”
Christine Kaempster said: “Kettle of boiling water.” Anne Jameson commented: “Pour boiling water over the weeds and grass. It then shrivels and dies over the next few days.”
Speaking previously to Express.co.uk, expert Nilufer Danis, founder of the website Nilufer Danis, recommends using boiling water on gravel weeds.
The expert said: “The best method for instantly killing weeds on gravel driveways is boiling water. Simply pour a pot of boiling hot water directly over the weed – this will instantly kill it.
“The boiling water can also be effective at killing weeds in other areas of the garden, including paving and between cracks in concrete.”
The logic behind this is the transfer of heat energy onto the plant, leading to the distortion of plant cells.
It is more effective than air or steam and is one of the most effective energy transfer methods.
Gardeners should try to pour the water as close as possible to the weeds so that it cannot cool off in the air, otherwise, it won’t be as effective and might not kill the plants.
