Weeds are a neverending problem, given their resilience and clever manner in which their seeds disperse and establish themselves. Interestingly, weeds don’t actually emerge from underneath patio slabs. Rather, the seeds are typically transported by wind until they settle within the crevices and spaces between your patio stones.
Usually dark and damp with nutrient-rich soil, these areas provide an ideal setting for garden weeds to sprout and establish themselves before eventually emerging through the cracks in the pavement. Tackling the weeds quickly when they’re young offers the best approach, though removing them manually can prove exhausting.
Chemical weed treatments are an option, though they aren’t always reliable and contain harmful substances. Alternatively, gardeners choose to employ natural techniques, and one woman has discovered success with a specific ingredient: salt.
Posting on the Mrs Hinch Gardening Tips Facebook group, Beverly Cooper shared: “Omg I have just sprayed my weeds on patio with a salt solution and it’s killed them within an hour. It’s been a month and they still haven’t come back.”
Fellow group members were equally enthusiastic about this natural trick. Jackie Hinge remarked: “I did this last year, wanting to avoid chemicals, and it worked a treat.”
Mary Whelan added: “I used rock salt on the weeds that were popping up through my monoblock, and it did the trick. They’ve not returned.”
Michelle Turner offered an alternative: “I use cheap table salt and it works.”
Catherine McInnes shared her garden success story: “I can totally agree, tried this and worked within hours. Amazing.”
Katrina Saunders detailed her own approach: “I got rid of my weeds last year with salt, now I just use it every so often to prevent them from coming back.”
Both everyday table salt and rock salt have proven effective in banishing pesky patio weeds. Express.co.uk’s own experiments with natural weed-killing methods saw rock salt emerge as one of the best ways to kill weeds.
Salt, when taken up by plants, interferes with their growth cycle, causing the unwanted weeds to wither and eventually perish.
Given salt’s potency against weeds, gardeners are cautioned to avoid using it near beloved plants they wish to keep alive.
To tackle the weeds, you can either sprinkle salt directly on them followed by boiling water, or concoct a solution using a three-to-one ratio of salt to water and spray it onto the offending greenery.