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How
to Keep your Brick Patio Weed Free |
by:
Hans
Dekker |
Brick
Patio Weed Control
In researching this article, I found one
instance where a homeowner was so incensed
by the weeds in her patio that she set fire
to them with a blowtorch!
Luckily, several items provide better service
as a weeding tool and there are several
better alternatives for brick patio weed
control.
Of course, the best method of brick patio
weed control is proper installation of your
brick patio.
Start with an under-layment of pea gravel,
topped by a layer of sturdy landscape cloth
and cover with it with a layer of sand.
This will give your brick patio a firm footing
as well as cramp the style of any weeds
in the area.
Nevertheless, if your brick patio is already
installed and running rampant with weeds,
here are some tips to help you succeed in
to keep it weed free without a lot of agonizing
work.
First, to make your brick patio weed control
plan a success, implement your plan before
weeds flower. This keeps weeds from going
to seed and helps make a short-term plan
last for a longer time.
For the following tip and other tips that
involve weed dousing of one sort or another,
use a piece of cardboard or scrap of Plexiglas
to protect nearby plants.
One of the best ways to kill a vegetable
of any kind is to cook it.
Boiling water is a natural and very inexpensive
weed-wilter and works to kill most forms
of annual weeds. It also kills or weakens
many types of perennial weeds.
A teakettle is your weeding tool. Fill it
with water and bring it to a boil. While
you're waiting (because a watched pot never
boils, you know!) go outside and cut the
culprits down to their crowns.
When the water begins to boil, grab the
kettle (using a potholder) and pour the
water on the crowns of the weeds, holding
the kettle high enough only to avoid splashing.
Killing weeds with boiling water will also
scald any biological organisms that get
splashed, but more will return as soon as
the soil cools.
Vinegar will kill most weeds. However, grocery
store vinegar is normally a 5% solution
and is too weak to do the job. Ten-percent
vinegar will kill most weeds and usually
is found where canning and pickling supplies
are sold.
A 20% solution of vinegar kills really stubborn
weeds, but is frequently more than twice
as expensive as 10%. Try to control the
weeds with the 10% before you make the investment
in a stronger solution.
Spray the vinegar directly on the weeds,
using the shield mentioned above and taking
care not to inhale fumes. You may also want
to wear gloves and eye protection as a further
safeguard.
In my experience these measures will keep
all brick patio's free from weed without
a lot of back breaking work.
We love to share our gardening ideas and
hear yours.
About the author:
Hans is an enthusiast gardener. He is
one of the authors of :
http://www.gardening-guides.comand
http://www.patio-furniture-ideas.com/
Circulated by Bandoni
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