Weeds only grow once they receive enough sunlight, which is why hundreds seem to appear at the same time in spring, and they thrive in warm areas like gravel driveways or between patio slabs. It can be really difficult to remove weeds, as their roots tend to bury deep into cracks or compact soil, so even if you kill the surface plant, it tends to grow back in a few weeks.
However, Alan Titchmarsh has shared a natural way to destroy these weeds without using any chemical products or spending any money. What you need is a simple garden hoe and a warm day, as one of the most effective ways to kill weeds is to use the same sunlight that helps them grow. In a video online, Alan said: “What you are trying to do with your Dutch hoe is separate the [weed] from its roots and that way it will cook once it’s exposed to sunshine.”
How do you get rid of gravel weeds?
Sunlight on its own will not usually kill weeds, but Alan Titchmarsh has a simple gardening technique to dry them out and cause them to die off in no time at all.
Simply run a hoe across the surface of the gravel and cut through the weeds at the base. Then, leave the uprooted weed alone and try to keep as much gravel off the now-exposed roots.
Since the weed has been freshly cut, it will be more vulnerable, and on a warm day, the hot sun will completely dehydrate the plant.
Alan said: “Don’t try and dig with the hoe. Remember, you’re always skimming. The more of the weed root you can expose to the drying rays of the sun, the quicker they will die.”
It is an easy way to get rid of weeds without pulling them or using chemical solutions that are harmful to the environment and can harm local wildlife.
Can you use sunlight to remove patio weeds?
Patio weeds can also be killed using the sunlight technique, but note that most garden hoes are designed for soil, and it can be awkward to use them on slabs.
Hoes are heavy, and you are more likely to chip the stone, so instead, try using a patio knife as it will be much more effective and fit better into the cracks.
Alan said: “When it comes to patios and terraces made of stones…if you do find there’s soil between your paving slabs and weeds are growing there, a patio knife is really quite useful.”
All you need to do is gently run a patio knife between the joints, leave the weeds where they fall, and allow the sunlight to dry them completely.
This technique takes only a few minutes to try, and it is one of the most effective ways to get rid of lots of weeds quickly without wasting your afternoon pulling them up.
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