An amateur gardener has shared his go-to trick to remove pesky weeds and moss from his patio – and the experts agree with the technique, but shared a warning some might want to keep in mind
The homeowner shared their go-to trick to remove weeds (stock image)(Image: Tim Parker via Getty Images)
As we enter the warmer months, many homeowners have started to turn their attention to their gardens, wanting to get them ready for summer. For most, the first job on the list is weeding. This one task can take hours depending on what technique you use to rid your garden of unwanted moss, weeds, and leaves collected over winter.
But one amateur gardener says many people overcomplicate it and spend more money than is necessary on chemical-filled products that don’t always work. In a TikTok video, user @tonylongworth shared his tip – he simply boils the kettle and pours it all over his patio, killing the weeds in the process.
After this, he simply waits a day or two after the three-minute process and comes back to check on the progress.
He said: “You’ll see all of the weeds just dying off. Some of the stubborn ones, you’ll need to get some more water on them. But then just give it a good brush and there you go.”
Commenting on his post, one user said: “It does kill them, but they come back.”
Another user added: “Did the same. Spot on. Sprinkle loose salt on a hot day and gone for weeks.”
A third user said: “I just get a shovel dig it up pressure wash scrub with a broom and it’s good for weeks.”
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One more user added: “Watering can full of white vinegar salt and bar carbonate of soda kills everything for six months.”
According to Weedingtech, any form of weed heat treatment must achieve and maintain ‘kill zone’ temperatures (above 57°C) to effectively damage the plant structure and allow efficient thermal heat transfer from the leaf to the root.
A statement reads: “Research shows that stable delivery of heat at 80°C for the first five seconds is crucial to ensuring the most effective plant kill.
“The challenge with boiling water for weed control is that it quickly loses heat to the atmosphere, reaching around 64°C at weed contact and quickly dropping out of the kill zone thereafter.
“While it typically wilts the foliage it comes into contact with, the rapid temperature loss impacts the thermal transfer to the root.
“This lower kill rate requires a higher number of treatment cycles, increasing treatment and labour costs.
“The efficacy of boiling water is further reduced in wet and windy weathers, causing downtime and impacting treatment schedules.”
While adding salt can improve its efficacy, experts warn this can damage the soil and related ecosystems in your garden.
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