Banishing nuisance weeds and grass from between patio cracks could be as simple as sprinkling one natural ingredient over them, it has been claimed. Pulling weeds out by hand or using a block paving knife can be a slow, tiring task, but Philip Baron, who runs the Ecologicaltime YouTube channel, has suggested a “salt treatment” that may help cut down the need for manual removal.
Philip, whose channel offers step-by-step guides for potentially tricky DIY jobs, said: “In order to do this job, we use several bags of swimming pool salt. We are using the 25kg bag, which we will spread across the driveway. There are some drawbacks to using salt. So, we use this once or twice just to control the problem.” Below, we’ve broken Philip’s method into four steps, before sharing a word of caution to consider before starting.
1. Scatter the salt
Philip proceeded to scatter the salt along the affected paving, brushing it evenly across the surface so it settled between the bricks, then soaked it with a hosepipe.
He added: “You want that salt to get in between the cracks. We want that salt to seep into the ground around the bricks so that it kills the weeds and the grass.”
2. Add more water if needed
Philip came back the following day and observed that much of the plant material was turning dark green, a sign it was dying, although it had not “disintegrated” fully.
He gave the bricks another hose down to “help it along” and then left it for two more days.
3. Remove weeds
Philip returned to find that the weeds in the cracks were much drier and had turned a light brown colour. He picked up some of the material to demonstrate that it was dry and crumbly, and advised readers that they can sweep it up.
He said: “For best results, it’s best to do the salt treatment on bricks that are not too porous. If the bricks are very porous, you might notice an efflorescent effect.
“But I’m just letting you know that you might see this white discolouration around the bricks. But if there’s been a good rain or you go with a hose pipe, it does clear it up.”
After five days, Philip said the grass and weeds had “completely died”. Three weeks on, he observed a dramatic improvement, with no apparent regrowth and “more than 99 per cent” of the driveway clear.
4. Repeat if necessary
Philip noted that a “few places” still had grass, so these would need a further salt treatment. He also explained that you may get further regrowth over time, but you can simply use the salt again to limit this.
5. A word of caution
Philip offered four warnings to bear in mind before attempting this method. First, he urged caution when using salt in areas that freeze overnight, as it can increase the risk of bricks cracking.
Secondly, he noted that salt can cause white staining (efflorescence) in some cases if it’s used frequently. Philip also advised people to avoid using salt near any plants they want to keep.
He added that while it dries out weeds and limits regrowth, it would not “stop it completely”, so the treatment will need repeating.
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