Weed Free Paver Patio in Five Steps

My paver patio was weed free for several years after I built it. Eventually, dust and dirt collected in the cracks and weeds began to grow.
I tried many things to kill weeds. About a year ago I began experimenting with salt. It's not perfect but so far this has been the most successful solution I've found. Salt kills weeds, keeps them dead a long time and so far I have not seen any salt damage to my pavers.
Note: In the right dose salt kills every plant it comes in contact with. Don't use this method if there is risk to plants you want to keep alive. Salt dissolves in water so check where water goes when it rains.
Other information:
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[@milamou9352]

I'm going to give this a try on my driveway. I hate how scruffy weeds make paving look. This seems a very good way of keeping the weeds away and is especially attractive as there are no nasty chemicals involved. Thanks so much for sharing.

[@wnsabu]

I tried this, it worked for me 👍 I left the salt for a week as no rain, now weeds r totally dead in that area. Thank you so much

[@divine7915]

Your method saves the nature from chemicals.....Thank u very much.....

[@jeeves6490]

Salt is one of the most toxic things on earth.

[@poshko41]

Nice solution. Much safer than using chemicals like I was thinking of doing.

[@sueweisberg1474]

Looks like a great idea Less labour intensive We are battling our interlocking on the long weekend one brick and five weeds at a time Wish us luck

[@archiemilo6023]

I guess it is pretty off topic but do anybody know a good place to stream newly released tv shows online?

[@kristiansilas8890]

@Archie Milo Flixportal =)

[@archiemilo6023]

@Kristian Silas thanks, I went there and it seems like a nice service =) I appreciate it!

[@kristiansilas8890]

@Archie Milo Happy to help :D

[@andrewcoffield5835]

Boiling water works well. I use on the small patios I have and it kills the weeds where the water goes into the cracks . Best to do on a dry day though. Not so harsh on the environment.

[@missthang4770]

Thank you! Thank you! That was so instructive, useful and concise. One of the best "how to" videos I've seen anywhere. I will try it.

[@feistyyy1314]

I used “Round up” and they came back 3-4 weeks later. This looks very well done!

[@gmog7857]

Have you gotten cancer yet? Read the news and stay away from ROUND UP💢💢💢💢💢

[@manichairdo6346]

Awe. You certainly got a lot of flack over this. But not all is lost. I'm now going to ensure I lay very large slabs which should be easier and quicker to weed between. Thanks.

[@MegaIheartme]

As much as I would want to love this idea, the runoff of the salt into the nearby and not so nearby environment is a problem. Once soil has too much alkalinity which the salt causes it is ruined. People also use vinegar to kill weeds and it less damaging to the environment.

[@Fixing-Things]

Make a video using vinegar to kill weeds on your patio so we can learn.

[@MegaIheartme]

@@Fixing-Things I just did a few days ago. I'll post a pic and the type of equipment I used. Looking forward to checking out your channel for other great ideas.

[@chanthana7694]

I was excited but then again I have plants and flowers border around my patio so this might not work for me. Beside using vinegar to kill weed any recommendation how to get rid of the green mold and restore my patio back close to its original color without hurting nearby plants? Thanks!

[@MegaIheartme]

I couldn't figure out how to upload a pic. All you need is a sprayer or spray bottle and fill it with undiluted white vinegar. It's best to do it on a hot day as the combination of the vinegar and the sun does the job. Make sure you don't spray on plants you like because it will brown out and possibly kill those plants as well.

[@alanthompson4912]

Vinegar does not work very well

[@fullmonty5722]

I would not do this with trees nearby. Ive seen salt kill trees... Very slowly

[@La_abbess]

I’m gonna try it, weeds taking over my sidewalks.

[@vastorr]

Best advice ever !!! Thank you so much, i got salt from the dollar tree

[@011keepers]

I used a blade on my weed whacker and ground all the weeds to the stone, then salted it and followed this guys directions, and one months still NOTHING is growing, I tried heavy chemicals, and all that vinegar and what not and weeds came back within weeks, sometimes days but again four weeks and I got nothing growing where the salt was laid !!

[@bluehorizon9435]

I found table salt from Morrisons (in UK) the cheapest, by the way

[@2Ryled]

U want to make sure when it rains that salt isnt going to get washed toward a creek, drainage ditch, pond, river, or anywhere it can get into waterways.

[@annaraime3288]

Why? Just asking - trying to learn. I have been using straight up white vinegar and that seems to work for about 6 weeks till the wind blows crap on my patio and re-seed the weeds lol

[@fungames24]

The salt would have melted into the cracks and make the soil salty. Plants can't grow then. Can't see why the salt would be washed away. Topping up with salt shouldn't be hard either and would be less work than trying to remove the weeds. I wonder if it would work on ants? I have them living in the cracks and expelling all the sand.

[@timothyarnold777]

@@fungames24 Put 2 x tbl spoons of Borax into a cup of boiling water, mix till dissolved then add a squirt of honey and stir that in. When its cooled down put some in an old but clean jam jar lid and place it where the ant run is. They will be all over it and take the liquid back to the nest. This formula once consumed poisons the ants. If you have pets keep it well out of their reach because borax is a cleaning agent and will be harmful to pets.

[@VB-hf1js]

Very interesting! I am going to try the salt! The weeds are driving me crazy! Thanks for the video! How is your garden now?

[@Fixing-Things]

It's still looking good. I have a few weeds popping up where I salted less. I'm sure I'll have to re-salt about halfway through the summer. Dirt blows in and fills the cracks letting the weeds get a start.

[@USMC-Sniper-0137]

Just remember where that salt flows when it rains.........

[@JQUICK21]

I use Vinegar with some salt and dish soap that that keeps the salt and vinegar on the leaf and in five to ten minutes those weeds and grass are DEAD and brown.This video says after about 5 days the weeds are dead.....and for me and how I do it they are dead in minutes

[@JQUICK21]

Actually the soap is not really needed

[@Kevin.Anthony3]

@@JQUICK21 i got your exact formula from a friend recently. He's a vet in the garden. The hard part for me is the mixture. White vinegar or apple cider vinegar? Idk

[@USMC-Sniper-0137]

What happens when it rains and it flows across your beautiful green lawn and ends up in your swale?? Nice thought though.

[@Fixing-Things]

Not everything works everywhere. If your patio run-off feeds your lawn you need a different solution.

[@tpmarkham]

We stopped using the cancer spray (Roundup) years ago.

[@sharonstayblessed]

I’m going to try this as I have pets and this is a safe to use.

[@dadunltd]

Please note that salt might burn their paw pads. I know Rock Salt definitely does.

[@mizzthe8-eez820]

Excess salt CAN burn irritate paws.... water IN very well. -- also , drinking SALT WATER will cause temporary diarrhea.

[@erock1070]

Does it kill the lawn once the salt drains into the lawn ?

[@Fixing-Things]

I've never seen any damage to the lawn. I salt the patio once a year. I live in an area where we get snow. The streets are hit with a lot more salt than my patio. I've never seen any damage to my grass from that either - it's strange.

[@sandie157]

If ithis July, I add salt to a heavily weeded area, where the weeds( bind weed and thistle) are growing through the thick mulch and do not plant until next june , do you think i might he able to plant a couple of hydrangeas and lillies next year? We live in a region where we get long heavily snow covered icy winters that are about 6-7 months long. 🇨🇦 I can handle just having the mulch and no other plants for the time being. Also does the salt effect fully grown trees? I won't put any near them if it does. Thanks for your time 😊

[@Fixing-Things]

I'm sorry, I don't know for sure. I'm not an expert, just some guy killing weeds on the patio. I have lots of ideas - here's mine for your situation. Leave the weeds alone until next season since you aren't going to plant until then. Next spring - several weeks before you plant - use Roundup and kill everything off. Following the directions for Roundup on how long to wait until planting again. After waiting the appropriate time then go ahead and plant. I just don't know how long salt will last in your situation.

[@barneyrubble4827]

Sodium is easier for plants to absorb than potassium, they compete with one another. If there's much runoff or if you apply it directly, expect that area to suffer potassium deficiency, purple leaves and retarded growth.

[@eddielam6897]

Why don't put polymeric sand instead? It will fill the gaps forever. I use salt to kill weeds though (1 gallon of vinegar + 1 cup of salt + 1 tablespoon of dish soap).

[@nidhidshah]

Thanks for the suggestion.. how do you apply? Do you then spray using a general purpose garden sprayer or is there a better alternative?

[@mpers]

Wouldn’t use vinegar, would etch the stone

[@2Ryled]

U can also put the salt down right before a rain as long as it's not going to storm.

[@Fixing-Things]

It's true, you can skip the watering step if you know you are going to get a rain that will dampen the salt so that it will soak into the crack but not was away. I don't trust the weather so I'll keep watering where I can control the outcome.

[@crazywisdom6935]

Great video - love your calm and methodical approach. I am going to try this on my weedy pavers. May I ask approximately how big the patio area you salted is - that would give me an idea of how much salt I should buy.

[@Fixing-Things]

I think it's about 800 square feet. The portion I salted in the video was only about 1/3 of the whole patio.

[@crazywisdom6935]

@@Fixing-Things Thanks, that gives me an idea of how much salt I should use. And one more question if that is ok ? After 5 days when hopefully the weeds are dead/dying and can be pulled out, would it be ok to pressure wash the pavers ?

[@Fixing-Things]

@@crazywisdom6935 It makes perfect sense to power wash after cleaning out the weeds. The drawback is that the power wash will was away the salt in the cracks of the pavers and reduce the long term weed killing effect. Weeds will come back more quickly. You could re-salt and water - after power washing - when things have dried. Also, keep in mind that the power wash run off will have salt in it. Make sure the run off does not flow into plants you care about.

[@crazywisdom6935]

@@Fixing-Things - Thanks so much for replying to my questions. Will take on board everything you mention. And will kick off your 5-step process by first using a leaf blower to get rid of some of the sand (so much) on my paving area. Just read that where I live "water wise" restrictions are in place, so using a pressure washer on a paving area is not actually allowed. And I shall also take a look at some of your other videos too that I am sure can help me with some other things too.

[@feistyyy1314]

After power washing you could apply a type of cement to go into the cracks, I seen a YT vid that a guy used dry cement and swept it into the cracks and sprayed water on top to seal the cracks of the interlocking. This is just a suggestion, maybe take it up with your Garden Center for proper information.

[@bluehorizon9435]

I've just tried it - sweep, salt, sweep, water. Hope to get results in a few days. I'm then thinking to fill patio gaps with a filler - can anyone recommend a filler, please?

[@kayumkhalifa2752]

sand and cement

[@bluehorizon9435]

@@kayumkhalifa2752 thanks

[@ji3946]

stone dust

[@whika070]

You can by some special sand from hardware stores that fills the gaps and suppresses weeds. Don’t use normal beach sand. That was my mistake to begin with.

[@rjmalibu]

The salt would also kill all the plants in my flower beds surrounding the paver patio

[@Fixing-Things]

You are correct. You need to manage how you would apply poison in your environment. I have about an 18 inch barrier between my weeds and my good plants with no water runoff to carry the salt somewhere else. You'd have to take your environment into account.

[@rodrigoam1985]

Is it something that we have to keep doing it every 15 days to prevent regrowing or a long term solution?

[@Fixing-Things]

I've been doing this on my patio for about 2 years. So far I've applied salt once each year. Your environment is different, your results may vary.

[@pocitube]

why salt kill em?

[@JQUICK21]

LOL we need to know how to keep the weeds from growing in these places....vinegar and salt or either one by itself works to kill the weeds BUT THEY GROW BACK OVER AND OVER!

[@princessthehamster8096]

I did this on my path to the front door ... 3wks later nothing has grown back :-) x

[@Fixing-Things]

Any problems with plants dying that you wanted to live?

[@princessthehamster8096]

@@Fixing-Things no i havent got anything growing beside my front door its a communal path i share with 2 others ... corner plot

[@EmmieTuesday]

Hi. Will salt damage regular bricks...most were reclaimed. Thanks.

[@Fixing-Things]

I'm sorry, but I don't know. I have no experience with salt on bricks.

[@ceebeegeegee8293]

A lawn and garden propane torch has been a better solution for me. It kills the weeds, destroys seeds and can be used again in a couple of days to burn the dead weeds. No sweeping, no bending.

[@Fixing-Things]

I hadn't thought of using a torch to burn weeds. As much appeal as using a torch has the major benefit of salt is that the weeds don't come back on my patio all spring/summer/fall. I'm not sure the torch would last as long.

[@plume1639]

Glad to find this channel! Subbed

[@pasqualecorvasce9682]

would the de icing salt work

[@Fixing-Things]

The short answer is - I don't know. Some de icing salt has more than just salt in it. Pure sodium chloride is salt no matter what it is called and salt will kill plants. The benefit of the table salt I use in the video is that table salt is ground to very fine grains that lets it be swept into cracks so that the effect is focused.

[@sanjnaa6301]

Where in Canada can I find big sack of restaurants salt

[@theadster2702]

Costco???....if you have one.

[@tropicaldimitri7374]

Will they grow back if you dont pull them out?

[@Fixing-Things]

The plants you don't pull out stay dead - they don't grow back. Over time (about one spring and summer per application based on my experience) the salt dilutes enough and / or is covered by dust that seeds blow onto the patio and new plants grow.

[@tropicaldimitri7374]

@@Fixing-Things thank you.

[@ingridagasha9385]

Is this a special kind of salt or the normal salt we eat

[@Fixing-Things]

It's normal salt we eat. I literally used table salt from a restaurant supply store. Table salt is very small particles so they sand into the cracks better.

[@janetkluchnik1167]

I see it works good on weeds & grass in bricks, but I have a front yard full of weeds & grass will it work there??

[@Fixing-Things]

If you want to kill everything in your yard and keep it dead for several months then salt will do that. It will also kill anything you plant for several months. If you want to kill everything and then plant new grass (or whatever) I'd go with roundup. It kills everything and then later you can replant (check the directions).

[@thepatriot7726]

Wouldn't salt damage the block pavers

[@Fixing-Things]

I was worried about damage to the pavers and gave it a shot anyway. It's my second year with no visible damage of any kind so far. Time will tell.

[@Kevin.Anthony3]

Cheers for this. 👍🏿

[@khol3167]

Why not just use white vinegar and spot spray. Soooo much faster and very affective.

[@Fixing-Things]

Two reasons. 1. My patio is several hundred square feet - too large to spot spray. 2. I want the weeds to stay gone for the whole season. Vinegar washes out too fast.

[@cypherotic]

i love the word 'UNTIL' lol

[@puny-tinsucks5102]

use vinegar as well, you can apply it with a backpack sprayer to cover a larger area obviously aiming for the gaps between bricks

[@user-qd9ur7ke1q]

Salt is not a good solution for pavement. It will gradually make erosion and destructive effect on the pavement

[@Fixing-Things]

I was worried about damage to the pavers and gave it a shot anyway. It's my second year with no visible damage of any kind so far. Time will tell.

[@wnsabu]

Is it just a regular salt?

[@Fixing-Things]

it is regular salt. I use bulk table salt from a restaurant supply store about $8 US for 25 pounds. The fine grains of salt sweep into the cracks better than the course ground rock salt.

[@gamemagazine4922]

@@Fixing-Things Can I use swimming pool salt?

[@Fixing-Things]

@@gamemagazine4922 I've never seen swimming pool salt. I used table salt purchased in a 25 pound bag. The fine grain of table salt let's it get down into the paver cracks. Any salt - sodium chloride - will kill plants.

[@billmitchell5805]

why wouldn't you pull the weeds prior to beginning? your way, I still have to pull the dead weeds and reapply the salt in those areas?

[@Fixing-Things]

I leave the weeds in so that I can watch them die. Some plant types are more able to handle salt exposure than others. If they stay green or even a little green I need to apply a little more salt. If they are good and dead then I know they are dead to the root and when I pull them they won't bounce back. Either way they have to be pulled. I don't reapply after pulling.

[@robertthomas6127]

They should also be easier to pull afterwards.

[@zachary.hunter]

Will the salt hurt any plants or trees next to the patio?

[@Fixing-Things]

My patio has about an 18 inch barrier between it and any other plants. I've never had any trouble - so, my guess is that you would be OK with an 18 inch salt free zone. Keep in mind which way water flows - if you salt and water washes it into some other plants it would be a problem.

[@zincfinger3817]

Brilliant. That's just what I'll do.

[@hollyfleur6144]

yep. let's salt the earth one paver at a time. look it up and learn what the long term use of salt does to the earth.

[@mannyfestoINS]

What’s it do?

[@noelbronagh]

Well what does it do?

[@fiddleDdee]

It's on a patio of bricks , the salt will probably stay in the cracks forever - here in New York every winter they use tons of salt on the roads - the grasses and trees along the road do just fine - as a matter of fact they have to mow on either side of the road all summer long, the trees are fine

[@Maynardd]

You’re concerned about salt but not the constant chemicals people spray on weeds? I think we know what causes more damage. Not to mention like the other comment in this thread, I live in the Midwest, it’s nothing but salt trucks for four months straight and everything grows just fine.

[@beerbeforebreakfast]

I feel like a total jerk....i picked my channel name about 1 year ago. Do you want me to change my name? I had no idea your channel name existed. Fixing and fishing is my thing so naturally that's what i went with!

[@Fixing-Things]

No worries. Keep the name you have.

[@PhilDrizzle12]

Thats a GFS label on the salt bag

[@starrsy]

When the Romans defeated Carthage, they destroyed the city and then salted the land so nothing would grow.

[@Fixing-Things]

Interestingly - There is nothing in the ancient literature that suggests that Rome actually salted the earth around Carthage after the Third Punic War. thedeathofcarthage.com/1615/did-the-romans-salt-the-earth-around-carthage-after-they-destroyed-it/#:~:text=There%20is%20nothing%20in%20the%20ancient%20literature%20that,Romans%20did%20not%20salt%20the%20earth%20around%20Carthage.

[@JQUICK21]

What would be their reason for that? LOL

[@La_abbess]

Sister- keep talking, I love tidbits of very interesting knowledge

[@workingtheworld68]

There are surviving stories of Romans visiting Carthage a few decades after Scipios's handiwork and it was desolate and abandoned at that time. Speaking of stories, it is said the Scipio cried at the destruction of Carthage knowing Rome would suffer the same fate some day.

[@jeeves6490]

@@JQUICK21 A rival civilization cannot form if it cannot feed itself. Salt prevented crops. Another saying from the past regarding the Romans, "They create a desert and call it peace".

[@muronefamily8482]

You really should put a disclaimer in at the start of the video telling viewers that salt is very damaging to vegetation so it shouldn't be used anywhere near plants or where soils containing plants are in contact with soils affected by salt. Also, long term use of this technique can have other disastrous effects by destroying soil structure.

[@rmcdaniel423]

Here's your disclaimer: "This technique which is designed to kill a wide variety of random vegetation, and keep it from regrowing, might kill vegetation. So only use it where you intend to kill vegetation. Because the vegetation killer will kill vegetation. Just so we are clear."

[@sarahdempsey1385]

Goood

[@stevegutshot2663]

You had weeds and didn’t pull them out... you put salt on etc... then you pulled them out..🤪

[@rmcdaniel423]

Dead weeds are easier to pull out.

[@ncrpejxi]

Apply gasoline to weeds first

[@Fixing-Things]

Salt alone kills them just fine.

[@MrJamesEngland]

Best recommendation for salt from amazon? Maybe? Please? Hahaha

[@Fixing-Things]

What matters about the salt is that the particles are fine enough to sweep into the cracks in the pavers. Table salt, like what comes out of the shaker on your table, worked well for me. You want the cheapest table salt you can find. I found 25 pounds at the restaurant supply store for around $8. A year later and I still have some left.

[@jane9875]

or you could not be a lazy git and just pull them out

[@Fixing-Things]

Someone once said: "I'm lazy. But it's the lazy people who invented the wheel and the bicycle because they didn't like walking or carrying things. " Another person said: "I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it."

[@theward1244]

He works in the salt mines and just wants us all to buy more salt! STOP HIM NOW!

[@MartinHernandez-re6hh]

Or!....just spray week killer!!!🤭😊🙄😒