How to Get Rid of Weeds in Pavers & Bricks in Perth.

Weeds in any part of your garden are unsightly and annoying — and in Perth, weeds seem to thrive in the most unlikely places. Concrete cracks, gutters, decking, retaining wall crevices, and floor pavers are all weed favourites. Once they get into the cracks and gaps in your paving, they can become a real hassle to remove. Thankfully, there are a range of ways you can get the job done and remove weeds from bricks.

How to remove weeds from bricks and paving manually.

1. Hand pulling weeds.

In areas where there aren’t many weeds, or the weeds are particularly large, hand pulling can be most effective. Just be sure to remove the entire weed, including the roots. If roots are particularly deep and established, there’s a risk that you might not remove the entire root system, which could result in regrowth. Hand pulling can be labour-intensive, but it will save on you on weed spray costs and other associated equipment. When done incrementally, the task isn't so bad.

2. Handheld tools that remove weeds.

Another manual removal method for paving weeds involves using a tool such as a trowel (if the tip is small enough) or more effectively, a Weed Remover. These can even be bought from supermarkets, and kind of look like a two-pronged metal fork. You simply scrape along the paving or brick gaps to force the weeds out.

For both manual methods, hosing down the paving first to dampen the soil will make weed removal easier. This is particularly true for Perth weeds, where the hot sun dries out sand and dirt in-between pavers and makes our local weeds much harder to remove (especially in summer).

How to spray weeds in-between bricks and paving.

1. Organic weed killers.

When weeds are plentiful or very small (which they often are in paving cracks), manually pulling them isn’t always an option. Aside from limited places to actually grab onto the weeds, the weeds here tend to be so tightly packed that they won’t budge, even when pulled.

This is where sprays are handy; weed killer sprays are extremely effective for removing weeds in paving gaps. At Two Gloves, we always preference organic weed killers and herbicides. Organic weed killers still contain chemicals, but they’re considered “less harmful” for the environment and are still effective at killing the weeds between pavers. They are also safe for gardens where children and pets are running around.

If you opt for a synthetic poison, remember that these poisons are effective for weeds, but unfortunately work on humans and animals too. Gear up with gloves and an appropriate mask before you use a chemical poison, and ensure pets and children stay away from treated areas while the weeds are absorbing the application. This can be anywhere from 24 hours to one week. Check the label of the chemical solution you’ve chosen for specific timeframes.

2. Chemical-free weed removers.

Some weeds can be combatted with household items and homemade solutions. For example, the humble spray bottle can become a weed-removing tool when paired with pure vinegar. Simply spray vinegar onto the weeds — ideally on hot and sunny Perth day — and watch the weeds wither away. You may need to do this a few days in a row. As with chemical removers, you’ll still need to keep the spray away from any surrounding lawn and plants.

Another brilliant organic solution is water. Boiled water is very effective when poured directly over weed-riddled pavers. A pressure washer can also be used to remove weeds from pavers by simply blasting them out of the cracks. Just remember that the high-pressure may also remove some of the sand or dirt between the pavers. Additionally, it could spread weed seeds into other parts of the garden. We suggest following up with a vinegar spray over the pavers to ensure any lingering roots or seeds are killed.

Pay someone else to remove weeds for you…

Whichever method you choose, it's important to be consistent in your efforts. Weeds are famously persistent, so you have to be as well. You’ll probably need to repeat the process several times before they are completely gone, and even then, they’re bound to reappear next season.

This leads to our final method… Undoubtedly the easiest way to get rid of weeds is to pay a gardening professional to remove them for you! Not only are professional greenthumbs equipped with the best gear to remove weeds from cracks, they’re fast, neat, and thorough. If you need weeding done in your driveway, patio, or other brickwork, give Two Gloves a call. While we’re there, we can also remove weeds from garden beds and lawns (and do a bunch of other gardening maintenance, too!).