Weds between the paving stones

[Clearinguptheclutter]

So I’ve been doing that classic bank holiday job today of trying to weed between the paving flags. Not sure why I bother as they wil come back, such a thankless task

dh is an environmental nut and won’t let me use any kind of weedkiller. He might be persuaded on something which kills weeds but isn’t harmful to other wildlife eg insects though. Google has not come up with anything so far that he would agree to.

what do other people do? To keep on top of it I’d be out there every weekend. Frankly got better things to do. We haven’t even got that much of it.

Aargh obvs I meant weeds not weds

If you dissolve as much salt as you can into [cheap, white] vinegar with a little squirt of washing up liquid and use a spray bottle it will kill weeds.
Don't store the mix in a plastic spray bottle as it corrodes the working parts and the salt crystals will block up the nozzle.
Your patio will smell like a chippy, but it works.
We used to keep backyard hens and it was harmless to them, the smell of vinegar will put most things off.
Boiling water will also do the job but may damage the mortar in the joints so be careful.

Try above recipe.
If that doesnt work, make sure to let him see you making up said recipe above, then when he's not looking tip it away and fill same bottle with a proper weedkiller 🙈

I have a specialised weeding knife to go between the paving stones, though I do like the old boliing water and salt method ( just make sure the salt is directed in one placd)

Pour boiling water from a kettle on the weeds. I'm not sure how long this is effective but it does instantly kill off the leaves.

I think I'd get DH to do it a couple of times. He might change his tune!

I have one of those knife things to scrape out the weeds. Then I fill the gaps with ready mixed cement. It tends to last a year and then goes a bit weedy again. Repeat.

Yes he did buy me a pretty good knife Tbf. He shows no interest in upkeep though. In his eyes, the wilder the better. He doesn’t believe in lawn mowing (ever)- I obvs do it anyway but not hugely often and only on the “longest” setting.

Thanks for all these suggestions. I suspect he will wince at the thought of the boiling water though “what about the worms?” Etc. But it’s probably something I can try quite stealthily.

Get a weed scraper on a long handle and ask dh to help come to a compromise by him scraping the weeds. I am the eco one in our house and like the garden as wild as possible, but my dh doesnt so I compromise and keep the front and patio 'neat'.
Using weedkiller under any circumstances though, considering all we know about the harm it does, is just bonkers. It goes into the water system and known to be causing cancers in us, let alone the harm it does to wildlife - are you really ok with being a part of that?

What about filling the gaps? You can get jointing compound from B&Q and you just sweep it into the gaps - when it rains, it sets. You'd need to scrape out as much as possible.

Alternatively, put seeds of desirable plants into the gaps eg thyme, chamomile, erigeron, campanula.

No I’m not however I do make a lot of compromises in my life which I could write many extra threads about. I’m genuinely asking for alternatives and asking what others do.

given the amount of weedkiller in the shops I’m guessing it’s fairly normal to use it. Not that that makes it ok.

I’ve just done my patio over 2 days with a scraper. It’s a hard job but I don’t use chemicals on my garden. We’ve got a lot of birds, there’s so many insects and a couple of toads (these eat slugs so that’s a win). I’m hoping to tempt in some hedgehogs.

I’ll keep on top of the patio , weeding every 2 weeks but nothing will be like this first weeding of the year!

I saw one on TikTok this week that that bicarb soda all over the gaps and when it rains the weeds absorbed it, explodes the roots killing them! I've never seen it before but looked a good option! They just warned don't put it near flowers as it would have the same effect!

Unfortunatly a lot of people either dont know, or dont care about the side effects of using it. Or assume that because it's on sale that it cant be that bad.
I was suggesting your dh make the compromise by doing the work of the patio in an eco friendly way if you 'allow' some other bits of wilderness in for him, which it sounds like you already do!

I use this type of weeder for the patio slabs. It is a brilliant piece of kit and gets into the cracks on the bricks so easily. It is immensely satisfying and eco friendly too. The long handle means no bending down either. Highly recommend this or something similar. You get a good workout too!

Weed Brush Long Handle for Cleaning Patios, Block Paving and Driveway − Patio Remover Tool with Angled Wire Bristles, 120cm Blade Scraper to Remove Weeds Moss Build-Up : Amazon.co.uk: Garden

Hands and knees, and scraping along the length of the join with the sharp end of a vegetable knife is how I do it. Unsatisfactory, but completely free and non-toxic to the environment!

I’ve been burning ours. Using this. Its working well in the gravel edges of our patio.

https://amzn.to/3R9gw1g

Reviving this. I saw a neighbour using a long thing on wheels. I have no idea how it works though. Can anyone enlighten me?

I think it is a device you run along the cracks and it slices the weeds off at the base. The cracks might need to be a certain width or depth for it to work though. Some of these gardening gadgets are more faff than they are worth, but they may be useful for people who have trouble bending or kneeling.