Hello!

I am renting and our landlord has created a back and front patio with bricks and also a walkway to our driveway. There is no roofing over these areas and the weeds grow like wild flowers. I’ve tried pulling out every single weed, I’ve sprayed them with weed products etc. then as soon as it rains, there’s hundreds of them back again. I asked a landscaper and he said the only way is to lay new sand between the pavers. At a large cost that I can’t afford. The owner is of no help at all, it takes months for them to fix anything important. I’d like any ideas to try that might help.


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  • Unfortunately there’s no quick easy fix, weed mats or sand are the only thing that would fix it.


  • Firstly, your landlord is required by law to fix urgent repairs within a certain time frame. If you’re having trouble there, try contacting your nearest tenants union for help. Secondly, spray with weed killer and then sprinkle in the gaps with sugar. It might not fix the issue for ever, bug you should get a good break from weeds


  • Spraying with weed killer should work for a couple of months. But buy a really cheap packet of salt and spread that around over the pavers. The weeds can’t grow in overly saline conditions.


  • Bleach (just the cheap home brand/coles brand stuff) does a brilliant job at cleaning bricks and concrete. I don’t see why it wouldn’t kill all of the weeds as well


  • I certainly would not use salt anywhere near a building or garden. It will damage the bricks too. It makes then powdery. If you get salt even near metal it will rust it. It will kill weeds but nothing else too close to it will live either, except teatrees
    Salt will extinguish a fire but kill the soil. There is talk of Round Up being banned because of the toxic effect of some ingedients in it. Some sprays are safe for people and pets once it dries. I always used to put the pets inside for 2 or 3 hours after I used it.
    If you use boiling water make sure you don’t splash yourself at all.
    White vinegar might bleach the bricks. i would try doing just between 2 or 3 bricks and leave it for a few days to see if it impacts on the colour of the bricks.
    I would ask your landlord for some suggestions, and get it in writing. If what he advises does any damage you have proof that the onus is nt completely on you.


  • Thank you all for the help. I think the boiling water will be an easy way to help control new growth when I’ve finished getting rid of all the current ones. I’ve pulled them all and used sprays numerous times but with young children and a dog it’s not very nice to spray them. I am trying the White vinegar, salt, dish liquid this weekend to see how that goes. It’s a big problem as most of our back yard has no sunlight due to our back neighbours Palm trees all the way along the fence. Shade plus rain equals a wet breeding ground for weeds. I will let you know how it goes and thank you again.


  • I’ve heard pouring boiled water over weeds kills them


  • I’ve heard white vinegar kills them. Also a once a year path weed spray should help but it really needs doing more often. Redoing the sand won’t help – seeds will blow in and they will do the exact same thing. Boiling water poured over may also kill them


  • I must admit I haven’t tried it but I have heard many times and I am sure I saw it on Burke’s Backyard or similar as a natural killer to use boiling water with plenty of salt in it.


  • I haven’t heard of white vinegar before – if it was a place I owned I would be a little concerned about it damaging the bricks – in your situation it sounds like a great, cheap and effective solution.

    I haven’t had much luck with boiling water before – the water gets into the bricks and cools down quickly feeding the weeds roots – they grow back as fast, if not faster than ever – from my experience. Good luck!


  • vinegar is a great suggestion and i have never heard of using that before


  • I’m going to suggest what other MoMs have already suggested – vinegar, salt, boiling water, stronger weed killer, possibly even tree poison.


  • White vinegar is great ..if you have super resistant ones white vinegar with salt and a drop of dishwashing detergent.


  • Try a product called Once A Year Path Weeder, as long as you follow the instructions it does work and does a great job,


  • Roundup is the world’s bestselling weed killer every couple months!!!!


  • You can buy pretty effective weed killers that are specifically designed for path weeds. Bunnings and Kmart sell them. If you are worried about chemicals then boiling water is a good tip.


  • Weed killers are probably the easiest but you can try boiling water or natural weed killers – Google natural weed killers and there are a number of them. I use vinegar based ones as they are cheap and work. Sorry I can’t remember the exact recipes.


  • maybe you should ask if the landlord will fork out for a load of sand. boiling water is a great idea especially if you littlies or pets around and are concerned about spraying the weeds.


  • Lots of good weed killers in shops – look at base ingredient and buy cheaper version. We actually go out each evening with a boiled jug and pour water over any new growth – it is stellar and enviro friendly x


  • I have them everywhere and when I have a chance on a sunny day, I get the weed garden tool and I sit on a stool and pull some out . Bunning may have a better suggestion though. Its one of those things where it is inevitable unless you have fake grass .


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