Getting Rid of Grass Between Patio Stones

To get rid of grass between patio stones, you’ll have to apply a bit of elbow grease. During the spring and summer, it’s practically impossible and downright frustrating to keep weeds and grass from sprouting-up between patio stones. Because we are in a subtropical climate and there’s plenty of rain during the spring and particularly during the summer, grass grows at an impressive and infuriating rate. Mowing quickly becomes once a week chore and all the while, grass is growing around and between your patio stones.

Because there’ no real room to work, you can dig down and pull it out by the root. An alternative is to pull up the entire hardscape feature, spray the area with a grass killing herbicide, and, then covering the whole area with landscape fabric, only to reset the patio stones. That’s simply too much effort for such a trivial aesthetic annoyance, but, there are other ways you can make your patio a grass-free zone.

Ways to Keep a Patio Clean

One ill side-effect of grass growing around and between patio stones is that’s it’s organic matter. It runs its life course, then, withers and dies. Unfortunately, the decay attracts pests and can cause discoloration. This leaves it looking worn, dull, and just plain unsightly. The best way to keep your patio clean is to do the simplest thing on a regular basis: sweep it. Use a broom to sweep it off on a weekly basis, in combination with a leaf blower to make the task easier.

Persistent weeds find a way to grow even in small places, such as cracks or gaps in your patio and driveway. Because of the small space, you can’t simply dig up the entire weed roots and all. A combination of weed removal methods gives you options to control the unwanted weed and grass growth. Consistently killing the weeds eventually reduces the number of weeds that try to grow in the area. With chemical and manual weed control methods at your disposal, you can get your patio and driveway back in shape without those pesky weeds. —San Francisco Chronicle

If it looks dull, you can bring back its vigor with a little elbow grease. Use a garden hose to spray it down and then scrub it with a long handled brush and dish-washing liquid. If there are black and green spots, this is probably mold and mildew. Use a combination of bleach and water. Once scrubbed, spray the patio down again to rinse and repeat the process, if necessary. It might take two or three times to see results. With a little work, you’ll have a great looking surface once again, though, the grass will probably still be a problem.

How to Get Rid of Grass between Patio Stones

The truth of the matter is, grass will continue to grow up between patio stones until it is dealt with at its source. The only way to do that effectively is to do what’s mentioned above — pull up all the stones, spray herbicide, lay down landscape fabric, and then reset the stones. The good news is, all you need is a few things: a weeding knife, herbicide, plastic bags, sand, wheelbarrow, shovel, broom, and garden hose. For faster results and to take advantage of the time of year when grass is going dormant, do the following to get rid of grass between patio stones:

  • Clear the patio off completely. Remove anything that’s on the patio to have ample room to work and to avoid any tripping hazards. This is a good time to sweep the patio off, if you haven’t already done so to clean it.
  • Use a weeding knife between stones. This will be a time consuming job, but a necessary step to get rid of that unsightly grass. Dig down between the cracks and joints with a weeding knife, cutting into the roots. Pull clumps of grass up by hand, along with the roots.
  • Carefully discard of any pulled grass. When you pull the grass up, don’t just toss it aside or lay it onto the patio, because you could be spreading more seeds to spur more growth. Place everything you excavate into plastic bags to avoid this mistake.

Two more Ways to Get Rid of Grass between Patio Stones

  • Spray into the joint with herbicide. Once you’ve cleared all the joints and cracks of grass on your patio, you can then spray herbicide into those trouble areas to help kill any remaining seeds and roots. Give it as much time to work as recommended by the manufacturer.
  • Brush sand between the cracks to prevent future growth. Spread sand over the surface of the patio with a shovel, then brush it into the joint and cracks using a broom. Spray the entire surface down with a garden hose, forcing the sand to compact. Repeat the process until the sand is level with the surface.

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