Fighting Block Paving Weeds

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efunc

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I've now got really mature weed plants that have taken hold in the block paving over the summer. Strangely it's been laid for 10 years and never needed any maintenance until now, apart from jet wash. So, looking into weed burners, there seem to be the 2000w electric versions and the butane ones. I have a 2000w Black&Decker painstripper so I thought I'd try that to see if it was effective before purchasing something more suitable. It wasn't! On the highest setting with the jet nozzle attached you have to hold it right on the weed for minutes before it finally burns the area in local contact. I'm assuming the dedicated versions are not much better?

So anyone have good experiences with these, or can recommend a particular butane one? My worry is that I'll get through about a can of gas in a m2 and I have quite a large front and rear patio,
 
You are correct about the electric weed burners they do not work. I do have a butane one that takes the small canisters. they are okay for the first ten minutes or so then the canister gets very cold and that cuts the gas down and consequently the flame so it doesn't burn quite so well even so the gas canister are ones are far superior to the electric ones. Your best bet is to use a decent weed killer, one the EU hasn't got their hands on, I use Gallop. It is quite dangerous though especially for pets and young children and is no good if it rains soon after application. If you don't want to go down the road of weed killer then I would suggest a burner that takes a large gas canister connected via a pipe similar to what a felt roofer would use.
 
Great, thanks for the advice. I'll investigate propane burners that can use my BBQ Patio Gas canister. I have 5L of RoundUp somewhere, but reluctant to use it as the runoff would do damage elsewhere.
 
I also use Gallop , purchased on line.

Best stuff I have found for brambles, sting nettles and the like.

I think I mix it a bit strong but it does the job.
 
I may be wrong, but my understanding is that you don't need to actually burn the weeds as such, you just need to raise the temperature beyond what their systems can tolerate - so you may find that a little and often overheating approach is more effective than a scorched earth approach...
 
Fred Blogs said:
If you don't want to go down the road of weed killer then I would suggest a burner that takes a large gas canister connected via a pipe similar to what a felt roofer would use.
Click to expand...

Which uses propane, which doesn't suffer the freezing in use.
 
efunc said:
I've now got really mature weed plants that have taken hold in the block paving over the summer. Strangely it's been laid for 10 years and never needed any maintenance until now, apart from jet wash. So, looking into weed burners, there seem to be the 2000w electric versions and the butane ones. I have a 2000w Black&Decker painstripper so I thought I'd try that to see if it was effective before purchasing something more suitable. It wasn't! On the highest setting with the jet nozzle attached you have to hold it right on the weed for minutes before it finally burns the area in local contact. I'm assuming the dedicated versions are not much better?

So anyone have good experiences with these, or can recommend a particular butane one? My worry is that I'll get through about a can of gas in a m2 and I have quite a large front and rear patio,
Click to expand...

Have you used Pathclear yet?
 
I think that's correct about heating the weeds rather than burning to an ember. I might have been doing it wrong before, so perhaps the heat gun is good enough. I haven't used Pathclear either, but quite like the idea of using salt!

What I might do, is jet wash thoroughly, then re-fill with new sand, but this time use a lot of salt with it too in an attempt to stop the weeds coming back.

I quite liked the idea of a propane burner, but if I can't use my Calor Patio Gas canisters because of the fitting then I don't want another device to have to store away in the shed. May get a small butane one as they're cheap enough...
 
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Pathclear is a weedkiller that also leaves a film on the surface preventing seeds from germinating

If you rake, jetwash or pull up the surface, you disturb this film so you have to reapply it. Disturbing the surface also brings dormant seeds to the surface so they start to grow,

It does not wash away in rain or migrate into nearby lawns or flowerbeds like salt or bleach

It lasts about a year on block paving.
 
Gallup XL applied with a spray bottle, at a about 50% stronger than recommended.

Blup
 
Will kill what's there, but won't stop more growing.

Pathclear does both.
 
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