Weeds found on your patio or driveway can be tricky to remove as their roots can bury themselves into the cracks and crevices of stone so they will grow back in no time.
It can sometimes feel futile to fight against weeds but this does not mean you have to use harsh chemical solutions that can harm local wildlife or neighbourhood cats.
Courtenay Hartford, a gardening expert and founder of Creekline House, has said that basic kitchen salt is “really is the best, safest, most effective way to control weeds on a driveway, path, walkway or patio”.
She added: “There are a lot of different ways that you can control your weeds without using harsh chemicals, but I have to say that salt has become my favourite for our particular weed problems.”
It may seem straightforward but salt works as most natural solutions to kill weeds such as vinegar or baking soda will only burn away the visible part of the plant as they cannot penetrate deep enough to get to the root.
Salt is incredibly effective at killing established weeds with deep root systems as it will draw the moisture out of all of the plants and quickly kill it, while vinegar or baking soda will take longer to kill only the above-ground part of the plant.
Not only is salt a cheap way to remove weeds but is the best way to prevent them from growing back in the colder seasons.
Courtenay said: “If you salt your walkways for the mailman in the winter, you’re preventing weeds! I noticed a huge difference one year in the places where I did a really good job of salting during the winter.”
How to use salt to stop weeds growing on patios and driveways
The best way to use salt is to combine it with water so it can get into weeds with strong roots and make sure it can get underneath your stonework to stop the weeds from growing back.
Courtenay said: “Using water along with your salt can really help increase its effectiveness.
“Certain weeds and types of vegetation, like broadleaf dandelion leaves and certain thistle types, will react right away to just straight salt, while others, like crabgrass or chickweed, seem to need water added before you start to see results.”
All you need to do is drench your patio in water using a hose or watering can, then sprinkle the salt as a spot treatment in areas where the weeds are.
Alternatively, you can wait until it is really rainy outside and let the rain soak your patio for you, then use the salt.
Once the patio dries the weeds should quickly begin to shrivel up, go brown and die within 24 hours.
Courtenay said: “The great thing is that once the salt gets to work, the results last much longer than other natural methods and even longer than some of the store-bought eco-friendly weed killers that I’ve tried.”
When using salt around your home be careful to only apply it to areas where there are weeds as using too much can risk it running onto soil where it could damage your garden.
Courtenay said: “Be mindful of the fact that if you overdo it, you do risk some salt running off of your walkways and into neighbouring flower beds and lawns.
“From my experience, this risk is pretty low as I can almost draw a line on the border of my lawn with the salt and have only the grass that I want to die turn yellow without harming the rest of the lawn, but of course, this is with very conservative use and only when necessary.
“I love the results I’ve been seeing, and I love that this method fits into my very tight schedule without me having to worry about kids running around in a yard where I’ve used harsh chemicals that may hurt them.”
