If you are sick and tired of wrenching up weeds you might be surprised to find the solution at your fingertips – as recently discovered by one green-fingered warrior
Weeds are the thorn in many a gardener’s side, and pulling them up can make even the most green fingered warrior weary. However, there is one thing that is highly effective in banishing pesky gravel weeds – and chances are its already in your home. The clever tip was dug up by members of the Gardening Hints and Tips group on Facebook, after one frustrated gardener sought to weed out top tips to banish the gravel in their drive.
Posting to the group the gardener asked: “I’ve seen lots of posts lately about the use of white vinegar and salt for weed killing. I have a gravel-covered drive and can’t seem to keep the weeds in check, even using the recommended weed killer for paths. Would they work on the drive or is there something better? There are no other plants in the vicinity and it’s not like I would be planting anything on the drive in future.”
Members of the group were on hand to help, and while a lot of comments tipped white vinegar and salt as effective solutions, they also suggested something that was even better – washing powder.
“I had success with some cheap soap powder and boiling water,” wrote on helpful Facebook user. “I used to use salt on my alleyway and it works, but washing powder was better for me,” another chimed in. A third added, “Laundry powders are amazing on gravel weeds. You can see the results almost instantly.”
Thankfully if you are a detergent pod user its easy to buy the powdered variety with prices starting at just £3 in the shops. It contains plant-toxic substance boron, and all you have to do is sprinkle the magic powder before dousing the weeds in boiling water – just remember to avoid the plants you actually like!
Gardening expert Tom Clifford from Gardenstone endorsed the method in an interview with Ideal Home, explaining: “Strong chemical weed killers, although effective, can often be harmful to your patio surface, especially if it’s made from delicate stone. Washing powder offers a gentler option that shouldn’t harm your patio surface but will effectively kill weeds. In addition, washing powder is a regular household object, making it much more accessible and affordable than chemical weed killers.”
