Weeds Growing Between Pavers? Stop Them With This Common Kitchen Staple

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Weeds find a way to grow almost anywhere, but perhaps one of the most annoying surprises is when they pop up between pavers and stones in the walkways in your garden. Weeds and unwanted moss growth aren't just ugly, they also can damage your pavers over time if left unchecked. The answer to your weed problem might be sitting in your kitchen. Try a homemade solution made with dish soap to rid your pavers of those weeds.

Dish soap is a surfactant, and that means it dissolves a weed's waxy protective coating, leaving it vulnerable. It's important to know, however, that detergent on its own isn't lethal to weeds. But if you add vinegar to your mix, then you've got a deadly combo. The dish soap strips off the plant's protection, and the acetic acid in vinegar dehydrates and dries out the weed, killing it. It's good to note, however, that vinegar might not affect weed roots, but it kills anything above ground. 

Dish soap and vinegar aren't the only kitchen staples you can use to get rid of invasive plants. You can also use Clorox as a weed killer. Keep in mind, however, bleach can contaminate your soil and cause problems for other plants, so vinegar and dish soap might be a safer bet. To make dish soap herbicide, you'll need 1 teaspoon of your favorite dish soap, 1 cup of vinegar, and a gallon of water.

To make your own weed killer, simply mix 1 teaspoon of dish soap, 1 cup of vinegar, and a gallon of water together. Avoid using antibacterial soap in your mix, as it could kill helpful bacteria in the soil. You can pour the mixture into a spray bottle or a pressurized sprayer, like the Chapin 20000 Gallon Lawn and Garden Pump Pressured Sprayer, which could make for an easier and more uniform application.

Now, you're ready to attack those weeds in the crevices. Just spray it directly on the weeds growing up through the pavers. Apply a generous coat. Keep in mind, this solution can harm flowers in your garden, so be careful when spraying pavers close to flower beds. Weeds are likely to begin to wilt and die within a day or so, but that all depends on how hearty and mature the weeds are. Check back regularly and reapply the mixture as often as needed until the weeds are dead.

A quick warning: some sources say to use caution when mixing chemicals, so be sure to read the ingredients and warnings thoroughly. Even so, dish soap may be useful in the garden in all sorts of ways. Dawn as an insecticide for gardens uses the blue soap to kill aphids and other bothersome pests. You can even spray some dish soap solution — without the vinegar — directly on plants to kill parasites, just learn how to spray plants with dish soap in moderation. Dish soap is also great to use when cleaning garden tools or planters and pots.