Grass in paved walkway (landscaping, buy, organic)

[WJFM]

Some grass has started peeking out in between the paved stones in my walkway. I was going to get some weedkiller to kill this, but realized that this is grass, not weed.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to eliminate this? Is there a danger of the stones actually moving at some point?

[totallyfrazzled]

Use Roundup, which is an herbicide (kills everything regardless of whether it's a grass, weed, annual, perennial, etc).

Just don't apply it on a windy day because you don't want overspray landing on lawn or planting areas that you don't want killed.

[Lisamel]

I second the roundup recommendation. that stuff will kill everything. And yes, wind is not your friend when applying roundup.

Also be sure not to get any on your shoes and then walk across your grass.

[anthonylongisland]

I am not a tree hugger, but before you use chemicals, perhaps you would want to try... (I thought of this especailly because you can really pour a good amount and not worry about killing anything around it.

Vinegar As a Natural Weed (and grass) Killer...

For organic gardening, vinegar can function as a handy natural weed killer. It's the acetic acid in vinegar that gives it the power to kill weeds. The higher the percentage of acetic acid in the vinegar, the better it will operate as a natural weed killer, technically speaking. Vinegar used for culinary purposes is relatively low (5%) in acetic acid, so repeated applications will be necessary when using it as a natural weed killer.

Vinegar As Natural Weed Killer | Uses for Vinegar

[Elke Mariotti]

Originally Posted by anthonylongisland

Vinegar As a Natural Weed (and grass) Killer...

For organic gardening, vinegar can function as a handy natural weed killer. It's the acetic acid in vinegar that gives it the power to kill weeds. The higher the percentage of acetic acid in the vinegar, the better it will operate as a natural weed killer, technically speaking. Vinegar used for culinary purposes is relatively low (5%) in acetic acid, so repeated applications will be necessary when using it as a natural weed killer.

Vinegar As Natural Weed Killer | Uses for Vinegar

I strongly second vinegar as weed/grass killer .
Have used it on my driveway (pebbles) and it definitely works and repeat application is indeed required if the "invasion" has progressed, as in my case. I recommend full strength, not diluted as some people suggested to me.

It does NOT seem to be effective against poison ivy though .

[alexei27]

You can buy higher strength vinegar (up to 20% acidity) in a lot of farm supply stores. I think vinegar for canning is higher than 5% also.


I use it...it works great. Just don't use it right before it rains...for obvious reasons.

[KENNY GUIDO]

Put a sealer over it when the weeds are gone (week later) that will prevent anything else from growing there again.

[MacTAC]

Originally Posted by totallyfrazzled

Use Roundup, which is an herbicide (kills everything regardless of whether it's a grass, weed, annual, perennial, etc).

Everything green, depending on strength of mixture...

[totallyfrazzled]

If you have sand between the pavers, you may want to consider replacing it with the new polymeric sand that acts like grout. I saw this described in the last issue of Garden Gate magazine.

Polymeric Sand

Supposedly it is resistant to blowing away, being removed by tires going over it, ants, and weed/grass germination.

[WJFM]

Thanks everyone. These are all great ideas. I will start with Vinegar, and move on to round-up if Vinegar is too much work. I have a fair amount of cracks to fill, and spraying roundup will be less work.. though I am all for natural materials on the lawn.

I have been thinking about sealing the cracks to prevent the grass from growing again, and the polymeric sand seems like a great idea. The website even has a section about installing, so that should be helpful.