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Hello,
I have two separate queries I need help / advice on please!!
1) My parents have a driveway laid with those pinkish 'bricks' (used for lots of driveways) and have paving slabs around the back for the patio. Next door have an abundance of buddleias and a silver birch which seed all over the place! Including between the slabs and bricks. Dad used to painstakingly pull them out by hand (with other weeds) on his hands & knees. A recent major surgical op prevents him from doing this now. I can help out of course, but it would be better to find a more 'permanent' solution.
Weedkiller is out as my parents keep a chemical free garden! Dad has been thinking about using a weed burning torch but the person* that laid the bricks & slabs said that the 'flame' will mark them. Has anyone used one of these torches? Has it really marked the paving? Alternatively, are there any other ways to stop these weeds please? (* suggested to blast out weeds with pressure washer then he will re-sand and then 'seal' it all with a sealent - what are your thoughts?)
2) This week I had a huge 20' conifer cut down as it was far too big in my fairly small garden! The stump left behind is about 2' high. Thought I'd leave it to rot away naturally to provide nooks & crannies for insects etc... However, knowing conifers, I expect it will sprout again from the sides! I can keep cutting these back periodically but would rather the stumps dies completely. Don't want to use poison obviously! Any ideas as to how I can stop it from carrying on growing please?
Thank you very much!!
"All weeds are flowers, once you get to know them" (Eeyore)
My photos on Flickr
MarJus, I can confirm that the flame does mark the bricks. Old neighbour of ours used one and it marked brick driveway quite badly. I am told if you seal the driveway, it will stop the bricks being porous and therefore rainwater will not drain away. ( not certain of this, though does sound plausible so we didn't seal our bricks.)
As for tree stump, we drilled holes into stump, which all kinds of little creatures love to crawl into, and it never grew again. We put a large pot of seasonal flowers on top of it.
Hope this is of some help but I am sure there will be more expert advice on here for you.
Hi MarJus
On the flame-thrower jobby, Brenda is absolutely right in that they mark the bricks but also, just for info, the company my OH works for stocks them but he says they don't actually work that well as a permanent solution for weed-killing so while they sell them to folk who are determined to have one they don't actively promote them. When OH comes home for lunch I will ask him if he has any ideas of a good way to remove the weeds and get back to you.
As to the conifer, we had one which we cut down to about a foot above ground level and that didn't re-grow at all but next door simply cut the top off theirs (leaving about five feet of active growth still on it) and that does continue growing. So it seems that, if like Brenda and us, you have cut below the active growth line it shouldn't re-shoot.
The necessity of bird-watching is a really good reason for avoiding all forms of housework.
The dust will still be there tomorrow - the birds may not be!
Hi again MarJus
Back on the bricks, OH said, if you want to avoid using anything poisonous, he thinks the only way is to pressure wash it and then re-sand. However, as they are currently growing quite happily in the sand, it is likely that this will have to be an ongoing activity rather than a one-off solution.
Were it just moss and algae, there is a product called Patio Magic and that is reputed to be good for cleaning the actual slabs or bricks but I don't think that would have any effect on weeds. I do know that salt will kill weeds (almost anything, in fact, not just weeds) but I am not sure quite what that would do to the bricks.
Sorry I can't be more help.
Thank you both very much! Wrote a reply around noon and bam, power cut... Anyway, the torch is out then! Thanks for confirming! Pressure wash is ok, but as you say, they'll soon grow back, and the sealant Dad is reluctant with due to water drainage as you mentioned Brenda! Think I'll be getting on my hands & knees! lol!
As for the stump! Great idea to drill holes as I have an inkling that the cut is above the growth line! It will hopefully prevent it growing and provide homes! Superb!
You forumites are great!! Thanks!!! :-D
Squirrel, Thanks from me as well. I knew the power washers were no good as a long term solution but was waiting to see what your husband said about alternatives. I know i may be shouted down but I must admit we either dig them out or have to resort to the dreaded weed killer on the drive.
Hi MarJus - just a thought but what about a Patio Weed Knife. Spear and Jackson do them, as do others. Ideally you would want a long-handled one. I know Wolf do a range whereby you buy the handles and heads separately. They call theirs a GARDEN SCRAPER and they also do the long handle to fit into it. Here's a link for you to have a look at it.
http://www.garden4less.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=FKM
Hi Marjus - I think Squirrel has the right idea we use the garden scraper and its great - we had a burner a few years ago and weeds came back in no time especially if it rained not long after your scorched them!
Thank you Squirrel, thank you Lucy! Shall look into a scraper with a long handle!!
Hi MarJus, I can’t help with the weed problem but if you strip the bark off your tree stump it will definitely not grow again. The bark should strip very easily if it is a conifer.
Build it and they will come.
That's true - we planted a woodland many years ago and the rabbits nibbled rings round the trees and they died - had forgotten that.