Bird safe weed killer?

Hello! I was wondering if anyone could suggest any weed killers that are safe for ground birds? We have paving slabs and the rather wide strips between them have been inundated with weeds and errant bird seeds that have germinated. Can anyone recommend bird-safe weed killers? I’ve tried:

  • Weed burners (butane)
  • Pouring boiling water over them
  • Pulling them up by hand
  • Weed scraper (looks like a hand scythe)

The last two work but I can’t keep up with it, they sprout faster than I can pull them up. I sweep up the stray seeds nightly but theres only so much prevention I can do. We have so many birds (wood pigeons, collared doves, jackdaws, blackbirds, pheasants, magpies, and many more) pecking between the stones and even pulling up worms so I want to make sure whatever I use is safe for them. Are the weed killers that are supposedly pet safe once dried alright to use?

We are renting, so we can’t do anything major like pull up the stones and install ground covers to completely prevent growth between the stones.  

This picture is from a couple weeks ago and there’s much more growth by now (sorry for the poor pic, was a screenshot from a video taken from my cell phone). Our yard isn’t the prettiest but I find so much joy in seeing all the birds (and hedgehog, voles, and field mice) that come by!

Any help would be appreciated Slight smile

  • jgtuk said:

    What a good idea, it's a heat gun with an extended handle...
    I'll take a look at these to replace my ancient butane jobby.

    That's exactly what it is, a paint stripping heat gun on a long handle.

    With an added benefit, you don't have to keep replacing spent gas cannisters.

  • happycorgi said:
    Thanks for your input! Do you find it kills the weeds down to the root, and how long does it take to see results? The butane one I have is quite week and would take a very long time to do anything against even the smallest shoots/sprouts, but I admit it felt very satisfying haha.



    I wasn’t able to find an RCB plug but found an RCD plug, is that the same thing?

    Unfortunately the product you referred to is out of stock on Amazon but there seem to be similar ones of the same power and price range. Given the increase in electricity rates and our economy 7 tariff, I might be burning weeds at midnight! Haha

    RCD or RCB, or even, by its proper definition RCCB, they are all the same and all do the same thing.

    • RCD Residual Current Device
    • RCB Residual Current Breaker (or circuit breaker in plain language)
    • RCCB Residual Current Circuit Breaker (again circuit breaker in plain language)

    The recommendation is for any outdoor electrical device(s), that include electric mowers, hedge trimmers and any other electrical garden appliance, they should all be connected to one of these devices for ultimate safe usage.

    I fully understand your comment re Economy 7. It will be the same for those using butane or propane burners, so you're caught by the financial short and curlies whatever way, and that will include chemicals!

    Now the original question, after getting the all important safety info sorted.

    It'll never reach the roots, the heat is localised so not to cause undue damage to surrounding items or plants.

    However, if the weeds are not allowed to become established, then there is a good chance the roots will be impacted.

    We have a bird feeder on the patio, and as you'd expect, some seeds will germinate, on the positive side, those roots are not allowed to become established, so will be close enough to the surface to become scorched and become lifeless.

    I also had a severe problem with ivy trying to take control of the garden, so far, that has not returned in the areas where I've burned the life out of them, but not the surrounding tulips.

    But it is localised heat, and not penetrative like a weed killer or other chemicals will be.

  • jgtuk said:
    This looks good...


    More labour intensive initially but will probably reduce to a manageable amount of growth.
    I did a similar thing on my Welsh slate patio and it definitely helped. I still use the vinegar method to stop algae build up as it's lethal underfoot... I sweep the whole area with a vinegar mix in the early spring and again in late autumn and seems to work.
    Wildlife, especially birds, have massively increased in number in the last decade of my attempt at organic management on my own property.

    It is time consuming, but then isn't weeding generally, unless you just blanket spray with a chemical.

    If you keep on top of the weeds, it is actually quite quick, but the initial onslaught or after a bad wet spell can be time consuming.