How to Prevent and Remove Weeds Growing in Patio Cracks

You’ve battled weeds in your lawn and weeds in your flower beds but 
this time you’re pretty sure you’ve got the weeds beat: You had a paver patio installed. 

You: Good luck, weeds! (Insert your evil laugh here.) Weeds can’t sprout in solid concrete pavers, right? Ha! 

Weeds: Nice try, pal. 

Turns out weeds love sprouting in the cracks between pavers. 

How to prevent weeds in patio cracks? Replace the patio sand and sealer every year or two. Sweep your patio regularly to keep dirt from settling between the pavers. Partner with a Sarasota landscape maintenance company that treats patio weeds every time they visit your property. 

Keep reading to learn more about the best way to kill patio weeds, including:

• What Weeds Dare to Sneak Into Patio Cracks?
• How Do Weeds Grow in Patio Cracks? There’s No Soil!
• How to Stop Weeds in Cracks: Choosing the Right Sand
• Prevent Weeds in Patio Cracks with Sealer
• How to Stop Weeds in Patio Cracks: Do DIY Methods Work?
• The Best Way to Kill Patio Weeds: Partner with Pros Who Stay On Top of Them

First, What Weeds Dare to Sneak Into Patio Cracks? 

You’d be surprised how many, but three especially tenacious ones are spurge, sedge and Artillery fern: 

Spurge 

Spurge is famous for growing anywhere, including between your patio pavers.  

It has a lacy network of thin stems with small oval blue-green leaves on both sides. Sometimes, the stems have a reddish tinge. You might see tiny green or pale pink flowers. 

Spurge spreads out in a flat oval or wheel shape, sometimes spreading to a foot wide.

Sedge

Sedge looks like grass but has unique triangular stems. Its long, narrow leaves form a clustered bunch. 

Artillery Fern

Don’t be fooled by the “fern” part. Yes, some people use artillery fern as a decorative ground cover or ornamental plant, but here in Florida, it’s considered invasive and a weed. 

It has a delicate fern-like look but spreads aggressively. Why is it called “artillery” fern? The male flowers explosively burst pollen into the air, helping spread the seeds. Double trouble. 

How Do Weeds Grow in Patio Cracks? There’s No Soil!

You don’t know weeds very well, do you? 

For one thing, they’re evil super villains. But there are a few science-based explanations, too:

• Your patio pavers start out with the spaces between them filled tightly with sand then sealed for protection. So far, so good.
• But over time, the sealer wears off and organic matter and soil accumulate in the gaps.
• Weed seeds drift in on the breeze, get carried by birds, stuck on your dog’s paws or the bottom of your shoes, then happily take root in the bits of soil between your pavers
• Meanwhile, rainwater and spray from your sprinklers collect in the cracks, giving those weed seeds  the moisture needed for weed growth in patio joints
• Our Sarasota sunshine shines down in the germinating seeds, which is another element they need to thrive.
• Here in Southern Florida, weeds don’t take a break like they do in cooler climates. They’re at it year-round, sneaking into any spots that provide even the tiniest amounts of soil and water — including between your patio pavers. 

How to Stop Weeds in Cracks: Choosing the Right Sand

When your paver patio is installed, sand is added to nestle down in between each paver to hold them into place. 

It’s usually a fine, dry sand, sometimes called masonry sand or “sweeping sand,” and it does the trick just fine. But as regular dirt blows in over time and settles between those pavers, it makes a great home for weeds to move in.
 
Another sand choice? A higher-end, weed-deterring option called polymeric sand. It’s an upgrade that costs more, but it helps deter weeds. Unlike regular sand, it’s bound with polymers that cause it to harden after it’s swept into the joints and sprayed with water. That makes it tougher for weed growth in patio joints. 

You’ll get about one year weed free with regular masonry sand and 2-3 years with polymeric sand before you’ll need to add more sand and reseal. Which brings us to…

Prevent Weeds in Patio Cracks with Sealer 

Regularly sealing your patio helps lock in the sand between each paver for a tight fit, keeping your pavers in place and helping prevent weeds from settling in.

It’s a regular part of landscape maintenance services in Sarasota. 

Sealing protects the pavers, too, preventing the sun from fading the color, keeping pounding rain from weathering the surface and deterring pesky ants from building mounds in those spaces between pavers. 

But the patio sealer doesn’t last forever. 
You’ll want to have your patio pressure washed occasionally, new sand added and have it re-sealed. 

How often to seal? It depends on your wallet. 

It costs $1.50-$2 per square foot to seal a patio. That’s about $8,000 for a 4,000-square foot patio. 

Most homeowners don’t want to spend that every year, so they tend to wait longer between sealer applications. 

Prevent Weeds in Patio Cracks with Regular Maintenance 

Keep a broom handy to regularly sweep your patio and you’ll help prevent dirt and weed seeds from accumulating. Better yet, make your kids do it.  

How to Stop Weeds in Patio Cracks: Do DIY Methods Work?

A quick check on the internet will show people recommend a homemade weed killer mix of vinegar, Epsom salt and dish soap.

Skip the potion making. Don’t use any DIY method that contains any form of salt. That salt will seep into the soil and kill your plants. 

What about burning the weeds with a propane torch? That’s a tough guy move that will impress your neighbors, right? Mad Max the Weed Warrior. 

This method actually works to kill weeds, but be aware the extreme heat could crack concrete pavers if there’s any moisture in them. 

The Best Way to Kill Patio Weeds: Partner with Pros Who Stay On Top of Them

Here at Tropical Gardens we spray patio weeds with weed control each week as part of our regular landscape maintenance program. 

We use post- emergent herbicides here, designed to work when applied directly to weeds that are already growing. The product is absorbed through the leaves and stems, then moves through the plant’s system, causing it to die.

It’s important to stay on top of this task, spraying when weeds are tiny so when they die and turn brown you hardly notice them. 

How to Stop Weeds in Patio Cracks? Talk to Us 

Weeds are the worst, sneaking into the spaces between your pretty pavers and deviously distracting from your delicious patio party appetizers. 

We’re happy to help, with landscape maintenance services in Sarasota that make weeds think twice about invading your patio.  

Trust your Florida patio — and the rest of your Sarasota landscaping — to us. 

Tropical Gardens provides tailored, full-service landscape maintenance services in Sarasota, FL and nearby communities that ensure your property gets the care it needs — including weed control — all year long. 

Let’s get started. We’ll help you figure it all out. 

Give us a call or fill out our form today! Our team of Sarasota landscape maintenance pros will get you set up with a patio designed to keep the weeds away — and stay on top of any pesky invaders that dare to sneak in. Then you can breathe easier about your landscaping.