by Tim Harry

Created on: December 07, 2009   Last Updated: May 23, 2010

A patio can be a great place to laze upon during the summer months, but as well as being practical, a patio needs to look presentable. The look of the patio can be ruined be a single weed, as there is nothing more likely to catch the eye than a weed growing up through the brick patio joints. There are though a number of things that can be done in regards to brick patio weed control.

Arguably the best method to control weeds in a brick patio starts before the patio is laid. Today most DIY stores will sell a material that allows water to drain through it but prevents weeds from growing through. This material should be laid on top of the patio's sand foundation layer. It is important to ensure that the material is larger than the patio; otherwise weeds will start to grow up around the edges of the brick patio. With the material in place it is always a good idea to also put down some strong weed killer as an additional preventative method.

With the patio laid there is a choice to be made between the use of sand or cement as a mortar. Cement is stronger but over time is likely to crack, fine sand is likely to look nicer in the long run, but may not do as good a job when it comes to preventing weed growth.

It may of course be that the patio has been in place for a while, and weeds are starting to grow amount the brick patio. There are two approaches taken by gardeners to dealing with a brick patio weed problem. One is the chemical approach, and the other is the manual one.

There are many chemical weed killers available to buy, although it is important to read the labels, especially if there are small children or pets that are likely to make use of the patio area in the near future. Weeds can then normally be simply pulled up as they die.

If a manual approach is being taken to brick patio weed control then it is best to start off early in the spring. If weeding is undertaken early enough then it greatly reduces the number of weeds that appear later in the year. To get to the roots of the weeds in amongst the narrow joins it is best to purchase a long, sharp knife to do the work. It is also a good idea to buy some knee pads at the same time, as it will save a lot of back pain.

In either case with weeds removed from the brick patio it is important to prevent future growth. This is normally just a case of re-pointing the brick patio with sand or cement.

A weed free brick patio can be both practical and beautiful and can easily become an important element of any garden.

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