Weeds buried in your driveway or patio tend to be more difficult to remove due to how long their roots are (Image: Getty)
As the weather gets warmer many people will be cleaning up their gardens before spring begins, and one of the more difficult jobs is getting rid of weeds in cracks on stone slabs.
that grow in , pathways or tend to be tricky to remove as they have extremely long roots which are firmly buried underneath the ground and cannot be pulled up.
Jennifer Arnott, a and founder of says that weeds on stonework will always grow back if you do not know how to tackle the roots properly.
She said: “The key to weeding is to not just remove the plant that’s above the ground but also the roots below ground.
“Depending on how insidious/persistent/adaptable the weed is, leaving even a little bit of the root behind can result in regrowth. Get all of it out.”
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Boiling hot water is a quick and easy way to kill weeds for good (Image: Getty)
However, there is an easy way to deal with lots of long-rooted weeds without having to pull them up individually or use a chemical herbicide.
Jennifer said: “My favourite method to get rid of a lot of weeds in my garden paths is to pour boiling water over them.
“I boil a kettle full of water, run it outside while it’s still hot, and pour it over the weeds so that it soaks down to the roots. “
It may seem simple, but pouring boiling water is a very effective way at getting rid of weeds as it will stop them from growing back.
Boiling hot water scalds the plant and then begins to break down the plant cells so is likely to immediately kill it.
If the weed survives the heat damage, then the water can penetrate deep enough to damage the roots which also stops weeds from being able to absorb water so will dehydrate them quickly.
The weeds should begin to die off quickly and be completely dead after a day or two (Image: Getty)
This is a natural way to kill weeds as they will completely die off within two days but likely sooner.
However, the only downside to this method is that sometimes it takes one more try to kill off the plant for good if the roots are buried extremely deeply.
Jenifer said: “It smells a bit like cooking spinach. In a day or two the plants have withered and died.
“If they haven’t, I do it again, using a greater quantity of boiling water. Note that you don’t have to boil a kettle of clean water for this—you can use the water you just drained from a pot of pasta or (my trick at this time of year) the hot water left in your canning pot after you’ve pulled out the last jar of jam.”
Simply keep an eye on the weed pile, continue to pour boiling hot water on the base of the plants and then the weeds should die off within a few days.
Just be careful when handling hot water and using it near your lawn.