On 4/22/10 7:34 AM, Jeff Thies wrote:
I put down a lot of bricks and stones last year and I'm getting a lot
of weeds in the cracks. Much of this is away from desirable plant life
so I don't need a specific solution.

I've heard vinegar and a preen follow up. I know nothing about Preen
and I suspect it's the acidity that works in the Vinegar.

I've also vaguely heard about some kind of sand that keeps the weeds out.

Suggestions? I've been hand weeding, but it's an unfair contest.

Jeff

When my decomposed granite (DG) walkways were installed in my back yard,
the landscaper placed a groundcloth under the DG. This does not prevent
weeds, but the weed roots cannot grow through the cloth. This makes it
easier to pull the weeds. Further, the cloth is sufficiently porous
that rain does not puddle on the walkways.

I can pull most of the weeds, but a few are so fragile that the tops
come off without the roots. Thus, I just work my way around the
walkways on my hands and knees with a paring knife. I also use a paring
knife to remove weeds growing between the bricks in my front walkway.

I might consider Roundup later this year to eliminate spotted spurge
from my walkways, which starts to set seed by the time I can see the
weeds. Pulling or cutting spotted spurge is too late. If the plant is
big enought to be grabbed between two fingers, it's already left seed
for a new crop.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary