# Keeping weeds from growing thru cracks in concrete?



## imola ghost (Aug 26, 2008)

I've got quite a bit of concrete driveway and front patio area along with a rear patio section. I seem to have some weird small weeds growing up thru the relief saw cuts.

I've sprayed weed/grass killer and it still grows no matter what. Is there another way to remedy this?

I was thinking of pouring some salt down inside but wanted to see what other people said before hand.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Pressure wash the cracks to get rid of the soil and use total vegatation killer not Round Up.


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## concretemasonry (Oct 10, 2006)

The weeds are probably coming from airborne seeds that settle in the joints and not from below. - Follow Joe's suggestion.

Dick


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## 95025 (Nov 14, 2010)

imola ghost said:


> I've got quite a bit of concrete driveway and front patio area along with a rear patio section. I seem to have some weird small weeds growing up thru the relief saw cuts.
> 
> I've sprayed weed/grass killer and it still grows no matter what. Is there another way to remedy this?
> 
> I was thinking of pouring some salt down inside but wanted to see what other people said before hand.


I've had the exact same thing happen on every sidewalk and driveway of every property I've every owned. All I've ever done is spray them regularly with RoundUp, or something similar - total vegetation killer. It's cheap, and I do it about once per month during the growing season.

You could also power wash out all the cracks, and fill them with a crack filler.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

If you do not blow out the soil seeds will grow. Round up is a total waist of time and money. Total vegatation killer should last for 12 months not every month like Round Up.


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## 95025 (Nov 14, 2010)

joecaption said:


> If you do not blow out the soil seeds will grow. Round up is a total waist of time and money. Total vegatation killer should last for 12 months not every month like Round Up.


I guess it depends on what you're willing to pay. I got a HUGE jug of off-brand RoundUp last year, at TSC, for about $25. The stuff is highly concentrated, and totally destroys stuff. I've killed small brush with it.

Anyway, back to the OP...


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## imola ghost (Aug 26, 2008)

I'm pressure washing the patio/driveway tomorrow and will try the total vegetation killer. Is that what it's actually called? Buy at Home Depot/Lowes?


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## 95025 (Nov 14, 2010)

imola ghost said:


> I'm pressure washing the patio/driveway tomorrow and will try the total vegetation killer. Is that what it's actually called? Buy at Home Depot/Lowes?


*Glyphosate* is the active weed-killing ingredient in RoundUp. Because it has been on the market long enough, Monsanto no longer has exclusive patent, and will be marketed under any number of brand names.

Check the active ingredients in Total Vegetation Killers. Ortho GroundClear, for instance, is basically RoundUp with a TINY bit of "Imazapyr" (I don't know what that is, or how well it works). 

If you want the heavy duty vegetation killer - especially with ground sterilizer - you're going to have to go somewhere besides HD or Lowes.


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## imola ghost (Aug 26, 2008)

Gotcha!


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## dstorjoh (Apr 13, 2011)

*Your weeds*



joecaption said:


> Pressure wash the cracks to get rid of the soil and use total vegatation killer not Round Up.


Thats what I did. You will still have some places where weeds grow. These places are where the dirt can not be removed from the cracks adequately. Some places are filled with gravel for instance and the gravel sits on dirt just below. Crack filler works better but can get expensive (counting labor as well) if you have a lot of cracks to fill. Especially if the cracks are wide, thin cracks are a pain as well as the caulk is to viscous.

If you clean out the cracks real well and then spray. It turns out that only a few trouble areas grow with weeds and have to be maintained on a monthly basis.


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## imola ghost (Aug 26, 2008)

That's what I just got done doing the day before yesterday. Pressure washed all of the concrete paying special attention to all of the cracks. When it was dry I went back over and spray total vegetation killer in all of the cracks. 

I cleaned the cracks out very well and was happy with the results. Now to see if this was all worth it in a few months.


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## stoneworks (Mar 20, 2012)

any "groundclear" with isosalts and glyso will do all that you need just be careful at the edges of the driveway.


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