Banish patio weeds in 24 hours 'permanently' with one kitchen item

Weeds, much like moss, can wreak havoc in gardensby invading the nooks and crannies of your patio slabs, making them a nightmare to get rid of.

The battle against weeds can often feel like a losing one. Gardeners may spend hours on end kneeling down, clearing paths and patios of these pesky intruders, only for them to make a swift comeback. While white vinegar is a common go-to for tackling patio weeds, there's another household hero that gardeners can turn to, which is less likely to harm surrounding plants, flowersand grass.

Instagrammer @thatmamarealtor, also known as Jessica Nakamura, swears by baking soda for the task at hand. She shared her technique in an Instagram video, which she captioned: "This is an easy way to permanently get rid of the weeds between your patio stones." It comes as a warning was made over savage garden invaders that can 'destroy' your plants

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Opening her video, Jessica said: "If you need a simple way to get rid of the weeds between your patio try using baking soda." In her clip, Jessica liberally sprinkles baking soda over the weedy areas of her patio and then sweeps it into the cracks with a broom.

The following step involves dousing the area with water from a garden hose. Jessica asserts that within "24 hours", the weeds will be dead and can be removed "so easily" and "won't grow back".

For those dubious about the effects of baking soda on their patio weeds, Jessica later returned to the comments section a month after to update whether the weeds had resurfaced and if the baking soda had impacted the adjacent lawn. She exclaimed: "One month later, patio is still weed-free and grass is still green."

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Also known as sodium bicarbonate, baking soda proves to be a formidable weed killer due to its high salt content. When weeds are bombarded with too much salt, they can't survive, leading to dehydration and preventing them from regrowing, reports the Express.

After the above-ground parts of the weed die off, it becomes a doddle to yank the plant out by its roots - significantly reducing the chances of it making an unwelcome comeback in your garden.

While a heightened salt concentration in the soil can also spell trouble for nearby non-weed plants, this issue can be swiftly resolved with a good drenching or a downpour, which will rinse away any lingering baking soda.

By using baking soda instead of white vinegar, gardeners can ensure that patio weeds are permanently vanished without the need for harsh chemicals that can damage plants and flowers.