Advice for cleaning up pavers

I just moved and inherited a yard with what looks like it was once a beautifully landscaped garden. But it's obviously been neglected for a while and it's in need of some TLC. There are wonderful paths through the yard, but the pavers are overgrown with grass and a bit slimy. I'm wondering what the best way to remove the grass and clean up their appearance would be. I know I could Round Up the grass, but I'm not any more thrilled about pavers filled with dead grass than I am the live grass. ;)

Would a wiry push broom and some diluted bleach do the trick? Would it seep at all into the new flower bed I've planted (which is edged with stones, but otherwise comes in contact with the paths) and damage the plants?

The bleach and broom should get rid of the slimy stuff no problem. And as long as you're careful and don't spray the bleach directly on your plants, by the time anything could seep into your garden bed it will be diluted enough that it shouldn't hurt anything. Unfortunately the only way I can think of to get rid of the dead grass is pull it out, even if you kill the top it's still probably rooted pretty firmly in the ground so you'll either have to put up with it until it decomposes on its own eventually, or pull it out.

Thanks for the great advice, ecrane! I guess I'll carefully hit the grassy paths with Round Up and pull it by hand as it dies. Or I may just leave the dead grass over winter. I've cleared out new gardens this way in the past--I used Round Up on the grass, left it over winter, and I had bare soil in the spring.

I don't know why I didn't think of that in the first place. :)

It looks like the pervious owners did not install the pavers/bed properly. There's too much space between them and soil washed down the hill and filled the spaces with soil. You're probably going to have an ongoing problem with grass/weeds growing between them. Once you get settled in your new house you may want to take up all the pavers and prepare the bed with a layer of peagravel (sp?) and topped with a layer of compacted sand. Once the pavers are put back in place, you can sweep landscapers sand into the spaces. Landscapers sand will harden after spraying with water. You have to make sure there's none of that stuff left on top of the pavers though. It's hard to get off once it gets wet and hardens. When you're finished you can apply a sealer to the pavers. It's a big project, but I think you will be much happier with the results once it's finished. You won't have to be the "Round Up" queen anymore. You'll have a nice garden patio too, then you can start restoring the gardens. I think the previous owners had a vision, but couldn't keep it up. I think you have a real opportunity to make it something unique and beautiful.

Diana

Thanks, Pastime. I was afraid someone was going to say that the pavers needed to be redone. :(

I don't own the house yet, although I'd like to buy it. For the moment, I'm renting. (Gotta get my feet back under me financially before I can consider buying.) For now I guess I'll tackle it with Round Up. Once I own the house, I'll see who I can get to come in and do the pavers right. I really doubt I'd be able to do all that myself.

I have to keep thinking about how nice it's going to look when it's finished, though. It's not often you find nearly a half acre lot in town, completely privacy fenced, with the nice landscaping bones that this one has. It'll be a fun project!

For now, I've planted the one bed that's shown in that first photo. This is the just-finished result. (Still needs to be mulched.)

I hope you will be able to buy the house before you put your heart and soul into the gardens. Maybe you could buy on contract for a few years. My daughter had to do it that way. She was young and had no credit. If the landlord agrees, he takes part of your rent and applies it towards a downpayment. In a couple of years you'll have enough $ to go to a lender for a mortgage. Just a thought. Happy gardening!

Well, right now $100 of my rent is going toward the downpayment and/or closing costs...so I definitely am thinking about it. The owner is keeping the house for sale, though. He'll consider a land contract, but I want to make sure my divorce is final before I go that route. It's not that it's a hostile divorce or anything, but for financial reasons I'm better off renting for the moment.

Do you know anyone with a small pressure washer? That might clean of the pavers without using any bleach,. would have to be carefull to just get the pavers and not the flower beds. I know that is how they clean the cement walkways in RV parks.

I'm with Surrey and was just about to post the same.
I borrowed a pressure washer and cleaned off a slimy/blackened concrete pad - it took no effort. It will clean it up real well. Leave the grass there - it will prevent the splashing/mud that you would get with the pressure wash treatment --if you pull up the grass beforehand the disturbed soil between the pavers will go flying everywhere when the forceful water hits it. Also since you are just trying to neaten it all up etc., why not just maintain that grass with a weed eater - it will be green and low to the ground and not such an eyesore ---then later when things settle for you and when you know if you want to pursue the purchase, etc. (you will soon be learning all the house's warts and will really be sure if you want to buy - an advantage that not a lot of folks have with a purchase) you can take care of that grass. It sounds like you have the best case scenario. (PS Enoy those paths you will soon have!!)

Thanks for all the great advice, everyone! I'll post pictures once I get 'er cleaned up. :)

When cleaned out, plant some ground cover in the spaces.
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