Using a Pressure Washer to Spray Herbicide

The competition has begun, spring has arrived, and weeds are swiftly invading your pavers. It is tempting to pull out your pressure washer, load it with herbicides, and go nuts on those annoying plants spoiling your patio.

Using a pressure washer to spray herbicide on your patio instead of the back-breaking hand-picking method is an easy, quick, and fun way to get the job done.

However, this fun method works by blasting the surface and, if not used properly, will cost you more than the back-breaking hand-picking method.

Here’s everything you need to know about using a power washer to keep weeds at bay.

Can you Pressure Wash with Herbicide?

We already know that a pressure washer can perform admirably on its own. It can quickly remove dirt and weeds from between your pavers.

However, you should consider whether using a pressure washer with a herbicide is good. It appears to be an excellent concept because the pressure washer removes the weeds and the herbicides prevent them from regrowing.

Combining a pressure washer and a herbicide is an excellent approach to quickly completing a monotonous chore. However, the answer to this question is dependent on several things.

The most critical consideration is what surface you intend to blast with that high-pressure washer.

Of course, you’re not going to use the pressure washer in your garden. Even yet, using a pressure washer to clear weeds from your asphalt is not suggested, especially if your washer has a high amount of pressure.

Using the pressure washer machine to flush the weeds out of the spaces between your pavers will begin to damage the slabs, causing them to become loose and lift over time.

Set your pressure washer to the proper setting to minimize additional repair costs.

Your surroundings will be another element to consider because you will be spraying a herbicide with a high PSI pressure washer. Your fluids will almost certainly end up on other healthy plants on your property.

Furthermore, using high PSI pressure can aerosolize a lot of the liquid herbicide, making it extremely dangerous to spray herbicide with a pressure washer, especially if your family is present.

Can you Pressure Wash with Herbicide?

Best Way to Remove Weeds from Large Area

What kind of herbicide can you put in your pressure washer?

You can see the broad picture now, but if all you want to do is start blasting those nasty weeds with your herbicide-laden pressure washer, I won’t let you down. When handled correctly, the combination of a pressure washer and herbicides is safe.

The type of herbicide you use and the pressure of your power washer will have a significant impact on your safety. You’re dying to find out more.

It is not good to fill your pressure washer tank with Roundup. If you prefer to use your pressure washer, you can use an organic herbicide instead of the harmful synthetic herbicide.

The organic weedkiller concoction of vinegar and dish soap is safe and environmentally friendly, but the acidity of the vinegar will create corrosive effects on the steel parts of your pressure washer.

As a result, using more than 5% vinegar in your pressure washer is not recommended.

It is safe, but you will have to do extra duties after finishing; you will have to thoroughly rinse your pressure washer with tap water. Even if you are using vinegar, wear protective gear because it can cause minor irritations.

Also read: Recommended protective clothing for spraying herbicides

Using a Pressure Washer to Spray Herbicide

This is now a major matter. The typical hand spray we use in our gardens is no more than 400 pounds per square inch of pressure.

Therefore using a pressure washer means you’re putting around 3000 PSI in a tank loaded with herbicide.

Once the tall weeds have been eliminated, you can use a power washer to remove the short weeds. Set your pressure washer appropriately; a 2000 psi nozzle is ideal.

The nozzle should provide a focused spray because a broader spray will likely splash the herbicide into the surrounding area, harming your beautiful flowers.

Also read: What is the most effective dandelion killer that won’t harm grass?

Keep the pressure washer moving after you start spraying; lingering in one location for too long may cause a lot of damage. You should keep your wand at least a foot away from the surface.

This will significantly reduce the likelihood of damage to your pavers.

Wait for it to dry after the pressure washer to ensure that the herbicide is absorbed adequately before applying a paving sealer.

The paving sealer will keep the joint sand from deteriorating further. Using a pressure washer to eliminate weeds regularly will cause the shifting and sinking of your paver.

Also read: Weed removal tool for block paving

Does herbicide pressure washing destroy sealant?

FAQs about Using a Pressure Washer to Spray Herbicides

How much PSI does a garden sprayer have?

Garden sprayers vary in the amount of PSI they produce; they range from 40 to 150 PSI. this allows the herbicide to properly soak in the weeds.

Also read: Herbicide that kills everything but Bermuda lawn

Do I need a garden hose for a pressure washer?

A pressure washer is best used with a pressure washer hose. Due to the high amount of pressure, a garden hose may not be able to handle it.

Does herbicide pressure washing destroy sealant?

Due to its high pressure, it can easily remove old concrete sealers.

But a combination of a pressure washer with herbicide may cause the damage even quicker since some herbicides can react with the sealant.
Also read: Can I spray weeds after mowing?

Weeds have no boundaries and limits; you won’t miss a weed anywhere conducive. They don’t value the time and effort you’ve put into making your property appear attractive. So, it is reasonable if you are eager to go to any length to keep the weeds at bay.

Using a pressure washer to spray herbicide, on the other hand, is an extreme practice that must be approached with caution.

Keep in mind that while high pressure may be effective in blasting away weeds, it may atomize the herbicide, causing it to disperse in the wind. The herbicide will not effectively soak the weeds.

Consider utilizing the appropriate sprayers; otherwise, go berserk on those pesky weeds damaging your pavers if you are comfortable using a pressure washer. Have fun!

Author

  • Ricky

    Hi, I’m Ricky. I’ve been involved in lawn care and landscaping from when I was 15. To be honest, I didn’t like the idea of pushing mowers, collecting grass clippings, and maintaining flowerbeds at the time. But having seem the passion my parents had for gardening and outdoors and the effort they put in maintaining the health and beauty of our landscape, I couldn’t help but not only admire their hard work but also I became a part of it. As someone who loves to spend time with nature’s best, I find myself learning a lot more about gardening and outdoors on a daily basis. Not to mention I love to share the knowledge I’ve gathered over the years with my readers at We Mow Dallas. To be clear, I don’t have a Master’s degree in gardening or anything like that. Everything I’ve learned about gardening, landscaping, and lawn care spring from passion and engagement with my parents. And with a ton of free information out there, plus the ability to run tests and determine what works best for lawn care and landscaping, every day is an opportunity to learn and implement something new. My goal with We Mow Dallas is to teach you exactly how to maintain your lawn and landscape. And since I walk the talk in reality, you shouldn’t hesitate to join me in this wonderful world of landscaping and lawn care.

1 thought on “Using a Pressure Washer to Spray Herbicide”

  1. Thank you for your article. However, I was hoping that you would address the possibility of using an herbicide (such as glyphosate) in a spray bottle (usually used for soap) that attaches directly to a pressure washer gun. This method would allow me to spray over a relatively large area with a relatively low pressure, avoiding some of the risks that you discussed in your article. However, I am unsure about the concentration of glyphosate that I should put in the “soap” bottle. I do not understand the dilution ratio of water/glyphosate that is coming out of the nozzle. Would you be able to provide me with a resource that would address this issue? Thank you for your help.

    Jim.

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