Slippery path - any tips?

[ldsau93]

I'd appreciate some of the collective wisdom!

We have a concrete slab path that runs along part of our garden. It runs along the north side of a neighbour's fence, and is a bog-standard 'council' type slab. It isn't textured and is very prone to getting dangerously slippery when wet. It's used almost daily almost the whole year round as it leads to our rear veg patch, and where we keep the Worm farm and food composter.

We have tried various kinds of 'path cleaner' but they all seem somewhat inneffectual.

I'd much appreciate any tips on what products to use. Thanks in advance.

[Nicos]

Not very pretty but you could lay chicken wire along it and stake it at the sides into the soil????

At the back of my mind there is a product you can paint onto wood which is gritty to make it nonslip, but presumably algae would get into that too?
Sorry...not much help!

[roitelet]

Whatever you use algae will come back in time. I have a similar problem and find that a spray with neat bleach or vinegar, left on for a while, then a scrub with a stiff brush will keep it under control. If it is bad you may need to rinse after the scrub.

[muddled]

Keep a big bag of sand nearby and throw a couple of scoopfuls on as you go up there?

Its not a cure as such but I've resorted to doing this on my decking untill I think of something better. It has, at least, prevented serious injury while I ponder the problem!

[Nicos]

This is what I was thinking of...but it's not cheap!!!!
I'm sure there must be an alternative!

Protectakote 1 litre

[Potstubsdustbins]

I suffer quite a lot with algae on my concrete slabs. I have never found a permanent cure but find either an annual jet wash or application of 50/50 bleach and water keeps it reasonable from spring to autumn.

[Snadger]

Keep a big bag of sand nearby and throw a couple of scoopfuls on as you go up there?

Its not a cure as such but I've resorted to doing this on my decking untill I think of something better. It has, at least, prevented serious injury while I ponder the problem!

If you add some sulphate of iron to the sand it will kill the moss/algae. Add some sulphate of Potash and sulphate of ammonia and you could use it on your lawn to kill moss,daisies,and feed the lawn at the same time (Lawn sand)

[Aberdeenplotter]

I water on a solution of J*e*y*e*s fluid to get rid of algae which is what causes the slippiness.

[Nicos]

We have a concrete patio ( was a standing area for cattle originally) and that gets slippery.
We powerhose it about 2-3 times a year which works well enough.

[alldigging]

If you add some sulphate of iron to the sand it will kill the moss/algae. Add some sulphate of Potash and sulphate of ammonia and you could use it on your lawn to kill moss,daisies,and feed the lawn at the same time (Lawn sand)

Sulphate of iron worked really well on our slippy path. Just a bit of a sprinkle of stuff and it killed it all.

[ldsau93]

Many thanks for the variety of advice. I have J-e-y-e-s to hand so will get scrubbing this weekend, weather forgiving...

[Glutton4...]

Personally, I wouldn't be using any chemicals - but that's just me. My wet clay garden would get a dose of sharp sand if the path were slippery.

This winter I have put all my old carpet runners out on the ground! It looks unsightly, but so does a wet muddy strip where the dogs run up and down. There's no grass there anyway this time of year, and at least the dogs' feet don't get so dirty.