killing off grass?

mopower440 · Apr 7, 2004

getting ready to spread some gravel from the driveway to the pole barn im building, as it is, i have a heck of a time with grass growing up through the gravel driveway, what can i use to kill off the big area im getting ready to gravel so i wont have to deal with this? I know roundup works but it would take a lot to do the area and is expensive, any home made stuff?

AndyM · Apr 7, 2004

what can i use to kill off the big area im getting ready to gravel so i wont have to deal with this? I know roundup works but it would take a lot to do the area and is expensive, any home made stuff? 

I believe you have a neighbor that might be able to help you out. All you need to do is give him a match and hold his beer for him while he's working...

Gatorboy · Apr 7, 2004

( do the area and is expensive, any home made stuff? )

How large of an area do you have? Roundup isn't that expensive if you buy it in concentrate and mix your own.

I would think the best way is to roll out weedblock before you dump the gravel.

Golfgar4 · Apr 7, 2004

You might consider an atomizer to apply the Roundup with. Someone in the lawn maintenance field could probably answer the question better. But when I built my house, by the time I was ready to put in my lawn, there were weeds everywhere and they were a good 2' - 3' tall. I had hired a landscaper (my secretaries husband) to help design our landscaping and to take care of the initial creation of the planting beds, sidewalks, etc. He came in one day with a walk behind push type atomizer. He said he was using roundup, and he walked back and forth just like you would with a broadcast spreader. I remember asking him if the thing was working, because I couldn't see anything coming out. He said it was working just fine.

Two or three days later, every weed in the yard was dead. As far as I know, he used the regular Roundup concentrate, but with the atomizer, it goes a lot farther.

AndyM · Apr 7, 2004

OK, I'm back to being serious again.

I agree with Dave. If you absolutely don't want weeds, you're going to have to spend the money for the weedblock.

I had a driveway that I put roundup on and every other spray on product, and I got caught up in a never ending battle with the weeds. It seemed like the weeds developed an immunity to the spray or something. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
Now that I don't live in town anymore, I've learned not to let it bother me as much. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

rdln · Apr 7, 2004

wait a minute guys! dont you want to scrape off the organic matter before trying to install a driveway? if the weed/grass producing soil was stripped, no roundup needed.

But keep in mind some weeds will grow in anything so you will always have that maintanence.

Junkman · Apr 7, 2004

( I believe you have a neighbor that might be able to help you out. All you need to do is give him a match and hold his beer for him while he's working...

)

( OK, I'm back to being serious again. )
Yeah..... Right.... Like you think we are going to believe that???

Mopower,

I must apologize for Andy's comments. You see, he just don't know how to talk to a fine Southern gentleman such as yourself. Andy, as a child just wasn't taught much respect for others and sometimes he just doesn't know how to act properly. He is what some people call "one of those simple people /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif. When that fine barn of your is finished, a few of us TBN'ers are going to take him back there and teach him a lesson or two in manners. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

pilonidal · Apr 7, 2004

Golfgar is on it. Roundup will kill anything on the surface. It doesn't go into the soil though, it neutralizes it. So any seeds in the soil or whatever floats in after you spray will sprout. Just a small mist on a single leaf will kill the whole plant/grass whatever. No need to drown the stuff. A Little will go a looong way. In about 3 weeks though you'll start to see new vegitation start to come back. (seeds left in soil) I sprayed my entire yard, prep for sod, with a hand held 2 gallon sprayer walking fast as I went and in a few days - dead vegitation - everything. I see you only have a lawn tractor in your profile. If you have a friend with a tractor and a blade/box blade scrape off a couple of inches of topsoil when you see the grass dieing off and use it somewhere else. Drop some shale first in your trough then gravel over the top. The shale will hold the gravel up out of the dirt and form a good barrier for grass/weeds in the drive. Otherwise put the shale on the ground then the gravel. In time the drive will level out with the turf. Best bet for a relatively weed free drive, except on the edges where it meets the turf.

Junkman · Apr 7, 2004

pilonidal ...........
One thing to remember.. this is a National, if not International board in scope. I realize that where you live, shale is a relatively common product to acquire. Here in the Northeast, shale isn't very common at all, but granite and other "hard" rocks are. In Tennessee, where Mopower is located, I am not certain that shale might be locally available. All this has to be taken into consideration when making suggestions. Just pointing this out because I see you are new here and i am trying to be helpful and respectful.

SteveH_CT · Apr 7, 2004

If you don't mind roundish yellow circles my dog could take care of that grass for you... might take a coule weeks of leaks though /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif.

When I did our main driveway last fall we scraped the driveway down to get all the remaining topsoil off of it - then put down a really heavy fabric called "Maraffe" thats a phonetical spelling - I'd like to find more of it - no weeds and it prevents ruts as well. We then added about 2 to 3 " of gravel over the fabric. It's held up through the winter real well.

Good Luck. (And let me know if you need Wally to take care of that grass for you)