Reclaiming the gravel drive and lot

[Smokeydog]

WHO hacks and lawyers think roundup MAY cause cancer, science has not proven. In California everything causes cancer even natural products. Argument for another day.

A land plane is a great tool to bring gravel back up to the surface. Remove driveway vegetation and restore a driveway. Easy to restore crown or slope. Easy to use. Not a major grading and shaping tools like a blade or box.

 

[GLyford]

Fresh crushed rock actually exposes a bunch of nutrients, and also helps retain water, as I understand it. One of the worst things for this is crusher fines as I found out on my back patio. I used one of those "block maker" concrete forms and filled all the 1/4-1/2" gaps with stone dust (crusher fines). I now mow it every so often. What isn't grass or thyme is moss.

Sometimes hard packed dirt will actually do better to inhibit growth than gravel. Depending on the dirt, it holds less water.

For your washouts, have you considered adding water bars across the slope to help reduce the speed of the water and redirect it off to the side? It can also help reduce the speed of traffic to keep them from sliding all your gravel around...

 

[hosspuller]

I have a 1/4 mile of gravel driveway. I used neighbor's 8 foot heavy back blade for a few years. I made dips and humps every time I used it. And each time I used it, I had to make multiple passes to smooth the dips & humps I made. Then I got a land plane. One pass up and back did the job. Crown the drive by adjusting the 3 point. Angled blades reclaim the gravel from the sides.

It does pull hard when full though... likely no more than a equal sized box blade.

I like this brand (Roadboss). Front blade is slotted so no need for rippers. Replaceable skid shoes and most important ... Adjustable blades to compensate for wear.

 

[mikester]

The drive I made 2 years ago, I did as you recommend here. I didn't use landscape fabric (the toilet paper thin see-thru stuff from the home depot garden section) i used "road fabric" or "geotextile." Its about 1/4" thick reinforced felt-type stuff that goes down before highways are laid. Roll is 12ft wide by 330ft long, and takes several men to move. Then 6" of crushed concrete and limestone. It did not stop the grass/weed growth. I cannot believe that grass will grow in what amounts to just rocks and dust. What nutrients is it thriving on?! There's nothing there! WTH?!

I avoid chemicals when possible. I've tried pouring boiling water, propane flamethrower, pouring used cooking oil, etc. and most of it does nothing. Burning it with open flame seems to actually encourage new growth. Initially the growth recoils (slowly, as plants do) but within a few days it's coming back with vengeance. Oil works better but leaves ugly stains.

I've resorted to using glyphosate. It works well but it is a regular chore, keeping new growth at bay before it gets established.

The geotextile fabric is there for soil stabilization not weed control. Weeds will grow on bare rocks, no fabric will stop them from growing.

What I dont get is why grass seems to grow better on my gravel driveway than on my lawn!

Fresh crushed rock actually exposes a bunch of nutrients, and also helps retain water, as I understand it. One of the worst things for this is crusher fines

I made a fire pit this Covid summer - I removed the top 6 inches of soil, installed a hard plastic edging border, geotextile fabric base and 6 inches of washed 3/4 clear gravel...and Im finding weeds are still popping up! I think nature will always win and take over.