Weedy Gravel

[CADplans]

,,,,,,,,, and add a surfactant if not included. Adding nitrogen will increase uptake. (like 2-4-D weed & feed) A best time to treat weeds is on new growth the day after a good rain and with a little sunshine ahead. (you knew that )
I spend less time treating weeds than I do greasing tractors.

I am GLAD you posted this ,, THIS WEEK !!
I JUST packed up some water soluble high nitrogen fertilizer that I have,,
My SIL complained all summer about the poor control he was getting with glypho,,
THIS is gonna be a GREAT Christmas present,,,

 

[dirttoys]

Well you should have put down geotextile before the rock! You will always be fighting it if you dont grade it off, put down a fabric barrier, and compact it back.

My grass/weeds grow on the geotextile just fine sadly, little dust after a year or two and they look like rockstars.

Best,

ed

 

[kubota shifty]

How do you all keep the weeds down around the barn. I have a stone pad and the weeds are relentless. I tried with my box grader but it fills up and doesn't cut the weeds unless i dig it in. Trying not to use a lot of weed killer. but by late summer you can't even tell there is gravel there.

It is an ongoing problem. What I've resorted to is filling in between pavers/bricks with mortar or (if you want to spend more money) polymeric sand. Mortar is cheap. I put it in dry and then water.

 

[sixdogs]

Properly applied spray can be next to the garden. Farmers spray their crops and 2ft outside the field flowers and grass are growing.

I spray on and around the base of my trees and have had excellent results. Short of spray, weed eradication isn't going to be a successful effort.

 

[sixdogs]

I have a mile long gravel driveway. If I were to rid it of weeds - something like the old grind recommends - weed burning torch.

However - my driveway is an "old fashion" farm driveway. Mainly grass with a few weeds - both sides and down the center. Tends to stabilize the surface material.

I DO mow the sides and center - a couple times each summer.

There is a lot to be said for an old fashioned driveway even in a modern home and new driveway. It does stabilize the gravel and does look better.

 

[Frogmore]

Vegetation Management is an ongoing task. I live in the Pacific Northwest and stuff loves to grow here. I have used Round Up in the past, but not a lot and probably not for a decade.

The torch works, but unless you have a very small area it will take a really long time and a LOT of propane.

The grading scraper works really well, but the weeds always come back. It also is a lot of work and takes a lot of time. It's totally worth it if the surface needs repair, but not so much if it is in good shape.

I noticed that the vegetation doesn't grow where the tires go. I thought about getting a floor sander/scrubber, but haven't tried that yet.

What I have now that works well and is fun is a John Deere X749 with a hydraulically operated snowplow blade with a thick rubber edge. The blade allows down pressure, but also has float. The AWS means I still have steering with the back wheels (when the blade is lifting the front wheels off of the ground. The AWS also means it is incredibly agile, which means I can do this sideways on my reasonably narrow driveway or parking areas.

Depending on how heavy/light the growth is I use full down pressure or just float and then back drag. Full down pressure usually removes moss and weeds in one pass without disturbing the gravel too much.

I won't say I bought the X749 (and the blade and QH) just for this task, but it is pretty close to the major reason. It is not a cheap solution. The X739 is the currently available, but gasoline powered, version. It is the price of a cheap car new and not a lot cheaper used (unless it is well used). I get a smile on my face every time I use it. The vegetation not so much.

 

[gejandsons]

Thicker gravel bed needed

 

[BenjiMac]

Put down black plastic sheet, with a thin layer of gravel on top of it, just enough to hold the plastic down and cover it so you don't see the plastic.

 

[Panik]

There is a acetic acid that's for Ag use, but it needs to be handled pretty carefully. Much lower ph value than vinegar.

A couple years back I looked into this when my wife went through a health scare tracing through an auto-immune disorder. Understandably, she panicked about her health issues and for about a year was phobic about the idea of me using the typically available weed controls on the market (glyphosate, 2-4D, etc).

I came to the conclusion that for the amount of land we have (10acres) acquiring, storing and down mixing glacial acetic acid in the quantities I would need presented way more of a safety issue than using commercial weed control. Basically, gave up on weed control until my wife worked through her phobia.

 

[Oaktree]

I believe in better living through chemicals, but, I know a lot of folks don't. As above, if you keep working it, you will pull up seeds (as well as ruining the gravel). Best solution I have seen, throw a strip of carpet over it for 3 or 4 days, then move it to the next spot of interest. Works every time.

I'm one of those who'd prefer not to use chemicals if at all possible. I've done the carpet method, and it does work quite well though if it were me I'd leave it there for a couple weeks, not sure 3-4 days will do it.
I've had mixed results with vinegar (soil here is acidic anyway so a lot of vegetation can tolerate it), but boiling water can help at least with some weeds.