Weeds on my gravel areas.............

I have a couple of areas on the garden that are covered in gravel and we have a few plants in tubs in those areas, however they are constantly a growing pit for weeds.

I pull them up by their roots, spray with weed killer but they always come back.

Is there a way to put these to bed on a permanent basis, I was thinking of drenching the area with pure bleach, would this work or is this a stupid idea.

These areas are surrounded by patio so no danger of killing off anything else and we have no cats or dogs so worries about poisoning pets.

Any ideas?

A good contact herbicide applied in dry weather will take care of most weeds however pernicious, unfortunately gravel paths offer a good seed bed for many weeds which tolerate the impoverished conditions. I'm afraid unless the conditions change (installing a solid non permeable surface etc) then you will have to continue yearly spraying. The bleach is not a good idea.

As above, there is no permanent fix due to weeds seeding themselves, so either buy a weed burner or treat regularly.

I just go out once a week and pull them up. As the seeds are airborne, they’re going to settle and grow. The membrane means that the roots can’t get to any depth so they’re easy.

When I lived in spain it was an hour every morning job. By the end of the week I’d have got to the end only to start at the beginning again the next morning!

They will always come back, but this keeps them away for quite a while and kills them very quickly.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-X-5L-GA...79373ec1ef8737

Salt.

^^especially the stuff you buy in sacks for water softeners
Or just put proper weed control matting down ?

Before you declare war on the weeds, be careful...

http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/glyphogen.html

Is the gravel laid on membrane, Ben?

R

A bit of effort but how about removing the gravel, putting down a barrier membrane, then put down a layer of bark then put the gravel back on top. Even if you get the odd weed in the future they will not be able to root properly.

Rake the gravel over once a month and you should never see another weed.

My gardener uses and recommends Roseate 360, apparently it's what the professionals use.

Also use salt. B&M sell a cheap spray at only £2.49. It does work just as well as the more expensive brands.

I would avoid using salt, run off may effect larger plants / shrubs whose roots may be in the vicinity of the gravel area. Just a thought.

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Originally Posted by ralphy

Is the gravel laid on membrane, Ben?

R

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I believe so Ralph but have not dragged the gravel back to see, will investigate further.

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Originally Posted by fierbois16

I would avoid using salt, run off may effect larger plants / shrubs whose roots may be in the vicinity of the gravel area. Just a thought.

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Thats not an issue for me.

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Originally Posted by JasonM

They will always come back, but this keeps them away for quite a while and kills them very quickly.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-X-5L-GA...79373ec1ef8737

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That looks like it mite be the kiddy I’m looking for

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Originally Posted by ben4watches

I believe so Ralph but have not dragged the gravel back to see, will investigate further.

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From experience, if the membrane is old or damaged you'll have extra work killing the weeds, check out where the where the (weed) roots are growing. If no membrane then you'll have a heck of a lot of work keeping the gravel weed-free.

Coffee soon?

R

Both products mentioned seem to be 360 concentration roundup, or glyphosate. These need very careful handling. The concentration is fairly critical. You won't need 5L, just buy a little weedsprayer and a 1L roundup - should keep you going all year.

Have you got an underground leak or ground water coming from somewhere? You shouldn't really be getting a major problem through most of the summer once the gravel dries out a bit?

I have similar problems. Even though the gravel is laid on a hefty weed suppression membrane, the amount of rain we get builds up silt which is what the weeds grow in. The permanent solution is quite labour intensive. Wait for a dry day, dig up the gravel and sift it into buckets until you are left with clean membrane, clean gravel and bucket loads of silt.

Use the silt in your pots etc, Chuck the gravel back. When eventually weeds come back, they are really easy to pull out.

Ideally you need a few inches of gravel over the membrane

Keep weeding Ben, we all need regular exercise...........:smug:

Dave

The crux of the issue is that glyphosate is a contact weedkiller that degrades & becomes inactive on contact with the soil & is thus useless at long term weed control. What you need is a long term herbicide but unfortunately these have been removed from domestic use by a certain large undemocratic organisation at the behest of another organisation with a vested financial interest.

What you can do is use Ammonium Sulphamate. This is only to be applied where you are concerned about your drive catching fire & any weed control & supression that ensues is an unfortunate side effect.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004MMTVJI

If you do use glyphosate do not raise the concentration as more is not better. You need the leaves to live for a short time in order that the chemical can be transferred down to the roots to kill them. If you raise the concentration you kill the leaves too quickly & the roots can be unaffected. And you'll get cancer.

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Originally Posted by Maysie

buy a weed burner or treat regularly.

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For years I have watched my neighbour do this but until now I had no idea what she was doing! I googled your post ('weed burner') and found out!

From a distance I assumed it was some sort of aerosol spray for killing insects or something.

I had no idea these existed!

Do they scorch the ground? Would it ruin the colour of a brick drive?

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Originally Posted by ach5

For years I have watched my neighbour do this but until now I had no idea what she was doing! I googled your post ('weed burner') and found out!

From a distance I assumed it was some sort of aerosol spray for killing insects or something.

I had no idea these existed!

Do they scorch the ground? Would it ruin the colour of a brick drive?

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No and no. They're also very good for destroying flying ants.

You can’t use a weed burner if you have a weed suppressant membrane obviously

Try a Sheen X300 Flame gun. Kills weeds and is damn good fun! Want self respecting full grown man doesn’t want to play with a flame thrower??


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by Scrubnut

You can’t use a weed burner if you have a weed suppressant membrane obviously

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That depends on how you use the burner. Face down on the weed and keeping it on until you've cremated the leaves, not good: aiming the flame at an angle and moderately hitting the leaves, not a problem.

R

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Originally Posted by zanderpants

Try a Sheen X300 Flame gun. Kills weeds and is damn good fun! Want self respecting full grown man doesn’t want to play with a flame thrower??

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Serious overkill for the OP's garden I'd think (but looks great fun)!

R

Sodium chlorate is still sold for other purposes, alternatively salt or even bleach. Take care with all of theses if you've got planted areas nearby.

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Originally Posted by SammyS

It depends upon where are you traveling from and where you intend on clearing customs at. For example, if you are departing The Netherlands for London-Heathrow and are a young man, it’ll be assumed you may be attempting to bring contraband. Actually you should check out rules. This should help https://www.fvkasa.org/business-law/flying-with-weed

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Errmmmmm..................?? :icon_biggrin:

If seeds are blowing in the wind,you will be at it forever,the ones that germinate you kill,and then comes along more seeds that will grow........

Concrete.

About 6" depth.