Gravel driveway - weed control and or driveway repair?

[zanderpants]

Hi All,

I have a large gravel driveway at my house that goes from the gates of the property and wraps around the side of the house. It’s a really large area, maybe a total of 200ft x 50ft.

We are currently getting completely swamped with weeds and I’m spending my life messing about trying to keep them under control (and failing!) I have tried the usually methods of weed killer and even used a flamethrower type device to scorch them. Both work for a week or so and then the onslaught continues. Not really keen on the weed killer route as we have dogs and the burning is fun but takes hours and is bloody dangerous in my hands!

I have looked at the driveway and it is currently gravel but I don’t think any sort of membrane was ever used and looking at what else we have had to sort it was probably done incorrectly and really cheaply!

Firstly any tips on controlling weeds in a large area?

Or would it make sense and is it possible to get gravel driveways ‘repaired’ or put right? I dont really want to replace it with anything else as it looks nice. Have a feeling this could cost the earth also so trying to think of ways to keep costs reasonable.

Anyone any experience of doing anything similar? What did you do?

Anyone on here actually do this kind of work and have any insights/advice?

All thoughts gratefully received!

Thanks!

[DavidL]

We have a similar issue. Sadly a decent weedkiller is the only option.
This time of year isn't too bad as you choose a nice evening and go out about 9pm, after the dogs have been exercised and toileted, treat and then stay in. By the morning its all safe again.

[TheFlyingBanana]

We have a similarly sized gravel driveway that leads into a large block paved parking area. To be honest we have more issues with the paved area and weeds.

I think this is because when we had the whole area redone about seven years ago, the company put down MOT hardcore first, and really compressed it properly before putting the gravel on. As a result we have virtually no weeds ever in it.

I think a lot of it comes down to the quality of the preparation.

[Mr Pointy]

The standard glyphosate weedkiller won't control weeds long term - it only kills growing weeds. A much better long term solution is ammonium sulphamate:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004MMTVJI

Read the reviews.

[kungfupanda]

How about hiring a mini digger and moving the gravel around. Lift the gravel in one area, put a membrane down and then relay the gravel on top?

Might be costly and a lot of messing around for maybe a couple of weekends but would solve your problem.

[cman]

We are currently getting completely swamped with weeds and I’m spending my life messing about trying to keep them under control (and failing!) I have tried the usually methods of weed killer and even used a flamethrower type device to scorch them. Both work for a week or so and then the onslaught continues. Not really keen on the weed killer route as we have dogs and the burning is fun but takes hours and is bloody dangerous in my hands!

I have looked at the driveway and it is currently gravel but I don’t think any sort of membrane was ever used and looking at what else we have had to sort it was probably done incorrectly and really cheaply!

Firstly any tips on controlling weeds in a large area?

For a sure fire way of getting rid of all those weeds, use the following:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Barclay-Gly.../dp/B071GVC33M

Mix it with water, I think 5 parts water 1 part of that is recommended but of course you can mix it up stronger if it's as bad as you say.
It was used on the gravel driveway of our previous property (also laid without membrane) and nuked everything. The key is to apply it when no rain is forecast for the next 48hrs at least. Within 7 days we saw promising signs, within 2 weeks, all weeds dead.

Use of glyphosate is well published so please read small print first as it may not be suitable for pet owners.

EDIT: I see Mr Pointy has covered glyphosate above.

[zanderpants]

I do like the idea of a scorched earth napalm type approach but am worried about the dogs. We could keep them away for a few days if we had to but only a few days really.


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[zanderpants]

How about hiring a mini digger and moving the gravel around. Lift the gravel in one area, put a membrane down and then relay the gravel on top?

Might be costly and a lot of messing around for maybe a couple of weekends but would solve your problem.

Feels like the sort of thing I would get someone who knows what they are doing to do. A digger in my hands wouldn’t end well for anyone!


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[zanderpants]

We have a similarly sized gravel driveway that leads into a large block paved parking area. To be honest we have more issues with the paved area and weeds.

I think this is because when we had the whole area redone about seven years ago, the company put down MOT hardcore first, and really compressed it properly before putting the gravel on. As a result we have virtually no weeds ever in it.

I think a lot of it comes down to the quality of the preparation.

I am jealous, I’m assuming it wasn’t cheap though!


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[JonRA]

I do like the idea of a scorched earth napalm type approach but am worried about the dogs. We could keep them away for a few days if we had to but only a few days really.


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Can you time the weedkilling immediately before going away for a long weekend with the dogs? (Assuming that it will be safe by your return)

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[TheFlyingBanana]

I am jealous, I’m assuming it wasn’t cheap though!


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It was all done as part of a full landscaping of the garden and grounds, so I can’t separate out the cost - however, MOT and gravel aren’t expensive, so the cost would have been in labour - digger, and soil disposal.

Might be worth getting a quote?

[zanderpants]

It was all done as part of a full landscaping of the garden and grounds, so I can’t separate out the cost - however, MOT and gravel aren’t expensive, so the cost would have been in labour - digger, and soil disposal.

Might be worth getting a quote?

I have someone coming over next week, just wanted to get some ideas beforehand. I am just imagining a weed free existence........


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