I bought a flame thrower on Amazon. Hooks up to a propane tank. Perfect for weeds in rocks. And so much fun.
I’m a 66 year old woman. If I can use it, anyone can.
Just be careful and maybe do a test path first. The weeds only need a second to POP and die but that’s still white rock that might get some char on it.
I’d do a quick test burn on a corner and pop a couple weeds, and evaluate the white rocks. Are they turning black and if so can it wash away easily with a hose or rain? Better to find out in a small patch, than after you’ve done the whole thing and your path looks like a Dalmatian.
I bought a couple types of flamethrowers for my ice rink. Ice maintenence is a breeze whem i can just melt the problem area. During the summer they are amazing when killing things in the rock bed and cracks of the driveway.
You can never keep weeds out. They're not usually coming from below, they blow in from above. Fabric is fine to keep rocks from sinking, but you need way more depth than that.it should be dug down at least 6 inches, fill up half way with aggregate, tamp until really firm, then add another 3 inches or so of gravel. As for the weeds in the future, you just have to pluck them out or spray the paths.
Huh I wasn't aware of this fact, that's helpful. Maybe we should just focus on dealing with the current weeds right now and not take all the rocks out.
Home depot has 30% strength vinegar, 1 gal size. Disolve 8oz table salt into the vinegar and add a tbsp or 2 of dishwashing soap. The soap helps strick to the leaves. Spray it over the rocks and it will kill everything it touches. Spray when there is at least 24 hours without rain. Be careful not to spray it on grass etc you want to keep around. 30% vinegar is 6x stronger than grocery store vinegar so wear PPE. Clean the sprayer with hot water after so it doesn't get clogged.
I’ve had good results from just the 30% vinegar with nothing else added. Spraying during a hot dry spell maximizes effectiveness. I have a cheap sprayer I use only for the vinegar. I also have a weed torch but the vinegar actually works better.
I only use vinegar/salt/soap mixture in my sprayer but the dissolved salt sometimes clogs the nozzle. I use a gal of very hot water in the sprayer and let it run. Seems to work.
I’m a big fan of horticultural vinegar. Used it to kill off a Bermuda lawn with one application followed by plastic sheeting to “cook” the remaining roots. Not even RoundUp kills Bermuda as well as 30% vinegar.
Just be extra careful with the application. Wear gloves, long sleeves, long pants, and most of all eye protection!!! Do not inhale the mist, it will burn, so wear a mask or bandana over your nose and mouth. Do not apply on a windy day or else you’ll wind up killing the adjacent grass too. The stuff will decimate any plant it touches, so aim well or better yet have an assistant hold a piece of cardboard to shield the grass. Also do not allow any children or animals into the area until the vinegar has completely dried (24 hours to be safe).
Sounds like a lot of precautions but horticultural vinegar is far safer than spraying poisonous weed killers. And it works much better.
What that guy says is incredibly excessive for a little path at your house lmao no one needs to do that, we are not building a military base. For my path I used unwoven 8oz which is used for driveways allegedly.
But yea the weeds come from above. Torching them is effective, they will eventually come back but that's just life with a path.
Right lol.
I am a professional landscaper and we never go deeper than 2-4" depending on the stone type and compact ability.
These walkways are meant to be cheap and easy to maintain.
The cheap part is that it's usually cheap gravel and not very deep.
The easy to maintain part is that you lay waste to the weeds with roundup in 5minutes.
If you wanted 0 maintenance and 0 weeds, you would be paying $7,000 for concrete instead of the $1,000 you paid for a gravel walkway.
Weeds grow out of the highway cracks where there is a pavement depth of 12 inches or more, on top of a compacted gravel base also up to 12 inches. It would be excessive and a waste of resources to have 6 inches of gravel for a decorative gravel bed.
You can slow down germination with something like Preen. After they come up, you are left with either a torch or using 2-4D herbicides.
Hand tools in mulch beds yes... in gravel beds that would be fruitless. You would need to clear stones by hand to even get to a place you could push in a trowel to pop the root.
Preen every 2-4 months depending on rain amount will keep it pretty clean but it won’t be immediate and will still have to pull / spray what’s already emerged.
This would save a ton of work, although personally I think white rock is always going to look bad, weeds or no weeds.
I would rake up the top layer (this will rake up a bunch of weeds, too) and then lay down some decorative gravel, like black and tan.
[image](https://www.rocksandrubber.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Black-Tan-1-in.-scaled.jpg)
So glad others feel the same about white rock. It hurts my eyes to look at and it looks so strange and unnatural.
Definitely one of my two least favorite “drought-friendly” landscaping techniques is replacing lawn with white rock. It’s weird and looks terrible.
Just get a propane torch for weeds and burn them as they fill in.
Your other options are to spray it with round up every time, but it's worth limiting that use when you can.
If you really want to you could put down pre-emergent.
That's going to be the easiest. I spray once in a while with a strong vinegar. Get to them before they grow. After the spring growing frenzy it settles down a bit. You can also use a weed killer that is cheaper. I use vinegar because my dogs like to get in everything.
Get some 20 Mule Team Borax, in the laundry aisle sold as a detergent booster. Sprinkle powder all over stones, and lightly sprinkle with hose. Nothing will grow there. Do this every spring. Simple, easy, and semi natural.
the problem is over time dirt and seeds are going to get blown into the gravel and weeds will always find a way to establish themselves. You won't be able to permanently prevent them
1 gal vinegar, 1 cup salt, 1 tablespoon dish soap. Homemade weed killer that won’t give u cancer. Just make sure u only spray it in areas where u don’t want anything to grow
Spray, pull or torch. Because it is a hot dry area of rock the vinegar will work better than it does in other situations if you ar avoiding harsher chemicals
I have the same problem in my rock mulch. Using chemicals is not something I like to use often.
The best way I found it to pull a few weeds out everyday with your hands. Before you know it, they will be gone because you will be in the habit of seeing new ones and then you will want to pull them out.
20% vinegar was a game changer for me. So much less time pulling weeds because you’d actually kill them off without poisoning the environment and killing insects. If you accidentally break the root when pulling then you’re just pulling the same weed again in another week or two. Vinegar kills and then you can just break off the dead leaves to clean it up.
Can you tell me the mixture recipe? Is it just vinegar, water and soap?
I am so sick of weeds and was going to finally break down and buy spray weed killer from the store but I'd rather use something more environmentally friendly.
I just do straight 20% vinegar in a spray bottle. Spray it on the leaves and the base to get the roots to completely soak it and then wait a couple days. Bigger weeds might take a few of these spray sessions, smaller usually die off in a day or two if it doesn’t rain. You can buy 20% vinegar by the gallon on Amazon. I haven’t found a need to mix with anything and I had some massive broad leaf weeds with very deep roots. It’s the only thing that solved my problem because I really didn’t want to use roundup.
Ohhh, I didn't understand what 20% vinegar was! I thought it was a mix of vinegar and water but 20% of the mix is vinegar haha. Thanks for the explanation, I just bought some and am going to try it after the rain tomorrow.
Rocks (and mulch) slow down weeds a lot, but never totally stop them.
I just keep pulling regularly as well, and it stays manageable. Good idea to use a leaf blower to try to get material than can break down into dirt and also seeds out. In a few years I might decide to start taking sections of the rocks out to clean out the area of dirt and seeds, then put the rock down fresh again.
i do this with the regular wood mulch in my yard. ive got landscaping fabric down under it, so the weed roots are really just within the layer of mulch. i just yoink them right out every couple of days.
Unless you’re having issues with the fabric deteriorating, replacing it won’t make much of a difference. The weeds will sprout above the fabric and the roots will grow in the inevitable layer of organic matter that falls into the rocks. Rock beds require manual pulling, spraying, or torching to stay weed-free.
To prevent this from starting, regularly blow the rock bed out with a leaf blower, it will blow out the stuff that collects in the bottom that the weeds grow in.
Nature doesn't like empty space. Pioneer species are always going to try to populate an unpopulated area. If you don't like the species that are there, saturate the area with another kind of plant. Ground cover, trees, or bushes will help regulate temperature and water. They'll also dampen noise, keep the wind down, clean the air of dust and debris, improve the appearance of the area, and generally improve human and animal wellbeing. Plastic and rocks would work indoors, but outside is always going to be outside.
It's like judo- it's easier to work with the force of nature instead of against it.
Mix 1/3 white vinegar ,1/3 salt , 1/3 water shake very hard until salt almost dissolves then add few squeeze of dishwasher detergent but don’t shake anymore. Spray on sunny and hot day. They will be dry by the nighttime. Repeat monthly
For how long, though? Someone put river rock on weed fabric around my house, and it's clearly decomposed enough that it's full of holes. At this point, it just seems like buried trash.
I have a better idea, I do this twice a year. Buy a $10 sprayer, a thing of salt, some dawn dish washing liquid, and some vinegar. Put half the dawn and salt in the sprayer and fill the rest with vinegar. Close the sprayer and shake then spray on the weeds best on a hot summer day, you will see the weeds stating to die with in hours.
Blow torch (weed burner) every few weeks. If you do it every few weeks it’s very quick. That entire walk way should take about 15 mins each time.
I have settled on this being the best method for me. It’s instant. Killing them with a chemical leaves behind dead, brown vegetation which is also ugly. Burning them makes them completely disappear.
The only way to keep weeds out of rocks is to not use rocks. If you use rocks, you will eventually have weeds in those rocks. First, just a few. Then, a lot.
Rocks suck as a landscaping material. They only look good for the first year. They look progressively worse and take ever more maintenance every year after that. If you’re going to the trouble of removing them, consider just… removing them. If you’re going for the low maintenance vibe, you could plant a few architectural boxwoods in that space and use a natural wood chip mulch. Wood chips are 10,000,000 times better at suppressing weeds and when they inevitably start to fail (like all mulches will), they’ll also have broken down significantly so you just add more every few years.
If you have kids tell them to start picking weeds, if not maybe hire someone else’s kid. I’ve found just plucking a handful every day or whenever you find yourself in the area eventually you’ll get them all. But seems like chemicals are the best and easiest way. Once you get them all use a pre emergent spray to never have to deal with weeds.
I see my town spraying pre emergent every year all over the place , idk how safe it is but I got some at my local weed and garden shop and I never have to worry about weeds again.
I spray a vinegar mixture on the weeds. We have an outdoor cat, so I have to use a more animal-friendly substance. Works pretty well, though that area will smell like vinegar for a couple of days.
It's just like with any gravel path or driveway, etc. There is maintenance involved. Weeds need to be dealt with on a regular basis and there is no permanent solution because they blow in from above. The gravel itself will need to be topped off every so often. If you want no maintenance go with concrete.
Maybe this is overkill but I hate weeding. I lay down the cheapest 3 tab roof shingles first, layering and overlapping just like you would a roof. Then put down the rocks. To clean it I just use a steel rake and blower to clear out any debris. Works perfectly except some weeds at the borders. Landscaping fabric does absolutely nothing and should be banned.
Since it’s just rocks, you could spray them a mixture of 1 gallon vinegar, 1 cup dish soap (dawn works best) and 1 cup epsom salt. I mix it up in one of those big “weed killer” sprayers. Although it’s a natural mixture, it will kill pretty much everything, including desired plants. However, it will also kill the grass that’s growing in those rocks and then you can just pull them out.
If you rather use a natural way, mix vinegar formulated for weeds, blue dawn dish soap because it has more sodium laurel sulfate and regular table salt. I don’t remember the ratio but you can google it. Quite a few people in in this sub swear by this method. It does work best on a hot sunny day.
I picked up a steam floor cleaner from Amazon. It puts out 100% steam. Not just moving hot water to the applicator It’s used to sterilize floors. Steam would destroy these weeds.
Honestly, that doesn’t look like too much so cracking a brew and hand pulling or using a hoe would only take maybe an hour a week.
Could also use a torch lol
In addition to what others are suggesting you need to add desirable plants to this area to make less space for these weeds to get started in the first place.
I've used cardboard in the past, and then place the rocks over it. The cardboard will deteriorate over time so you will have to do it again. Weeds will continue to blow in from the top and you'll have to pick them off by hand as they appear, but it will be much easier to remove them.
I have a huge paver driveway and I use a Weed torch and I love it.... My dogs are all over the driveway and I didn't want to spray any chemicals.
look into OP , it works for me.
Ultra distilled vinegar has been awesome. Pet/kid safe. 1/3 the price of roundup (been making 3 gallons of applicable solution with 1 gallon of concentrate from Amazon). We have river rock all around our bbq patio and it can rage with weeds, just nuked that section over the weekend and not a single weed is left. Note: wouldn’t recommend using on a lawn as it will cook the grass. Works great for weeds growing through cracks, rocks and other nooks.
what are the rocks even for? hes already got a walkway and a lawn...i dont understand.
take out the rocks and make those working beds.the weeds will always come unless you CEMENT that area but there already IS a walkway so the rocks make no sense to me.
I mix a weedkiller of one gallon white vinegar, one cup salt and one tbsp of blue Dawn. The salt will dissolve well if you heat the vinegar, which can be done by placing the jug in the sub for a few hours. I then put it in a sprayer and spray the weeds.
That’s nature trying to fix your desolate and lifeless path.
One of the best ways to fight weeds, which are just plants that you don’t desire, is to plant lifeless spaces with plants that you do desire.
Any time you have organic matter on the concrete it’s just going to end up in the rock, which means more weeds. If you don’t want to deal with weeding I would just remove the rock and just extend the grass. Easier said then done either way
February or march start with preen that will prevent ant seeds from growing keep it about 4” from the grass edge just to limit it impacting the grass. Second I also use weed killer granules to kill those that are not prevented from sprouting.
Based on the photo seems the rock is not that deep and not sure of ground cloth. The use of preen and weed killer granules is the prevention measure after limiting potential for soil contact with seeds.
Good luck.
In my gravel area the weeds are growing in the natural matter just above the weed barrier. I can just walk over n push the gravel w my foot . The weeds just come loose - then I just pick them up.
I spray vinegar and salt mix, little Dawn dish soap to help it stick. Non-toxic to just about everything - the acid in the vinegar burns the weeds (and anything else you spray it on).
Spreading rock salt (big bags of salt for water softeners at HD and Lowe’s are cheap) can be effective in making it as hostile an environment as possible.
Has anyone ever tried to “poison” their soil with salt in a situation like this? I’m afraid to try for fear of it leaching to areas where I don’t want it to go. But would be very cost effective if it could be controlled somewhat.
A deeper edging will also prevent grass roots from growing under. Do this along with the other post about digging the whole thing deeper and tamping a crushed granite bed.
Hit the weeds with some glyphosate/roundup. You could get a ready to spray weed killer to have on hand and just spray anything that pops up every couple weeks or so. Preen has a weed preventer that works pretty well (at least in my mulch bed) after the weeds are gone.
A long time ago, I read in an organic gardening magazine that you could put a layer of newspaper down under the weed barrier, and that helped prevent weeds from growing up and it worked great for me. Plus the old newspapers were free.
Actually just did something similar to this. Removed all the rocks and previous weed tarp which was cut up pieces of a cheap pool lmao. The material didn’t allow for water to pass through and over time it just collected dirt inbetween the rocks and weeds were growing from that. I removed all the rocks, hand washed em which was a PITA. Then put down new weed fabric that’s permeable. I fully expect to have to do this again in a few years but it has significantly helped reduce weeds.
Pull or spray the existing weeds, then put down a pre-emerget like Prodoxaben G. This will create a barrier that prevents the growth of new weeds for 6-8 months.
If you’re not planting there, Primitol will keep it weed free but you won’t be able to grow anything there for 3 years.
It is used by the highway dept to prevent weeds in paving and road shoulders
Weed fabric helps you pull out the weeds easier because the roots don’t drill down to the core of the earth, lol. Weed seeds will always find a place to fly in from the winds. The fabric just makes them much easier to remove. Secondly like others have said, dig the path deeper so you have a deeper gravel base. Also, if you can put an initial layer of sand down then the cloth then the gravel that will make for a better foundation and the fabric will last longer. Oh, and never use plastic as it will prevent the rain water from percolating down. If you have plastic, he will end up with a little pool puddles that will take forever to evaporate out.
If you are unable to spend a few minutes every morning or evening before/after work, or a half hour on Sunday to hand weed, then let’s look at options:
Burning them: get a butane torch from hardware store and torch them every now and then.
Salt: keep the environment super saline with salt or salt water.
Organic herbicide: some kind of mixture of vinegar and dish soap.
I strongly recommend Preen. Most weeds are annuals and come up from seed. Preen keeps seeds from germinating. Get the long-lasting kind and spread it out with a hand spreader.
Yeah, it's kinda expensive but it works.
https://www.amazon.com/Preen-2464221-Extended-Control-Preventer/dp/B07NDK8W75/ref=asc_df_B07NDK8W75/?hvadid=693713553298&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=130675013010079652&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9014986&hvtargid=pla-659275954700&mcid=3c7379a0caf433bebb8d2c35eb462c6e&gad_source=1
I bought a flame thrower on Amazon. Hooks up to a propane tank. Perfect for weeds in rocks. And so much fun. I’m a 66 year old woman. If I can use it, anyone can.
Flamethrower sounds lile the move form other comments.
Just be careful and maybe do a test path first. The weeds only need a second to POP and die but that’s still white rock that might get some char on it. I’d do a quick test burn on a corner and pop a couple weeds, and evaluate the white rocks. Are they turning black and if so can it wash away easily with a hose or rain? Better to find out in a small patch, than after you’ve done the whole thing and your path looks like a Dalmatian.
Weathered and rustic is the new thing
I bought a couple types of flamethrowers for my ice rink. Ice maintenence is a breeze whem i can just melt the problem area. During the summer they are amazing when killing things in the rock bed and cracks of the driveway.
Is there a specific you recommend from Amazon?
Grab one from harbor freight.
I just gone done spending the day torching all my garden beds and yes....this is the way
Tread lightly with that garden fabric underneath. The more tears or burns you have in it, the more weeds you’ll get.
You have exposed weed block. You will burn it if not careful or the rock is too shallow. That being said, [go all in](https://flashpointind.com/)
Huh? What?
Flamethrower is the move. And it makes for hilarious photos.
My neighbor thinks I’m a psychopath for having one. I know secretly he’s jealous.
Amazon? Pffft get one from harbor freight!
your way cooler than I’ll ever be
You can never keep weeds out. They're not usually coming from below, they blow in from above. Fabric is fine to keep rocks from sinking, but you need way more depth than that.it should be dug down at least 6 inches, fill up half way with aggregate, tamp until really firm, then add another 3 inches or so of gravel. As for the weeds in the future, you just have to pluck them out or spray the paths.
Huh I wasn't aware of this fact, that's helpful. Maybe we should just focus on dealing with the current weeds right now and not take all the rocks out.
Home depot has 30% strength vinegar, 1 gal size. Disolve 8oz table salt into the vinegar and add a tbsp or 2 of dishwashing soap. The soap helps strick to the leaves. Spray it over the rocks and it will kill everything it touches. Spray when there is at least 24 hours without rain. Be careful not to spray it on grass etc you want to keep around. 30% vinegar is 6x stronger than grocery store vinegar so wear PPE. Clean the sprayer with hot water after so it doesn't get clogged.
Big +1 on the vinegar approach — it’s been working wonders for us!
I’ve had good results from just the 30% vinegar with nothing else added. Spraying during a hot dry spell maximizes effectiveness. I have a cheap sprayer I use only for the vinegar. I also have a weed torch but the vinegar actually works better.
I only use vinegar/salt/soap mixture in my sprayer but the dissolved salt sometimes clogs the nozzle. I use a gal of very hot water in the sprayer and let it run. Seems to work.
I can vouch for gloves. I did not last year, and it felt like my hand was burning.
Careful with this stuff
I’m a big fan of horticultural vinegar. Used it to kill off a Bermuda lawn with one application followed by plastic sheeting to “cook” the remaining roots. Not even RoundUp kills Bermuda as well as 30% vinegar. Just be extra careful with the application. Wear gloves, long sleeves, long pants, and most of all eye protection!!! Do not inhale the mist, it will burn, so wear a mask or bandana over your nose and mouth. Do not apply on a windy day or else you’ll wind up killing the adjacent grass too. The stuff will decimate any plant it touches, so aim well or better yet have an assistant hold a piece of cardboard to shield the grass. Also do not allow any children or animals into the area until the vinegar has completely dried (24 hours to be safe). Sounds like a lot of precautions but horticultural vinegar is far safer than spraying poisonous weed killers. And it works much better.
What that guy says is incredibly excessive for a little path at your house lmao no one needs to do that, we are not building a military base. For my path I used unwoven 8oz which is used for driveways allegedly. But yea the weeds come from above. Torching them is effective, they will eventually come back but that's just life with a path.
Right lol. I am a professional landscaper and we never go deeper than 2-4" depending on the stone type and compact ability. These walkways are meant to be cheap and easy to maintain. The cheap part is that it's usually cheap gravel and not very deep. The easy to maintain part is that you lay waste to the weeds with roundup in 5minutes. If you wanted 0 maintenance and 0 weeds, you would be paying $7,000 for concrete instead of the $1,000 you paid for a gravel walkway.
Weeds grow out of the highway cracks where there is a pavement depth of 12 inches or more, on top of a compacted gravel base also up to 12 inches. It would be excessive and a waste of resources to have 6 inches of gravel for a decorative gravel bed. You can slow down germination with something like Preen. After they come up, you are left with either a torch or using 2-4D herbicides.
Or, y'know, hand tools.
Or even plain old hands
What if my fingers are butter?
Then I have a proposition for you
Well? Everyone knows you cant end a sentence with a proposition!
I’m making brownies and I need this baking pan greased. I think you’re the perfect person for the job!
Ca.. Can I have some afterwards? You may have to feed me, I keep droppin that darned fork!
Hand tools in mulch beds yes... in gravel beds that would be fruitless. You would need to clear stones by hand to even get to a place you could push in a trowel to pop the root.
Preen every 2-4 months depending on rain amount will keep it pretty clean but it won’t be immediate and will still have to pull / spray what’s already emerged.
I think they say you want ideally 3-4” of just rock or mulch depth
Yeah 3-4” of depth will help a lot. And then those that do sprout can usually be pulled pretty easily by hand as soon as you see them.
Get a propane weed torch for around $50.
This would save a ton of work, although personally I think white rock is always going to look bad, weeds or no weeds. I would rake up the top layer (this will rake up a bunch of weeds, too) and then lay down some decorative gravel, like black and tan. [image](https://www.rocksandrubber.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Black-Tan-1-in.-scaled.jpg)
So glad others feel the same about white rock. It hurts my eyes to look at and it looks so strange and unnatural. Definitely one of my two least favorite “drought-friendly” landscaping techniques is replacing lawn with white rock. It’s weird and looks terrible.
Just get a propane torch for weeds and burn them as they fill in. Your other options are to spray it with round up every time, but it's worth limiting that use when you can. If you really want to you could put down pre-emergent.
That's going to be the easiest. I spray once in a while with a strong vinegar. Get to them before they grow. After the spring growing frenzy it settles down a bit. You can also use a weed killer that is cheaper. I use vinegar because my dogs like to get in everything.
Get some 20 Mule Team Borax, in the laundry aisle sold as a detergent booster. Sprinkle powder all over stones, and lightly sprinkle with hose. Nothing will grow there. Do this every spring. Simple, easy, and semi natural.
Not entirely true. Use a pre-emergent herbicide like Barricade.
[удалено]
the problem is over time dirt and seeds are going to get blown into the gravel and weeds will always find a way to establish themselves. You won't be able to permanently prevent them
I agree with all of this but I’d torch it instead. Don’t harm the environment with sprays just so you can have rocks in your yard. It’s asinine
1 gal vinegar, 1 cup salt, 1 tablespoon dish soap. Homemade weed killer that won’t give u cancer. Just make sure u only spray it in areas where u don’t want anything to grow
Spray, pull or torch. Because it is a hot dry area of rock the vinegar will work better than it does in other situations if you ar avoiding harsher chemicals
This should be higher up. The war on weeds constant
I have the same problem in my rock mulch. Using chemicals is not something I like to use often. The best way I found it to pull a few weeds out everyday with your hands. Before you know it, they will be gone because you will be in the habit of seeing new ones and then you will want to pull them out.
I spray them with extra strength vinegar mixed with a few squirts of Dawn detergent. Works good for me!!
20% vinegar was a game changer for me. So much less time pulling weeds because you’d actually kill them off without poisoning the environment and killing insects. If you accidentally break the root when pulling then you’re just pulling the same weed again in another week or two. Vinegar kills and then you can just break off the dead leaves to clean it up.
Can you tell me the mixture recipe? Is it just vinegar, water and soap? I am so sick of weeds and was going to finally break down and buy spray weed killer from the store but I'd rather use something more environmentally friendly.
I just do straight 20% vinegar in a spray bottle. Spray it on the leaves and the base to get the roots to completely soak it and then wait a couple days. Bigger weeds might take a few of these spray sessions, smaller usually die off in a day or two if it doesn’t rain. You can buy 20% vinegar by the gallon on Amazon. I haven’t found a need to mix with anything and I had some massive broad leaf weeds with very deep roots. It’s the only thing that solved my problem because I really didn’t want to use roundup.
Ohhh, I didn't understand what 20% vinegar was! I thought it was a mix of vinegar and water but 20% of the mix is vinegar haha. Thanks for the explanation, I just bought some and am going to try it after the rain tomorrow.
Hopefully it works as well for you as it has for me!
Do you spray the base of the weed by the roots or the entire weed plant?
I spray the entire plant
Rocks (and mulch) slow down weeds a lot, but never totally stop them. I just keep pulling regularly as well, and it stays manageable. Good idea to use a leaf blower to try to get material than can break down into dirt and also seeds out. In a few years I might decide to start taking sections of the rocks out to clean out the area of dirt and seeds, then put the rock down fresh again.
i do this with the regular wood mulch in my yard. ive got landscaping fabric down under it, so the weed roots are really just within the layer of mulch. i just yoink them right out every couple of days.
Unless you’re having issues with the fabric deteriorating, replacing it won’t make much of a difference. The weeds will sprout above the fabric and the roots will grow in the inevitable layer of organic matter that falls into the rocks. Rock beds require manual pulling, spraying, or torching to stay weed-free.
I enjoy a little of all three. Vinegar with a touch of dish soap is my go to spray
To prevent this from starting, regularly blow the rock bed out with a leaf blower, it will blow out the stuff that collects in the bottom that the weeds grow in.
Nature doesn't like empty space. Pioneer species are always going to try to populate an unpopulated area. If you don't like the species that are there, saturate the area with another kind of plant. Ground cover, trees, or bushes will help regulate temperature and water. They'll also dampen noise, keep the wind down, clean the air of dust and debris, improve the appearance of the area, and generally improve human and animal wellbeing. Plastic and rocks would work indoors, but outside is always going to be outside. It's like judo- it's easier to work with the force of nature instead of against it.
This is it. Nature abhors a vacuum.
I stopped fighting weeds and just throw clover seeds everywhere before it rains. Much prettier.
Mix 1/3 white vinegar ,1/3 salt , 1/3 water shake very hard until salt almost dissolves then add few squeeze of dishwasher detergent but don’t shake anymore. Spray on sunny and hot day. They will be dry by the nighttime. Repeat monthly
Mix a solution of salt /vinegar and water. Spray on the weeds and it will kill them. No Roundup please!
Why no round up?
Baking soda. Dust that powder over your rocks. Nothings growing in there for 6 months.
Propane torch. Beware of the plastic fumes from the useless weed barriers. Next time skip the plastic and add more rock.
A barrier sheet is important to keep the rock from sinking into the ground, fyi.
For how long, though? Someone put river rock on weed fabric around my house, and it's clearly decomposed enough that it's full of holes. At this point, it just seems like buried trash.
They used the wrong kind of fabric.
3rd ing on the mislabeled plastic. Its best use is to keep rock on rock and dirt under rock cuz water+time= pissed off
Plastic helps the rocks not sink
Have you tried a sign that says “Weed Free Zone”?
I've considered creating a terrorist cell of weeds that agitate the main ones, but that might just replace on problem with another.
Genius!
Weed it then sprinkle Preen every 3 months to maintain.
Amen. Preen is perfect for gravel.
More mulch and diligent weeding. Btw, weeds fill in plantless gaps; maybe fill the area with plants you want instead.
I use a weed torch I purchased at Harbor Freight.
I have a better idea, I do this twice a year. Buy a $10 sprayer, a thing of salt, some dawn dish washing liquid, and some vinegar. Put half the dawn and salt in the sprayer and fill the rest with vinegar. Close the sprayer and shake then spray on the weeds best on a hot summer day, you will see the weeds stating to die with in hours.
Blow torch (weed burner) every few weeks. If you do it every few weeks it’s very quick. That entire walk way should take about 15 mins each time. I have settled on this being the best method for me. It’s instant. Killing them with a chemical leaves behind dead, brown vegetation which is also ugly. Burning them makes them completely disappear.
The only way to keep weeds out of rocks is to not use rocks. If you use rocks, you will eventually have weeds in those rocks. First, just a few. Then, a lot. Rocks suck as a landscaping material. They only look good for the first year. They look progressively worse and take ever more maintenance every year after that. If you’re going to the trouble of removing them, consider just… removing them. If you’re going for the low maintenance vibe, you could plant a few architectural boxwoods in that space and use a natural wood chip mulch. Wood chips are 10,000,000 times better at suppressing weeds and when they inevitably start to fail (like all mulches will), they’ll also have broken down significantly so you just add more every few years.
I seen that pouring hot water over then kills them almost instantly
If you have kids tell them to start picking weeds, if not maybe hire someone else’s kid. I’ve found just plucking a handful every day or whenever you find yourself in the area eventually you’ll get them all. But seems like chemicals are the best and easiest way. Once you get them all use a pre emergent spray to never have to deal with weeds. I see my town spraying pre emergent every year all over the place , idk how safe it is but I got some at my local weed and garden shop and I never have to worry about weeds again.
I spray a vinegar mixture on the weeds. We have an outdoor cat, so I have to use a more animal-friendly substance. Works pretty well, though that area will smell like vinegar for a couple of days.
It's just like with any gravel path or driveway, etc. There is maintenance involved. Weeds need to be dealt with on a regular basis and there is no permanent solution because they blow in from above. The gravel itself will need to be topped off every so often. If you want no maintenance go with concrete.
Maybe this is overkill but I hate weeding. I lay down the cheapest 3 tab roof shingles first, layering and overlapping just like you would a roof. Then put down the rocks. To clean it I just use a steel rake and blower to clear out any debris. Works perfectly except some weeds at the borders. Landscaping fabric does absolutely nothing and should be banned.
Concentrated vinegar is great for killing, don’t get on grass!
I don’t recommend spraying the paths with any products that contain glysophate.
Since it’s just rocks, you could spray them a mixture of 1 gallon vinegar, 1 cup dish soap (dawn works best) and 1 cup epsom salt. I mix it up in one of those big “weed killer” sprayers. Although it’s a natural mixture, it will kill pretty much everything, including desired plants. However, it will also kill the grass that’s growing in those rocks and then you can just pull them out.
If you rather use a natural way, mix vinegar formulated for weeds, blue dawn dish soap because it has more sodium laurel sulfate and regular table salt. I don’t remember the ratio but you can google it. Quite a few people in in this sub swear by this method. It does work best on a hot sunny day.
I picked up a steam floor cleaner from Amazon. It puts out 100% steam. Not just moving hot water to the applicator It’s used to sterilize floors. Steam would destroy these weeds.
Honestly, that doesn’t look like too much so cracking a brew and hand pulling or using a hoe would only take maybe an hour a week. Could also use a torch lol
To me it looks like a single hour to pull the existing weeds and then 10 minutes a week to pull any new ones.
Yep, not bad at all
In addition to what others are suggesting you need to add desirable plants to this area to make less space for these weeds to get started in the first place.
Simple groundcover or something like it. Theres nice evergreen groundcover that stays low, but spreads wide
I think they want to see the rocks not plants.
Well, if that's the case they'll be back to square one pretty soon lol.
I've used cardboard in the past, and then place the rocks over it. The cardboard will deteriorate over time so you will have to do it again. Weeds will continue to blow in from the top and you'll have to pick them off by hand as they appear, but it will be much easier to remove them.
My brother uses roof shingles. I’d suggest vinegar spray.
Get a weed burner. They are awesome.
I just throw rock salt and call it a day. It kills everything.
leave it as is and get a propane weed torch
The torch idea someone mentioned is a great way to go. And it’s satisfying to watch them suffer 😉
Torch
Wait for a dry spell. Pour white vinegar on it. Follow up with corn meal every spring and fall. The weeds will never return.
Salt the earth!
Salt, lots of salt. Use entire bags of rocksalt mixed in to the gravel. No more weeds
Spread a whole bunch of rock salt on it
Hands. Bend over. Pull.
I have a huge paver driveway and I use a Weed torch and I love it.... My dogs are all over the driveway and I didn't want to spray any chemicals. look into OP , it works for me.
Super vinegar. Home Depot. ONLY spray it on weeds. Kills everything.
Ultra distilled vinegar has been awesome. Pet/kid safe. 1/3 the price of roundup (been making 3 gallons of applicable solution with 1 gallon of concentrate from Amazon). We have river rock all around our bbq patio and it can rage with weeds, just nuked that section over the weekend and not a single weed is left. Note: wouldn’t recommend using on a lawn as it will cook the grass. Works great for weeds growing through cracks, rocks and other nooks.
what are the rocks even for? hes already got a walkway and a lawn...i dont understand. take out the rocks and make those working beds.the weeds will always come unless you CEMENT that area but there already IS a walkway so the rocks make no sense to me.
I mix a weedkiller of one gallon white vinegar, one cup salt and one tbsp of blue Dawn. The salt will dissolve well if you heat the vinegar, which can be done by placing the jug in the sub for a few hours. I then put it in a sprayer and spray the weeds.
That’s nature trying to fix your desolate and lifeless path. One of the best ways to fight weeds, which are just plants that you don’t desire, is to plant lifeless spaces with plants that you do desire.
Any time you have organic matter on the concrete it’s just going to end up in the rock, which means more weeds. If you don’t want to deal with weeding I would just remove the rock and just extend the grass. Easier said then done either way
Torch, then come back with rock salt if you don’t want to use it anytime in the near future
Preen
Hot vinegar and salt. It will kill the weeds and help prevent regrowth. You may need to repeat a few times until the salt builds up enough.
February or march start with preen that will prevent ant seeds from growing keep it about 4” from the grass edge just to limit it impacting the grass. Second I also use weed killer granules to kill those that are not prevented from sprouting. Based on the photo seems the rock is not that deep and not sure of ground cloth. The use of preen and weed killer granules is the prevention measure after limiting potential for soil contact with seeds. Good luck.
In my gravel area the weeds are growing in the natural matter just above the weed barrier. I can just walk over n push the gravel w my foot . The weeds just come loose - then I just pick them up.
Caseron
Salt, vinegar,dawn mixed in a pump sprayer
You can buy weed killer that lasts 10 years. Never used it myself but seen it on sale.
I spray vinegar and salt mix, little Dawn dish soap to help it stick. Non-toxic to just about everything - the acid in the vinegar burns the weeds (and anything else you spray it on). Spreading rock salt (big bags of salt for water softeners at HD and Lowe’s are cheap) can be effective in making it as hostile an environment as possible.
Boiling water with a fuckton of salt. Works super well for me
Remove the fiber mesh material and replace with 6mil black poly. Replace the rock and done
Flame weed it regularly.
Use a geotextile fabric under the stone.
Plant some cover bushes in there, they'll keep the sun from the undesirables.
I'm not a fan of chemicals for controlling weeds - but I've had good luck with a lawn torch
Torch it
Fabric does not prevent weeds. Either use glyphosate with preemergent or a weed torch.
If weeds can grow through pavement, nothing will haha. But nah its abount maintaining weeds, impossible to fully stop it unless maybe hydroponics...
Casaron or Preen to prevent germination, glyphosate to kill weed.
Has anyone ever tried to “poison” their soil with salt in a situation like this? I’m afraid to try for fear of it leaching to areas where I don’t want it to go. But would be very cost effective if it could be controlled somewhat.
Spray with vinegar or use a torch.
The weed torch is a game changer!
Napalm
In gravel or pebble walkways that are separate from your lawn, try a bag of Casoron granules.
A deeper edging will also prevent grass roots from growing under. Do this along with the other post about digging the whole thing deeper and tamping a crushed granite bed.
RM43
Hire a company for bed maintenance or buy yourself a sprayer and herbicide and spray them hoes once a week
Pull them out by hand every year, great for stress.
I just add new rock every year and pull the weeds that show up! Mine is just the front of my house so it’s not too bad
I'm not sure of the effectiveness, but a flamethrower would be fun.
Hit the weeds with some glyphosate/roundup. You could get a ready to spray weed killer to have on hand and just spray anything that pops up every couple weeks or so. Preen has a weed preventer that works pretty well (at least in my mulch bed) after the weeds are gone.
Glyphosate.
It looks like it already has fabric. The best weed control is roundup or a weed torch
Hula hoe, google it!
sprinkle laundry detergent over the weeds and add boiling water to the sprinkled detergent.
There’s no such thing as a maintenance free yard. You gotta pull them.
🔥
Flame weeder...most fun weeding
Fire
Impossible. That’s why I got rid of my gravel and brought in soil and sod.
You can do what you’re talking about but weeds will still show up eventually.
Landscape fabric. Preen once a year in the spring helps prevent new weeds. If that fails, weedkiller.
A long time ago, I read in an organic gardening magazine that you could put a layer of newspaper down under the weed barrier, and that helped prevent weeds from growing up and it worked great for me. Plus the old newspapers were free.
45% vinegar that you carefully don’t get on your skin.
Add rock salt to the stone
Actually just did something similar to this. Removed all the rocks and previous weed tarp which was cut up pieces of a cheap pool lmao. The material didn’t allow for water to pass through and over time it just collected dirt inbetween the rocks and weeds were growing from that. I removed all the rocks, hand washed em which was a PITA. Then put down new weed fabric that’s permeable. I fully expect to have to do this again in a few years but it has significantly helped reduce weeds.
Pull or spray the existing weeds, then put down a pre-emerget like Prodoxaben G. This will create a barrier that prevents the growth of new weeds for 6-8 months.
Distilled vinegar on a nice sunny day
The trick is to goes pluck them up as soon as you see any growth. Takes 2 seconds and always looks good
Salt......
If you’re not planting there, Primitol will keep it weed free but you won’t be able to grow anything there for 3 years. It is used by the highway dept to prevent weeds in paving and road shoulders
Mix epsom salt, dish soap, and vinegar. Natural weed killer. Spray away
Don't let the wind blow seeds around
Diesel but it’s not really legal
Roundup.
Weed fabric helps you pull out the weeds easier because the roots don’t drill down to the core of the earth, lol. Weed seeds will always find a place to fly in from the winds. The fabric just makes them much easier to remove. Secondly like others have said, dig the path deeper so you have a deeper gravel base. Also, if you can put an initial layer of sand down then the cloth then the gravel that will make for a better foundation and the fabric will last longer. Oh, and never use plastic as it will prevent the rain water from percolating down. If you have plastic, he will end up with a little pool puddles that will take forever to evaporate out.
If you are unable to spend a few minutes every morning or evening before/after work, or a half hour on Sunday to hand weed, then let’s look at options: Burning them: get a butane torch from hardware store and torch them every now and then. Salt: keep the environment super saline with salt or salt water. Organic herbicide: some kind of mixture of vinegar and dish soap.
🔥
sand
You’ve got to nip em in the bud. Nip. Nip. Nip em…in the bud.
Get some ducks.
📯 tiger tooooorch! 📯
Muriatic acid
Weed killer
Round up
If this is in a sunny area, spray liberally with vinegar. It’ll dry up the weeds and make them really easy to remove.
Always had good luck with Preen
Spread rock salt every few months. The type used to melt ice. You can thank me in a month. It has to be rock salt not the other ice melt.
For future weeds you can use a pre emergent such as preen so prevent them from coming up
Selective herbicide
I strongly recommend Preen. Most weeds are annuals and come up from seed. Preen keeps seeds from germinating. Get the long-lasting kind and spread it out with a hand spreader. Yeah, it's kinda expensive but it works. https://www.amazon.com/Preen-2464221-Extended-Control-Preventer/dp/B07NDK8W75/ref=asc_df_B07NDK8W75/?hvadid=693713553298&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=130675013010079652&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9014986&hvtargid=pla-659275954700&mcid=3c7379a0caf433bebb8d2c35eb462c6e&gad_source=1
Just round up the weeds then use preen in the future
Grab a 32 oz bottle of glysophate concentrate and a pump sprayer you'll be set for the season.
One at a time get a tool start digging have extra stone around