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Noticing the presence of weeds in your gravel can be very disturbing and it can give your landscape a rough look. However, the good thing is that there are several ways you can prevent the reoccurrence of these weeds or even ensure that they do not surface in the first place.
Some practical ways to prevent the appearance of weeds in your gravel include making use of a weed killer, removing the existing stone and replacing it, building a border across your driveway to ensure that these weeds stay out, and also making use of a flame killer to kill these weeds.
This article highlights how to stop weeds from growing in gravel and also how to prevent them from resurfacing.
How To Stop Weeds From Growing In Gravel
In this segment of the article, we will be covering in depth the several methods you can use to prevent the occurrence of weeds on your gravel. Some of the most effective methods you can take include;
1. Use a Weed Killer
Many weed killers are designed o kill the weeds in that area and also break down the soil so you can replace these gravels if you decide to. In most cases, these weed killers kill these weeds and make it possible for you to be able to plant on the soil again.
Since you have a gravel driveway, you wouldn’t want to plant there, but instead, you want to pace stones; all you need to do is make use of a long-lasting weed killer that would still linger around the soil even after killing the weed.
You can use a weed killer spray that is very effective when it comes o killing weeds and ensuring that there is no growth on there for the next six months.
Some people prefer using salt to kill these weeds, but the negative effect is that rain can wash this soil to other parts of your land, which may contain valuable plants, and you wouldn’t want that, would you?
See Also: How to Keep Grass Out of Flower Beds
2. Hand Weeding
Hand weeding is a very effective natural method to kill these weeds and remove them from their roots. You can use a weeding tool to get the job done, and until, like the homemade remedy with salt and vinegar, physically removing these weeds ensures that their roots are also out.
Although this method can take a lot of time and effort, it would be worth it.
3. Flame Weeding
Flame weeders are another practical method to remove weeds from your gravel driveway. The flame-weeding equipment Is usually wand-like equipment powered with several heating elements and propane to kill weeds on your gravel.
The weeder handles the end of the weeding equipment, which usually heats it to extreme temperatures. Instead of directly facing the weeding equipment to the land, all you need to do is place it a few inches away from the weed, and the heat can kill the plant cell barriers.
Before using the flame weeding equipment, ensure the device is safe in your area, and contact your local maturities. It would help if you were very careful when using this equipment, so you do not set something else on fire because it is highly flammable.
4. Landscape Fabric
Placing a geotextile fabric is another effective way of stopping weeds from growing on your gravel. This fabric is sometimes referred to as the weed mat and is also very water permeable and allows drainage but would never allow weeds from sprouting effectively from the soil onto your land.
Several steps are provided to fix your weed mat to prevent weed problems properly. Many people see plastic sheets as a suitable replacement for landscape fabric, and you should note that they are two different materials that do not work for the same purpose.
5. Installing Borders
Weeds do not just magically appear onto your gravel without a means of propagation, and in this case, most times, these weeds creep from outside borders into your gravel drivers and start to develop there. You can install a block of wood, stone, or even a brick block to prevent this from happening.
By doing this, you would successfully send these runner weeds out of your gravel because they wouldn’t be able to go past the other side of the wood or brick. For a more effective result, ensure the gravel border is about 3-5 inches tall.
After adding these borders, you can even go a stepped border by increasing the gravel in your driveway; this is an excellent option if your stone is less than three inches deep. You can be able to measure the depth of your stone by pushing a ruler down and seeing the point where it stops.
You can occasionally wash your gravel; even after placing this border, it is advisable to pass the gravel because it would most likely be mixed with dirt, and tees dirt would give rise to new weeds.
Mistakes To Avoid When Killing Weeds In Gravel
It is common to come across some home remedies suggested when looking for an effective way to kill weeds on your gravel driveway on the internet.
In most cases, these home remedies only kill the top weeds without getting rid of the root, and in some cases, these home remedies even do more harm than good.
Some standard practices to avoid when you want to kill these weeds on your gravel include;
1. Making Ise of a Salt Remedy
Although salt effectively kills the weed on your gravel driveway, these salts can be washed down to other parts of your yard by rain and might even kill the plants in your gardens and lawns.
Even if you must use this remedy, ensure that you do it in the dry season; at least with that, you have a good percentage of safety.
2. Making Use of a Vinegar Mix
Vinegar contains acetic acid that dries out the leaves and stems of these weeds, but it does not kill them down to the root. A person unaware might think they killed the weed ultimately, but with time, this weed would sprout back up.
3. Boiling Water
Just like vinegar, boiling water would work in killing these weeds from the top but would most likely struggle to eradicate these weed roots.
A common factor you would notice with these homemade remedies is that they struggle to kill these weed roots, so you should use any of the methods mentioned above instead of these homemade remedies.
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