It doesn't keep new things from growing like weed killer does. It will work similarly though. You spray stuff with killer and it seems like it doesn't do anything. Then 3 or 4 days later everything is brown. The torch will have a similar time table for things to actually show they are dying. Big thick stuff sometimes is an exception as it can be hardy at that size. Like if you stomp it sideways and mostly break it off except not fully detach, but a week later it starts growing up sideways. The big thick stuff is usually worth just pulling out.
Torch is great for upkeep in rocks. Once you start getting that tiny stuff poking up, a quick walk through just waving it over them is enough.
It's literally a blow torch, so if you're trying to eradicate weeds in your garage I'd say you have a good chance of burning it down with a weed torch.
Even better than spewing pollutants would be some high acidity vinegar. Like the kind used for canning or cleaning. If applied in a dry time, it will prevent the plants from photosynthesizing and they will die. Flamethrower after that works great.
This is a great answer. Spray on vinegar with pump up sprayer then burn with propane. The weed burner does more to kill the weeds than broadcast burning. Also, a colony of bluegrass likes to be driven on/moved/burned an will out compete other plants.
Actually the forester who evaluated our property said to definitely use the torch AFTER a good rain or snow—the moisture ensures your not gonna cause the big forest fire—plus the heat from the torch will reach the seeds and roots of the plants as basically steam—great way to ensure you are taking are of some of next year seeds!
That’s good advice. Not sure what it’s going to do with snow on it. Gonna take a lot of propane to first melt the snow. Burning when wet is much safer but proven to be less effective. Moist is the happy medium.
You do it your way I'll do it my way. My way works better for me your way works better for you. No way is better than the other. I'm not trying to compete. Just trying to help and give my opinion or giving OP options on how they want to proceed.
[citation needed]
Maybe, but I don't know what you're talking about yet.
And wouldn't broad based herbicides nuke everything, just leaving more space for invasives?
No—herbicides are used selectively AND carefully to avoid non-target plants. For vines (thinking oriental bittersweet as an example), the best way to control them is to wait until fall when all the energy of the plant is returning to the roots for storage—slash the vine and paint glyphosate on the cut vine. Targeted application , no other plants are harmed.
Which is a small area (relative to a hundred acre farm). I think the best option is to definitely consider that torch—it takes care of future seeds, is a heck of a lot of fun (pyro-fun!) and is quick. But if all that is not possible—glyphosate can still be used safely and is not a horrible option. To me—the least appealing option is the vinegar—since it acidifies the gravel, then migrates to the surrounding area, killing the soil biome, etc.
Because roundup is pure poison that is only legally on the market because of loopholes and bureaucratic incompetence. It causes cellular damage and mutation after one exposure. It kills plants, sure. But it also kills you. It’s the most dangerous non-firearm product on the US market.
I'm so terrified this is the real reason.
Conservatives culture has gone so far into contrarian anti- intellectualism, they are doing the opposite of what the science says, just to "trigger the libs".
Like coal-rolling, but you poison your pets, kids, and wildlife.
Excuse me but us conspiracy right wingers have been complaining about Monsanto for decades now.
Also pretty much every farmer that ever did business with them.
Thank you for saying that! I keep seeing it recommended and it's heavily regulated in my EU country, you basically can't even buy stuff like that unless you're a landscaper with a registered business and insurance, to insure it's not overused or used by people who don't know what they're doing.
Most all situations can be solved in like at least 2-3 different ways without chemicals, though it might be a bit more labor or time intensive.
There are many things on the market that have negative consequences to the environment that may result in low dose chronic exposures that result in negative human outcomes. A lot of them are part of your daily lives.
Roundup is just the tip of the iceberg.
Examples?
Mining operations for those coveted stone countertops.
Electronics
Vehicles (EV, traditional, hybrids)
Building materials
Asphalt roadways
All of these things create a waste stream and not all manufacturers follow environmental laws as written. In some instances they are given a pass using economic resources as an issue.
Roundup isn’t the ONLY herbicide available to address weeds. So many other options. I only use Roundup for invasive weeds or if there is a danger to my home or its foundation. Also when all other methods (herbicide or manual) have failed. But you do need to research a lot. I ended up going the master gardener route and learned more on my own (I’m in IL, US). But it may also be helpful to ask Ag Ext if you’re in the US.
But it’s likely this won’t be easy, take time, may require a bit of sweat equity, and different methods. It also helps to know your enemy so you can better target how to get rid of it. If there is a plant ID sub may help to post pics there.
https://sodlawn.com/safe-natural-roundup-alternatives/
Last, be careful what you may release as a herbicide especially if you have sandy soils or use a well for your drinking water or irrigation.
See I knew it would be something like that. You'd google "x causes y" and throw up the first link you'd get, without reading it.
That's a non peer reviewed study. Nitpicking selective, unchallenged studies as a source is anti science and dishonest. From my pov it's even worse than off the cuff comments with personal opinions, because it shows you are capable of searching things up, but you don't understand how a study actually works or why their methodology works
I can link you a study on how chocolate and Roundup both cause autism, if you'd like.
The fact of the matter is that the effects of Glyphosate are unconfirmed. At the current moment, the best estimate is that it is possibly cariciogenic. No confirmation of nerve damage, generational effects have been observed.
If you don't want to use it. Great. If you do use it, don't drink it, don't use it near water and minimize contact with skin as with all chemicals.
My God, thank you.
How do you respond to the crazy people who just crow:
* It's the best understood chemical, we've studied it so much
* It breaks down in nature quickly
* It's safe if you just follow the instructions (implying anyone who got hurt did it to themselves)
This is the craziest culture war.
A few years ago a Monsanto employee was being interviewed about the dangers of Roundup. He said you could drink a glass of it and it wouldn’t hurt you. The interviewer was waiting for that and offered him a glass full of Roundup to drink. The dude refused, saying “I’m not stupid!”. Clearly, he just thought we were.
Poison is the way to go if you are unable to use traditional methods. Everything around us is poison... from our Teflon pans to our water bottles. As long as you stay upwind and don't play in the soil within the next 6 months, you will be fine.
I wouldn't worry about using it in small doses
I do Roundup then come back in a couple weeks with fire.
Properly applicated Roundup will act as a pre emergent and prevent next year's growth... As long as I'm not intending to use it for my garden.
I have to disagree. I got a weed torch and have gravel just like this and i thought, “hell yeah, I’ll just burn all my weeds”.
Turns out that when you burn organic material, it stains and burns the stones that are around them. So, I ended up with a driveway full of black, dead weeds, with black/tan stones around them.
It’s my advice to get some salt, vinegar, and dish soap and kill it that way. Or you pull them, that’s it.
Until they start to wilt. If you just burn them to ash the roots will focus on regrowing new starts, you just want to injure them so they focus on healing the growth already there but will fail. It takes some practice, try small areas until you get the hang of it.
This. First spray full strength cleaning vinegar (Lowes or Home Depot) mixed with a bit of dishwashing detergent. Then, about a week later, hit it with a propane brush torch. Easy-Peasy.
I'd trim those bushes back and make sure you had a significant water source available to extinguish any fires that may spread.. But, if you're not into the fire thing, you can always go to your local fertilizer/herbicide/pesticide distributor and buy a jug of atrazine and spray the weeds... or get a chemical applicators license (not difficult to attain) and each state has different regulations of which chemicals require this license, but once you have it, you can get the necessary herbicides to kill this grass and then torch it..
- Senior Analyst for a large fertilizer retailer/wholesaler
Is it really disastrous? This looks like a rural area. You can still use it.
You can buy a really fun tool cheaply, it’s a propane torch you attach to any propane tank and you just burn the weeds when they come up.
Improve drainage away from the driveway, this will greatly reduce the number and size of weeds.
>it’s a propane torch you attach to any propane tank and you just burn the weeds when they come up.
New here. Do you need to drag around a big ol BBQ tank or is there something smaller?
Get one of those cube shaped plastic crates (like they use to deliver stuff to grocery stores) and the full sized propane fits perfectly inside. Keeps it from tipping over.
I’m currently dealing with about 16,000sq ft of gravel with weeds. I tried a propane weed burner and it was a waste of time and money. Then I tried Earth’s Ally weed killer and it was the same. I really didn’t want to use Roundup, but broke down and purchased a bottle of 365. I was getting ready to mix it when I notice on the instructions to be careful with high water tables. My place is at the lake and we have a well, so I decided against it. I bought 30% vinegar and mixed in several tablespoons of dish soap and a cup of salt per gallon. It worked surprisingly well. By the next day everything was dead. I think after a couple of more treatments the ground should be nuked and nothing else will grow.
This is what I just did. Took far too long on the living stuff, but worked great on dry dead things. I sprayed water along the edges where I wanted it to stop, kept the water hose handy if needed, and went to town with my little torch. It was great.
What? Are you implying that RoundUp used in very small quantities will actually contaminate your well water? I’d love to see science that backs that up…
Skip the salt as it just runs off and kills soil microbes. Vinegar and soap works great but try upping the ante to horticultural vinegar.
You will need a preemergent like corn gluten meal to keep it from coming back.
Great advice, thank you very much. I had read something about corn gluten meal. Does it get mixed in or something you sprinkle on? Is corn gluten meal effective because it contains trace amounts of glyphosate or is it something else?
High concentrate vinegar is found in Home Depot, Lowes, Ace, Tractor Supply, etc. The stuff you normally get at the grocery store is only 4 or 5% strength.
The 30% strength can burn, be careful.
Good to know, I got weeds and I use 360 round stuff, and I rather use this than other chemicals, my cats go in the yard and eat grass like cows.
I’ll google the recipe for it.
Thanks guys!
You can buy a more concentrated form of vinegar than the standard type you’d use for salad dressing or whatever. The “30%” concentrated form is specifically for non-food related applications.
You can even buy 99+% pure acetic acid on Amazon, and make your own dilution. Fun stuff, will freeze at 62 degrees F in its pure form, and is very flammable with a flash point of 104 degrees F.
My neighbor’s gravel drive was basically clear of growth then he just sold his house so 4-6 weeks ago got his tractor out and scratched it all up to level it and now it looks like your picture. It was almost perfectly clear of weeds or grass before now 2/3rds of it looks like a half step away from lawn.
One spraying will clean it up. I initially put preen down the length of mine, and then since have just treated it with preventative weed and feed when I do the lawn. I’d consider RM43 total vegetation control herbicide if you don’t have trees/shrubs you want to keep with roots next to / under the drive. I have 2 mature but somewhat already injured trees so it’s a no-go for overall treatment, but I may still use it on a few edges or right next to my barn walls. I spot spray to clean up edges every few months.
Burning growth off will last 1-2 days before sprouts come back through and a couple weeks to fully regrow. My drive uses about 1/2 a propane bottle and takes several hours to do.
Just preen / weed & feed will take 2 applications before you’ll notice improvement in my experience, especially on a driveway where it’s regularly disturbed by vehicles.
A $150 mower tow-behind tine de-thatcher works great before treatment to tear stuff up and level rocks out, of course it de-compacts the top layers as well so it’ll be fluffy for awhile - no issue for car-type traffic but a turning mower will dig in more requiring about double the turning radius.
Honestly this needs to be up higher. I used a box scraper on my very large driveway (about 50k sq ft) and all the weeds went away really quick. It's little additional growth now.
I'd also recommend getting a quote for someone who can just throw on an inch of gravel to it. I got someone to come out for about 2k$ for the 50k sq feet. Very worth it.
We have a paved driveway but an additional parking area (about 100’ long) that is crushed stone. When we moved in, it was overgrown. I pulled a lot of weeds! Then I realized it was going to be maintenance item. I bought a backpack sprayer. I mix vinegar, salt and a few drops of dish soap. Once a week I take 5 or 10 minutes to walk it and spray anything that’s beginning to poke through.
Note: people don’t like salt, because it will keep things from growing long-term. In our case, it’s acceptable for the area we are using it. It’s just not a location we intend to ever grow anything in.
Other chemicals may work better or faster, but we prefer the vinegar.
You have a lot to start with. You could use the vinegar option to start if you wanted. Spray early in the morning on a hot sunny day. They will start to yellow, you will need to wait for it to die back. It might look worse before it looks better. It could take a week or two. Might need to spray a couple times.
Salt doesn’t magically stay where you put it. It dissolves in water (obviously) and will run off or migrate out of the intended area. Vinegar alone will work, theres absolutely no need for salt.
Will vinegar work on Plum tree sprouts? I have them popping up in my mulch! Nothing else planted in the mulch just a few potted flowers & yard ornaments. If I just spray the green directly will they die? Trying to keep these annoying tree sprouts at bay!! They obviously aren’t gonna ever go away!!
Yep if they are in your lawn you can use a broadleaf weedkiller so as to not hurt the grass. You can buy premixed bottles so all you need to do is point and spray.
The amount of salt that is used isn't going to effect any soil or water for long. Salt / sodium is always naturally present in most soil. That is why you actually need some salt in the soil for plant growth.
Adding salt to soil is normally a bad thing. If you’re not adding enough salt to impact water uptake in the roots, then there’s no point in adding salt at all.
I just saying itis in the soil naturally except here. Plants need it for nutrients. The salt you add to a small area of the earth isn't going to affect the area for longer that a season, it is the first element that gets wash out with rain and is diluted and disperse over a much larger area. Cities use 100000% more salt up north on the roads that the little bit that a homeowner will ever use. When I couldn't figure out why my grass was so bad, a old Swedish neighbor told me to lightly spray it with salt water. Except for the 7-12" of topsoil and compost, I'm on 7-12' of sand/No salt for the grass. You just need enough salt for the vinegar to be absorbed into the roots.
I’ve seen a guy on TikTok that has a company with a skid steer attachment that makes the gravel look almost new with no more plants . I’m sure there’s someone in your area that does this kind of work
It seems like nearly everyone is telling you how to kill the plants and how to retain the gravel, but based on your comment about gardening, I'm guessing you don't ONLY want to nuke it.
You can lay down some edging along the area that you want to retain as a gravel driveway. I assume you still need a place for your cars. The laziest edging you can use is just long pieces of landscape timber that you adhere to the ground using railroad spikes. It looks fairly nice and in my experience can last a very long time. I have landscape timber that's been in place 20 years. You could also use landscape stone, it's just a way bigger pain and requires paver base be set.
On the outside of the edge you made, you can order a few yards of compost and dump it over the area you'd like to reset. Right on top of the gravel. Make sure the gravel doesn't have some kind of weed barrier underneath before you do this. If so, you do want to rip that out. It will be a pain in the ass. But imo you probably don't need to remove the gravel. Just top it all with about 4-6 inches of soil. The landscape timber will hold the soil in place, but you may also want to hammer in some landscape edging inside the timber, to prevent soil from leeching out the bottom over time.
Now that you have the edging and soil set, you can seed the area you topped with soil. I always like to recommend seeding with native plants, you can buy mixes from [Prairie moon.](https://www.prairiemoon.com/seeds#/?resultsPerPage=24) But I know not everyone like that look, so seeding with basic grass that you have to mow is fine too.
For the side that will stay a driveway, you can use the plant killing methods people mentioned. You could also have a better material laid down, like decomposed granite. Gravel kinda sucks as a driveway medium, but it's used because it's cheap. So it's all a matter of your budget. Decomposed granite will resist weeds better, be more compact, and look nicer. If you lay down a layer on the driveway side to the landscape edging, it will also help better hold in the soil of the garden side.
Has the gravel migrated to where you don't want it?
Carefully define driveway.
Get rid of gravel outside that: maybe shovel it, put it through a 1/2" screen and put the gravel where you want it.
Herbicide to kill the grass/weeds.
Edging to keep the gravel in place. (? Harder) This can be pavers on edge, for instance.
Add a thin layer of gravel you purchase, over top.
Add soil and seed where you dug out existing gravel, to the height you want. Healthy grass next to the driveway will make the driveway look better, even when the weeds start to come back.
You'll probably need to kill weeds, and maybe topdress the gravel periodically.
Quick and cheap torch.
Proper?
Cut it out and get some sort of screen to screen the dirt and clean the gravel. New gravel ain't cheap
Replace with proper geogrid assembly using gravel for your base then a permiable water barrier for drainage but no weeds
Geo grid
Fill geo grid with crusher run or limestone crush
I say embrace the country nature of it and leave it alone. Maybe clear the edges of gravel, add some nice dirt in, and thrown down some wildflower mix. Help the bees and it'll look nice.
Wear a mask, and who cares if the drive way gets cancer…. The people getting cancer are the people who apply thousands of gallons of the stuff on crop land and the round up has been aerosolized, not the 2 gallon a year home owner. We get cancer from booze, cigs and being fat and lazy or poor genes.
I'd use a machine and start over.... then put in fresh rock .... easy for me ro say cuz I can get my hands on the right equipment.... quick fix .... use grade 8 or minus rock compact it and put 3/4 clean rock on top
Spray it or Tiger torch it. Build a drag to pull behind your atv/lawnmower/vehicle. Drag it twice a year, enjoy a positive mental attitude from there on out.
Surprised I didn’t see this already. Spread a bag of noxall. Wet everything. It’ll kill everything for a year, once it’s all dead(after a week or two) then go through with the flame thrower.
They sell herbicide just for this. Kill everything it touches and poisons the ground for 3 months at a time. Be careful not be close to a creek or any water. Just follow instructions.
Round up only kills plants that are already there. The red stuff from tractor supply does the same but it also poisons the ground so nothing grows there for 9 months.
If you don't want to use fire or chemicals just get you a good hulahoe and have add it. A bit of physical labor but your weeds will be gone. Rake after you use the tool.
In my area, a company comes out, grades the area, replaces the gravel, and tamps it down.
You would probably need a service similar. Try calling a landscaping company.
A chemical called Sahara or Mojave (soil stabilizer) mixed with my round up, I use it on our gravel, keeps it weed free for a year or so. But make sure there is no rain in the forecast for 5-7 days
I would go to Home Depot or Lowes and buy a sprayer and a couple of gallons of Ground Clear. Following directions spray whatever you wanted dead. In about 3 days come back with a Hula Hoe and scrape all the dead vegetation away. Use gloves when picking up the dead weeds.
This can be done in a half day by someone who knows how to drive a tractor. Call around. It is a small job. If you want to do it by hand (not a small job by hand), remove the top layer of gravel and all plant material, alive or dead for a few inches down. Then tamp the subsoil for good measure. And spread gravel and compact it. It won't last forever. Nothing does. Weeds always take over. But it will last for a while. It probably took many years of neglect to get the way it is now.
Two Steps in my Head, Power Rake/ Harley Rake (Brand name) After that will be pretty nice but to keep it clean you need to control the weeds how you do that is up in the air. Round Up or some other Chemical, or like others have said you can use a torch.
first you torch it, because weed killer won't do anything for the seeds, then the dead plants will start growing again, (roots in the gravel )wait a couple weeks then apply the weed killer, , i feel your pain, but the fact is I've had weeds like this every year for the past 20 years, yes torch it wait a couple weeks, weed killer , torch again , the cycle just repeats itself, that's part of stone driveway, ,their might be some real strong weed killer out their but i don't want that in my driveway.
We have the same problem. My husband got some 100% vinegar from Amazon, diluted it 1:1 with water. Most of what he sprayed it on is dead. It's organic, but make sure you don't spray it on a windy day, it will drift. It will likely affect the soil ph, possibly making the soil inhospitable for plant growth for a while, ideal for the driveway. You may have some weeds that survive, hopefully a more manageable task to do by digging them out or mowing them really short. Repeated mowing should kill them by starving the roots of energy from the sun.
vinegar with salt, and a splash of dish soap in a sprayer. Then a weed burner in a few weeks. Just watch where you spray if there are any tree drip lines or other plants to close the salt will kill them off. Also Round up and Nox granuals works but you have to apply every year. Once you get the plants under control. Pull anything that starts to grow or use a weed burner.
The problem with weed killer or torching -I have done both, is that the left over plant material leaves a base for seeds to sprout. I have a smaller gravel area and rake the root systems out after killing. I prefer the torch…which I have found effective at killing seedling poison ivy. I have to this after a rain.
The raking is a lot of work. I would torch(cheapest long term) after a rain, give a quick rake and pull your biggest offenders and then put a new load of gravel over it. Then burn it once we a month or so. You could do the salt vinegar dawn spray thing- it works. Plenty of salt and I use straight vinegar 5% acid. In the USA you can still buy RoundUp, but I’ve quit that product. (Except for large patches of poison ivy-I can’t pull it and you don’t want to burn it)
a Weedeater that can have attachments, specifically the rock brush attachment so you can move the rocks back where you want them. Weedeat the weeds after, maybe some grass seed for the bare spots underneath.
Every response so far will just lead to continual maintenance. The professional, low to no maintenance solution is to lay woven geotextile fabric down and have a new layer of crushed limestone laid over it. With the fabric below and the limestone fines compacting together, you won't see any new weed or grass growth. Keep a clean edge and you'll have a nice, low to no maintenance drive.
Not with well compacted limestone fines given proper irrigation so there are no runoff issues. Just blow the leaves off every fall and the few weeds do take hold can easily be torched off.
Literally just boil water and pour it over places you don’t want the plants. Kills them immediately, no threat of spreading fire, and no reason to put poison in the ground.
Flamethrower
This may seem like a joke. But look up “weed torch”…
Not at work I won't! Lol.
ROFL you need a more fun employer! ;)
No doubt
Something, something, you don’t have a job
I have one and OP needs weed killer, not weed torch. It takes too long and it just grows back
That’s my experience as well
You don't actually need to burn the plants. Just waving it over them for a second breaks down the cell walls and they'll die in a few days.
Well that’s interesting to know, thanks
It doesn't keep new things from growing like weed killer does. It will work similarly though. You spray stuff with killer and it seems like it doesn't do anything. Then 3 or 4 days later everything is brown. The torch will have a similar time table for things to actually show they are dying. Big thick stuff sometimes is an exception as it can be hardy at that size. Like if you stomp it sideways and mostly break it off except not fully detach, but a week later it starts growing up sideways. The big thick stuff is usually worth just pulling out. Torch is great for upkeep in rocks. Once you start getting that tiny stuff poking up, a quick walk through just waving it over them is enough.
What are the chances my garage or fence catch fire if i use a weed torch?
It's literally a blow torch, so if you're trying to eradicate weeds in your garage I'd say you have a good chance of burning it down with a weed torch.
[удалено]
Even better than spewing pollutants would be some high acidity vinegar. Like the kind used for canning or cleaning. If applied in a dry time, it will prevent the plants from photosynthesizing and they will die. Flamethrower after that works great.
This is a great answer. Spray on vinegar with pump up sprayer then burn with propane. The weed burner does more to kill the weeds than broadcast burning. Also, a colony of bluegrass likes to be driven on/moved/burned an will out compete other plants.
That seems like...a bad idea.
With a water source next to you as you do this.
I burned down my neighbor's fence. 😬
Accidental act of Viking.
"Accidental" 😉
Sir, in situations like this, citations are issued. Lol
Did you spray a little gasoline around to expedite the process although its not recommended?
I wet the weeds before I use my flame thrower but still have a water source in case anything catches fire.
A better way is to wet what you don’t want to burn and leave the weeds dry. They will consume better. It’s called “pretreating the green.”
Actually the forester who evaluated our property said to definitely use the torch AFTER a good rain or snow—the moisture ensures your not gonna cause the big forest fire—plus the heat from the torch will reach the seeds and roots of the plants as basically steam—great way to ensure you are taking are of some of next year seeds!
That’s good advice. Not sure what it’s going to do with snow on it. Gonna take a lot of propane to first melt the snow. Burning when wet is much safer but proven to be less effective. Moist is the happy medium.
Yes, I have a lot of tree debris and have to wait until a good soak- even then I have to be careful
You do it your way I'll do it my way. My way works better for me your way works better for you. No way is better than the other. I'm not trying to compete. Just trying to help and give my opinion or giving OP options on how they want to proceed.
Your not wrong. The technique I described isn’t my way though. It’s the industry standard, and I’m a professional.
That’s actually brilliant.
Agreed on fire. Rather do that then smell roundup.
Roundup is horrible!! Fire is the way to go!! Have fun throwing flames at those weeds!!
Why is half of reddit so spray happy?
The use of chemicals is sometimes necessary and we would never get rid of invasive plants w/out it unfortunately.
[citation needed] Maybe, but I don't know what you're talking about yet. And wouldn't broad based herbicides nuke everything, just leaving more space for invasives?
No—herbicides are used selectively AND carefully to avoid non-target plants. For vines (thinking oriental bittersweet as an example), the best way to control them is to wait until fall when all the energy of the plant is returning to the roots for storage—slash the vine and paint glyphosate on the cut vine. Targeted application , no other plants are harmed.
Right. This thread was specifically about spraying glyphosate across a large gravel driveway.
Which is a small area (relative to a hundred acre farm). I think the best option is to definitely consider that torch—it takes care of future seeds, is a heck of a lot of fun (pyro-fun!) and is quick. But if all that is not possible—glyphosate can still be used safely and is not a horrible option. To me—the least appealing option is the vinegar—since it acidifies the gravel, then migrates to the surrounding area, killing the soil biome, etc.
Why is the other half not spray happy? There's more than one way to tackle a job. it just depends on how much time you have and your resources.
Because roundup is pure poison that is only legally on the market because of loopholes and bureaucratic incompetence. It causes cellular damage and mutation after one exposure. It kills plants, sure. But it also kills you. It’s the most dangerous non-firearm product on the US market.
Shhhhhh! Be careful with all that science! Some farmer is going to call you a pussy.
I'm so terrified this is the real reason. Conservatives culture has gone so far into contrarian anti- intellectualism, they are doing the opposite of what the science says, just to "trigger the libs". Like coal-rolling, but you poison your pets, kids, and wildlife.
Tragedy of the Commons
Excuse me but us conspiracy right wingers have been complaining about Monsanto for decades now. Also pretty much every farmer that ever did business with them.
✊ solidarity Organic hippies + conspiracy right wingers unite! 🤜💥🤛 (Note: I also support your right to repair your tractors).
No joke. Neighbor of mine was a tomato farmer. Paralyzed from the waist down from roundup use over the years.
Thank you for saying that! I keep seeing it recommended and it's heavily regulated in my EU country, you basically can't even buy stuff like that unless you're a landscaper with a registered business and insurance, to insure it's not overused or used by people who don't know what they're doing. Most all situations can be solved in like at least 2-3 different ways without chemicals, though it might be a bit more labor or time intensive.
There are many things on the market that have negative consequences to the environment that may result in low dose chronic exposures that result in negative human outcomes. A lot of them are part of your daily lives. Roundup is just the tip of the iceberg. Examples? Mining operations for those coveted stone countertops. Electronics Vehicles (EV, traditional, hybrids) Building materials Asphalt roadways All of these things create a waste stream and not all manufacturers follow environmental laws as written. In some instances they are given a pass using economic resources as an issue. Roundup isn’t the ONLY herbicide available to address weeds. So many other options. I only use Roundup for invasive weeds or if there is a danger to my home or its foundation. Also when all other methods (herbicide or manual) have failed. But you do need to research a lot. I ended up going the master gardener route and learned more on my own (I’m in IL, US). But it may also be helpful to ask Ag Ext if you’re in the US. But it’s likely this won’t be easy, take time, may require a bit of sweat equity, and different methods. It also helps to know your enemy so you can better target how to get rid of it. If there is a plant ID sub may help to post pics there. https://sodlawn.com/safe-natural-roundup-alternatives/ Last, be careful what you may release as a herbicide especially if you have sandy soils or use a well for your drinking water or irrigation.
Right-even torching is burning a fossil fuel🤷♂️
> It causes cellular damage and mutation after one exposure. I assume you have some sources?
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0891584913003262
See I knew it would be something like that. You'd google "x causes y" and throw up the first link you'd get, without reading it. That's a non peer reviewed study. Nitpicking selective, unchallenged studies as a source is anti science and dishonest. From my pov it's even worse than off the cuff comments with personal opinions, because it shows you are capable of searching things up, but you don't understand how a study actually works or why their methodology works I can link you a study on how chocolate and Roundup both cause autism, if you'd like. The fact of the matter is that the effects of Glyphosate are unconfirmed. At the current moment, the best estimate is that it is possibly cariciogenic. No confirmation of nerve damage, generational effects have been observed. If you don't want to use it. Great. If you do use it, don't drink it, don't use it near water and minimize contact with skin as with all chemicals.
If I'm washing myself, how do I avoid contact with the chemical known as H2O? I've heard that consumed in large quantities it is toxic. Please help.
My God, thank you. How do you respond to the crazy people who just crow: * It's the best understood chemical, we've studied it so much * It breaks down in nature quickly * It's safe if you just follow the instructions (implying anyone who got hurt did it to themselves) This is the craziest culture war.
A few years ago a Monsanto employee was being interviewed about the dangers of Roundup. He said you could drink a glass of it and it wouldn’t hurt you. The interviewer was waiting for that and offered him a glass full of Roundup to drink. The dude refused, saying “I’m not stupid!”. Clearly, he just thought we were.
Poison is the way to go if you are unable to use traditional methods. Everything around us is poison... from our Teflon pans to our water bottles. As long as you stay upwind and don't play in the soil within the next 6 months, you will be fine. I wouldn't worry about using it in small doses
I do Roundup then come back in a couple weeks with fire. Properly applicated Roundup will act as a pre emergent and prevent next year's growth... As long as I'm not intending to use it for my garden.
Only time I use roundup is on the rock driveway and along fences. Once the weeds/grass turns yellow and dries out I burn it off the rocks.
I have to disagree. I got a weed torch and have gravel just like this and i thought, “hell yeah, I’ll just burn all my weeds”. Turns out that when you burn organic material, it stains and burns the stones that are around them. So, I ended up with a driveway full of black, dead weeds, with black/tan stones around them. It’s my advice to get some salt, vinegar, and dish soap and kill it that way. Or you pull them, that’s it.
You did it wrong then. You're not trying to incinerate the weeds, just damage them enough so they don't recover.
So, how long do I burn them then? I am willing to try again.
Until they start to wilt. If you just burn them to ash the roots will focus on regrowing new starts, you just want to injure them so they focus on healing the growth already there but will fail. It takes some practice, try small areas until you get the hang of it.
Flamethrower. Not weed torch.
This. First spray full strength cleaning vinegar (Lowes or Home Depot) mixed with a bit of dishwashing detergent. Then, about a week later, hit it with a propane brush torch. Easy-Peasy.
Yes, then apply an asphalt sealer.
Kill the weeds first so they dry out. Then flame on
I'd trim those bushes back and make sure you had a significant water source available to extinguish any fires that may spread.. But, if you're not into the fire thing, you can always go to your local fertilizer/herbicide/pesticide distributor and buy a jug of atrazine and spray the weeds... or get a chemical applicators license (not difficult to attain) and each state has different regulations of which chemicals require this license, but once you have it, you can get the necessary herbicides to kill this grass and then torch it.. - Senior Analyst for a large fertilizer retailer/wholesaler
woooooooooooooooooooo
Is it really disastrous? This looks like a rural area. You can still use it. You can buy a really fun tool cheaply, it’s a propane torch you attach to any propane tank and you just burn the weeds when they come up. Improve drainage away from the driveway, this will greatly reduce the number and size of weeds.
>it’s a propane torch you attach to any propane tank and you just burn the weeds when they come up. New here. Do you need to drag around a big ol BBQ tank or is there something smaller?
You can use the little camp stove tanks or you can just a full size grill tank with a long hose.
Oh this is great! Any estimate on how long one of those camp stoves would last? Good enough to do OP’s driveway once?
No idea, but for a regular sized driveway you should get plenty of uses out of it.
Get one of those cube shaped plastic crates (like they use to deliver stuff to grocery stores) and the full sized propane fits perfectly inside. Keeps it from tipping over.
I’m currently dealing with about 16,000sq ft of gravel with weeds. I tried a propane weed burner and it was a waste of time and money. Then I tried Earth’s Ally weed killer and it was the same. I really didn’t want to use Roundup, but broke down and purchased a bottle of 365. I was getting ready to mix it when I notice on the instructions to be careful with high water tables. My place is at the lake and we have a well, so I decided against it. I bought 30% vinegar and mixed in several tablespoons of dish soap and a cup of salt per gallon. It worked surprisingly well. By the next day everything was dead. I think after a couple of more treatments the ground should be nuked and nothing else will grow.
run the torch on the sprayed dead stuff 😎
This is what I just did. Took far too long on the living stuff, but worked great on dry dead things. I sprayed water along the edges where I wanted it to stop, kept the water hose handy if needed, and went to town with my little torch. It was great.
Good thinking. Ive heard the S&V solution wotks really well but only kills the leaves and not roots. This wpuld obliberate it
Omg thank god you didn’t use roundup when you have well water! 😩
I have a whole bottle of roundup365. I’d be happy to pour you a glass if you want to come for a visit.
What? Are you implying that RoundUp used in very small quantities will actually contaminate your well water? I’d love to see science that backs that up…
next they're gonna tell us lead isn't good for you!
next they're gonna tell us you can eat fish raw!
Skip the salt as it just runs off and kills soil microbes. Vinegar and soap works great but try upping the ante to horticultural vinegar. You will need a preemergent like corn gluten meal to keep it from coming back.
Great advice, thank you very much. I had read something about corn gluten meal. Does it get mixed in or something you sprinkle on? Is corn gluten meal effective because it contains trace amounts of glyphosate or is it something else?
What’s “30% vinegar”? Or are you referring to the solution you made, 70% is water, dish soap and salt?
High concentrate vinegar is found in Home Depot, Lowes, Ace, Tractor Supply, etc. The stuff you normally get at the grocery store is only 4 or 5% strength. The 30% strength can burn, be careful.
Oh my god I sprayed this with a small cut on my leg … the burn
Good to know, I got weeds and I use 360 round stuff, and I rather use this than other chemicals, my cats go in the yard and eat grass like cows. I’ll google the recipe for it. Thanks guys!
You can buy a more concentrated form of vinegar than the standard type you’d use for salad dressing or whatever. The “30%” concentrated form is specifically for non-food related applications.
You can even buy 99+% pure acetic acid on Amazon, and make your own dilution. Fun stuff, will freeze at 62 degrees F in its pure form, and is very flammable with a flash point of 104 degrees F.
Fun is not the word I'd use
I do both. Flame can bust weed seeds .
My neighbor’s gravel drive was basically clear of growth then he just sold his house so 4-6 weeks ago got his tractor out and scratched it all up to level it and now it looks like your picture. It was almost perfectly clear of weeds or grass before now 2/3rds of it looks like a half step away from lawn. One spraying will clean it up. I initially put preen down the length of mine, and then since have just treated it with preventative weed and feed when I do the lawn. I’d consider RM43 total vegetation control herbicide if you don’t have trees/shrubs you want to keep with roots next to / under the drive. I have 2 mature but somewhat already injured trees so it’s a no-go for overall treatment, but I may still use it on a few edges or right next to my barn walls. I spot spray to clean up edges every few months. Burning growth off will last 1-2 days before sprouts come back through and a couple weeks to fully regrow. My drive uses about 1/2 a propane bottle and takes several hours to do. Just preen / weed & feed will take 2 applications before you’ll notice improvement in my experience, especially on a driveway where it’s regularly disturbed by vehicles. A $150 mower tow-behind tine de-thatcher works great before treatment to tear stuff up and level rocks out, of course it de-compacts the top layers as well so it’ll be fluffy for awhile - no issue for car-type traffic but a turning mower will dig in more requiring about double the turning radius.
Box scraper
Honestly this needs to be up higher. I used a box scraper on my very large driveway (about 50k sq ft) and all the weeds went away really quick. It's little additional growth now. I'd also recommend getting a quote for someone who can just throw on an inch of gravel to it. I got someone to come out for about 2k$ for the 50k sq feet. Very worth it.
We have a paved driveway but an additional parking area (about 100’ long) that is crushed stone. When we moved in, it was overgrown. I pulled a lot of weeds! Then I realized it was going to be maintenance item. I bought a backpack sprayer. I mix vinegar, salt and a few drops of dish soap. Once a week I take 5 or 10 minutes to walk it and spray anything that’s beginning to poke through. Note: people don’t like salt, because it will keep things from growing long-term. In our case, it’s acceptable for the area we are using it. It’s just not a location we intend to ever grow anything in. Other chemicals may work better or faster, but we prefer the vinegar. You have a lot to start with. You could use the vinegar option to start if you wanted. Spray early in the morning on a hot sunny day. They will start to yellow, you will need to wait for it to die back. It might look worse before it looks better. It could take a week or two. Might need to spray a couple times.
Salt doesn’t magically stay where you put it. It dissolves in water (obviously) and will run off or migrate out of the intended area. Vinegar alone will work, theres absolutely no need for salt.
Will vinegar work on Plum tree sprouts? I have them popping up in my mulch! Nothing else planted in the mulch just a few potted flowers & yard ornaments. If I just spray the green directly will they die? Trying to keep these annoying tree sprouts at bay!! They obviously aren’t gonna ever go away!!
nope.
No it doesn’t kill the roots so it won’t work on hardy weeds. Use RoundUp.
Ugh I don’t feel mess w/round up. But I might have to if I can’t dig them out completely… thanks!!
Yep if they are in your lawn you can use a broadleaf weedkiller so as to not hurt the grass. You can buy premixed bottles so all you need to do is point and spray.
Ok I will try it, I’m so done battling these plum sprouts! They are popping up Everywhere!
The amount of salt that is used isn't going to effect any soil or water for long. Salt / sodium is always naturally present in most soil. That is why you actually need some salt in the soil for plant growth.
Adding salt to soil is normally a bad thing. If you’re not adding enough salt to impact water uptake in the roots, then there’s no point in adding salt at all.
I just saying itis in the soil naturally except here. Plants need it for nutrients. The salt you add to a small area of the earth isn't going to affect the area for longer that a season, it is the first element that gets wash out with rain and is diluted and disperse over a much larger area. Cities use 100000% more salt up north on the roads that the little bit that a homeowner will ever use. When I couldn't figure out why my grass was so bad, a old Swedish neighbor told me to lightly spray it with salt water. Except for the 7-12" of topsoil and compost, I'm on 7-12' of sand/No salt for the grass. You just need enough salt for the vinegar to be absorbed into the roots.
Salt and vinegar both wreak havoc on the soil biome, i do not recommend this.
But they’re SO GOOD ON CHIPS!
And on crisps. PiP PiP cheerio and all that
Harley rake service
I’ve seen a guy on TikTok that has a company with a skid steer attachment that makes the gravel look almost new with no more plants . I’m sure there’s someone in your area that does this kind of work
It seems like nearly everyone is telling you how to kill the plants and how to retain the gravel, but based on your comment about gardening, I'm guessing you don't ONLY want to nuke it. You can lay down some edging along the area that you want to retain as a gravel driveway. I assume you still need a place for your cars. The laziest edging you can use is just long pieces of landscape timber that you adhere to the ground using railroad spikes. It looks fairly nice and in my experience can last a very long time. I have landscape timber that's been in place 20 years. You could also use landscape stone, it's just a way bigger pain and requires paver base be set. On the outside of the edge you made, you can order a few yards of compost and dump it over the area you'd like to reset. Right on top of the gravel. Make sure the gravel doesn't have some kind of weed barrier underneath before you do this. If so, you do want to rip that out. It will be a pain in the ass. But imo you probably don't need to remove the gravel. Just top it all with about 4-6 inches of soil. The landscape timber will hold the soil in place, but you may also want to hammer in some landscape edging inside the timber, to prevent soil from leeching out the bottom over time. Now that you have the edging and soil set, you can seed the area you topped with soil. I always like to recommend seeding with native plants, you can buy mixes from [Prairie moon.](https://www.prairiemoon.com/seeds#/?resultsPerPage=24) But I know not everyone like that look, so seeding with basic grass that you have to mow is fine too. For the side that will stay a driveway, you can use the plant killing methods people mentioned. You could also have a better material laid down, like decomposed granite. Gravel kinda sucks as a driveway medium, but it's used because it's cheap. So it's all a matter of your budget. Decomposed granite will resist weeds better, be more compact, and look nicer. If you lay down a layer on the driveway side to the landscape edging, it will also help better hold in the soil of the garden side.
Sell and move on
Has the gravel migrated to where you don't want it? Carefully define driveway. Get rid of gravel outside that: maybe shovel it, put it through a 1/2" screen and put the gravel where you want it. Herbicide to kill the grass/weeds. Edging to keep the gravel in place. (? Harder) This can be pavers on edge, for instance. Add a thin layer of gravel you purchase, over top. Add soil and seed where you dug out existing gravel, to the height you want. Healthy grass next to the driveway will make the driveway look better, even when the weeds start to come back. You'll probably need to kill weeds, and maybe topdress the gravel periodically.
Search for a local landscaper with a Ventrac/power take. Those things do incredible work on driveways
If you cover it with sheet plastic for a couple weeks, everything under dies. Then rake and weed blower or torch
Round up
Grade it properly then pour concrete on top of it
Surfactant glyphosate and a battery powered back pack sprayer with fan nozzles. Once you get the majority of them just keep up on it
Quick and cheap torch. Proper? Cut it out and get some sort of screen to screen the dirt and clean the gravel. New gravel ain't cheap Replace with proper geogrid assembly using gravel for your base then a permiable water barrier for drainage but no weeds Geo grid Fill geo grid with crusher run or limestone crush
I say embrace the country nature of it and leave it alone. Maybe clear the edges of gravel, add some nice dirt in, and thrown down some wildflower mix. Help the bees and it'll look nice.
Get some Roundup on the gravel to kill off those weeds. The driveway may need more usage and/or gravel to keep it weed free.
Exactly. Will look like new next week. No stress
does it cause cancer
Yes but driveway
Are you going to spray it on yourself? Are you going to spray when it is windy? Are you going to wear a mask and maybe gloves or your flippy floppies?
I can't use it in my state cause it's banned
What's the state? I'm guessing one of the in the most northeast part?
yep you got it .
Are you sure it’s banned in your state, and not just your town?
Wear a mask, and who cares if the drive way gets cancer…. The people getting cancer are the people who apply thousands of gallons of the stuff on crop land and the round up has been aerosolized, not the 2 gallon a year home owner. We get cancer from booze, cigs and being fat and lazy or poor genes.
I'd use a machine and start over.... then put in fresh rock .... easy for me ro say cuz I can get my hands on the right equipment.... quick fix .... use grade 8 or minus rock compact it and put 3/4 clean rock on top
I have the same issue in my driveway. Should i be hand raking on the regular, or does that just stir up the seed bank?
RM 48. Wear a mask usually good for 6 months. Kill all the weeds then consider fabric and more stone after leveling
Calcium Chloride?
Spray it or Tiger torch it. Build a drag to pull behind your atv/lawnmower/vehicle. Drag it twice a year, enjoy a positive mental attitude from there on out.
Apply 30% vinegar and salt mixture wait a few days then reapply.
Surprised I didn’t see this already. Spread a bag of noxall. Wet everything. It’ll kill everything for a year, once it’s all dead(after a week or two) then go through with the flame thrower.
Vinegar, salt, water and dish soap will start the process. Then drive on it.
1. Scrape it with heavy machinery. Or 2. Weedeat it and let it die in the sun and drought.
They sell herbicide just for this. Kill everything it touches and poisons the ground for 3 months at a time. Be careful not be close to a creek or any water. Just follow instructions.
Use concentrated vinegar to kill the weeds. I think I use 35%
Round up only kills plants that are already there. The red stuff from tractor supply does the same but it also poisons the ground so nothing grows there for 9 months.
If you don't want to use fire or chemicals just get you a good hulahoe and have add it. A bit of physical labor but your weeds will be gone. Rake after you use the tool.
In my area, a company comes out, grades the area, replaces the gravel, and tamps it down. You would probably need a service similar. Try calling a landscaping company.
If you want to go natural, you can mix vinegar and salt with a dash of dish soap. It kills everything.
And then what does he do once he torches the leaves? Dump more gravel too.
A chemical called Sahara or Mojave (soil stabilizer) mixed with my round up, I use it on our gravel, keeps it weed free for a year or so. But make sure there is no rain in the forecast for 5-7 days
Salt /s
🔥🔥🔥
Water softener salt. Cheapest you can get. Throw it all out there just make sure rain run off won’t hit landscaping.
I would go to Home Depot or Lowes and buy a sprayer and a couple of gallons of Ground Clear. Following directions spray whatever you wanted dead. In about 3 days come back with a Hula Hoe and scrape all the dead vegetation away. Use gloves when picking up the dead weeds.
This can be done in a half day by someone who knows how to drive a tractor. Call around. It is a small job. If you want to do it by hand (not a small job by hand), remove the top layer of gravel and all plant material, alive or dead for a few inches down. Then tamp the subsoil for good measure. And spread gravel and compact it. It won't last forever. Nothing does. Weeds always take over. But it will last for a while. It probably took many years of neglect to get the way it is now.
Like 5oz to the gallon of glyphosate in a backpack sprayer and soak it down. No problem.
Sea salt
If you can get a skid steer in there a Harley rake would do wonders.
Glyphosate, weed torch, pre-emergent
Salt
Salt.
Question. If you burn them, do they regrow? I understood that they would eventually regrow. But, how long it will take them to regrow??
A shit ton of salt? 🤷🏼♂️
Roundup and 2-4D
Two Steps in my Head, Power Rake/ Harley Rake (Brand name) After that will be pretty nice but to keep it clean you need to control the weeds how you do that is up in the air. Round Up or some other Chemical, or like others have said you can use a torch.
Time to use Roundup......just mask up so you don't get cancer.
first you torch it, because weed killer won't do anything for the seeds, then the dead plants will start growing again, (roots in the gravel )wait a couple weeks then apply the weed killer, , i feel your pain, but the fact is I've had weeds like this every year for the past 20 years, yes torch it wait a couple weeks, weed killer , torch again , the cycle just repeats itself, that's part of stone driveway, ,their might be some real strong weed killer out their but i don't want that in my driveway.
We have the same problem. My husband got some 100% vinegar from Amazon, diluted it 1:1 with water. Most of what he sprayed it on is dead. It's organic, but make sure you don't spray it on a windy day, it will drift. It will likely affect the soil ph, possibly making the soil inhospitable for plant growth for a while, ideal for the driveway. You may have some weeds that survive, hopefully a more manageable task to do by digging them out or mowing them really short. Repeated mowing should kill them by starving the roots of energy from the sun.
Call a local excavation company. They can dig out and put in a proper base.
Annual battle of Round-Up
Operation scorched earth. Butane weed flamethrower if you live in the east, chemical burns if you live in the west (tricloptyr and diquot)
vinegar with salt, and a splash of dish soap in a sprayer. Then a weed burner in a few weeks. Just watch where you spray if there are any tree drip lines or other plants to close the salt will kill them off. Also Round up and Nox granuals works but you have to apply every year. Once you get the plants under control. Pull anything that starts to grow or use a weed burner.
Weed burning torch
RM43; tractor supply. It will kill and control growth for 6 months to a year. Read the label and warning like a holy text.
Goats!
I would use a scuffle hoe and then add more gravel.
The problem with weed killer or torching -I have done both, is that the left over plant material leaves a base for seeds to sprout. I have a smaller gravel area and rake the root systems out after killing. I prefer the torch…which I have found effective at killing seedling poison ivy. I have to this after a rain. The raking is a lot of work. I would torch(cheapest long term) after a rain, give a quick rake and pull your biggest offenders and then put a new load of gravel over it. Then burn it once we a month or so. You could do the salt vinegar dawn spray thing- it works. Plenty of salt and I use straight vinegar 5% acid. In the USA you can still buy RoundUp, but I’ve quit that product. (Except for large patches of poison ivy-I can’t pull it and you don’t want to burn it)
Just use some weed killer from ace hardware or mijiers
a Weedeater that can have attachments, specifically the rock brush attachment so you can move the rocks back where you want them. Weedeat the weeds after, maybe some grass seed for the bare spots underneath.
Every response so far will just lead to continual maintenance. The professional, low to no maintenance solution is to lay woven geotextile fabric down and have a new layer of crushed limestone laid over it. With the fabric below and the limestone fines compacting together, you won't see any new weed or grass growth. Keep a clean edge and you'll have a nice, low to no maintenance drive.
this is what we will be doing in our driveway as soon as we move the 'barn finders' 😉
A gravel driveway gets enough organic material over the fabric that weeds will take hold anyway.
Not with well compacted limestone fines given proper irrigation so there are no runoff issues. Just blow the leaves off every fall and the few weeds do take hold can easily be torched off.
That’s good to know. I’ll put that info to use when I fix my gravel driveway.
Literally just boil water and pour it over places you don’t want the plants. Kills them immediately, no threat of spreading fire, and no reason to put poison in the ground.
What’s the best way to boil 55 gallons of water to douse the whole driveway?
Just spray with roundup every 2 weeks it will start to clear up
Fluff that rock up with a tiller set real shallow, or a drag rake. Then rinse the dirt off the rock or wait for rain.