How to Stop Weeds Growing through Gravel

Last Updated on February 19, 2020 by Ecorf

The home needs to be clean at all times. Many homeowners choose to deploy different strategies to maintain this stance. The driveway is one of the places in the home where you need to keep clean because it is one of the first places people step their foot when in your home.

So, you’ve spent some huge sums of money to maintain your driveway and even graveled it. After all these expenses and the assurances from your contractor that the weed control fabric would you were surprised to see that your sparkling drive is now littered by weeds.

You should understand that weed grows everywhere and your driveway is not an exception. It is important to note that most weed control fabrics may not help in delaying the growth of weed through gravel. Nevertheless, there is a remedy. Read further to discover how to stop weeds growing through gravel.

Using Salt to Prevent Weed in Gravel

One of the most used methods of preventing the growth of weed in gravel is by using salt sparingly. It also doubles as one of the easiest, cheapest, and most natural ways of killing weed in your driveway. However, you must note that this method can sterilize the ground. So, you would need to use it sparingly.

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Here is the method to do this:

• Dilute Salt and Water

It is important to note that you would need a lot of water and salt to carry out this operation. Ideally, the quantity of the measurement is to use about 2 kilograms (2kgs) of water for each kilogram (1kg) of salt.

• Add a Dish Soap

The next step is to add the dish soap. This should come last because doing otherwise would cause it to foam when adding water. When you are through, proceed to shake and stir it.

• Spray the Solution

Now that the solution has been mixed, you should then proceed to spray it around the driveway and any other part of the home that is graveled. The rule is to apply the solution to the problem area in the home. You may also consider applying it to other areas in the home to ensure that such problems do not arise in the future. It is also important to be careful not to spray the solution on the plants you wish to keep.

However, if your graveled area is large, you should consider using a smaller amount of money. In that case, you may want to use large bags of rock salt. Spread this across the drive and allow it to be diluted by rain.

Generally, salt is a non-selective weed killer. This means that it soaks into the ground and prevent weeds from growing in the affected area(s).

Handpicking

Handpicking is another approach to how to stop weeds growing through gravel. This can be one of the fastest and most effective ways of getting rid of unwanted plants in the graveled areas in your home.

This is usually feasible when you have few weeds in your gravel. So, get to work and pluck them off the ground. Besides, you would find it easier to spare those plants you want to leave behind when handpicking weeds growing through your gravel.

Boiling Water

Many homeowners choose to use the natural method because of some of the risks associated with using weed killers. Therefore, you may decide to boil some water that you would pour over the unwanted plants in your gravel.

Repeat this process daily or on certain days within the week, until the weeds are removed.

Lay the Gravel Thickly

One of the reasons why the grass keeps sprouting is because you failed to lay the gravel thickly. Hence, you should make conscious efforts to try this method.

The rule of thumb is to try laying the gravel more thickly. Ideally, you may choose a 3 to 5-inch layer of gravel. When you have got this, you should thickly lay the gravel. It is also important to ensure that the irrigation system from the lawn doesn’t run into the gravel. This is because the movement of water into the gravel would facilitate the growth of grass.

Maintain a Clean Driveway

While you are not pleased about the incursion of grass in your driveway, you should also note that your environment may be the reason behind the sprout of weed.

In this instance, you can take a bold step to fix the issue without hassles. The idea is to maintain a clean driveway. You can achieve this by keeping your driveway free of mud and debris. The presence of these tends to facilitate the influx of weed in the graveled area. Therefore, make conscious efforts to take away any debris that can turn to be an initiator of weed growth through gravel.

Use a Strong Weed Killer

An effective weed killer is one of the effective ways of stopping the growth of weed through gravel. It is also important to note that this should be the last resort. Therefore, it should come into the picture after other options have been explored.

Weed killers are reputed for their efficiency but most times, they tend to have negative on the immediate environment. That is the reason why many homeowners are skeptical about using this method. However, you can try your hands on it when other options seem not to be feasible. In that regard, you should consider wearing the appropriate protection when spraying the solution.

The rule is to use pre-emergent weed killers to prevent grass from taking up the spaces in the graveled area in your home. Although these killers won’t prevent weeds from growing, they ensure that live weeds are killed instantly after each spray. If you keep up with this for 3-4 months, you are sure of having weed-free gravel in your driveway and every other part of your home.

Conclusion

Unwanted plants can be a nuisance in the home, especially in the driveway where you already applied gravels. Take advantage of the tips we offered above to uproot those unwanted grass from your gravel.

If you have any questions or feedback regarding the article, we encourage you to air your views in the comment section.