5 Ways To Remove Weeds From Your Gravel Driveway. Do you know what sucks more than a refurbished Dyson? Weeds. But not just any weeds, the ones that somehow manage to burst through the stones of your gravel driveway. Those ones are an ultra annoyance. And it’s not just because they look unsightly. It’s because these tenacious weeds somehow manage to thrive in this nomansland of gravel. Combine that with the fact they tend to spread their seeds with such ease and it’s easy to see why gravel weeds are such a nightmare.
What’s more, there are so many species of common gravel weed. There’s grassy weeds like henbit and purslane, and woody weeds such as broadleaf or dandelions, all of which have zero issues with sprouting up en masse on your gravel driveway. But the worst part isn’t just trying to remove them, it’s acting fast enough that they don’t suddenly take over.
The good news is: there are plenty of ways to battle these weeds in an easy and affordable way. So without further ado, here’s how to tackle the weeds in your gravel drive.
Option No1: Pull Them Out By Hand
If you’re looking at a relatively small patch or amount of weeds in your gravel driveway, your best bet is probably pulling on a pair of gloves and then pulling your weeds out by hand. Of course, it’s important to understand that a good gardener never leaves a root behind. Never-ever. So while it may be easier to simply pull whatever you can see poking out above ground, that tactic just won’t be any kind of effective.
The trick is to grab the weed as low down as possible, just above the soil level, grip firmly and slowly pull/wiggle the weed until you can feel it loosen from the soil so that you pull the root up too. But don’t worry if it does snap off – simply grab your most trusted hand tool and dig that sucker out. That’s how to prevent your weeds from growing back almost instantly.
Option No2: Unleash The Rock Salt
Ready to learn something new today? Rock salt is actually a super-effective and totally natural weed killer that is ace at clearing a gravel driveway. Simply sprinkle some rock salt on the ground surrounding any weeds you can see and then sit back and watch as the salt kills the weeds in just a matter of days. It’s almost unbelievable.
That said, we should probably note that this method has pretty long term results. That’s because the salt will gradually seep into the ground where it was sprinkled, preventing any weeds (or plants) from being able to grow there for a while. Now that may sound absolutely perfect for your gravel driveway situation, but just make sure you are conservative with the amount you sprinkle and where you sprinkle it. The last thing you want is for your lawn to become collateral damage.
Option No3: DIY Weed Killer For Gravel Driveways
We love nothing more than encouraging people to go environmentally-friendly with their choice of weed killers, which is exactly what this DIY option celebrates. Made by mixing dish soap and vinegar, this simple solution won’t damage your lawn. As for actually making and using it, all you need to do is mix an ounce of generic dish soap with four-and-a-half litres of vinegar (or the equivalent of) and then spray it on and around the weeds that are doing your head in, repeating this until every weed has been covered.
Of course, for best results, you’ll need to keep one eye on the weather as you want a non-rainy day so that your solution doesn’t a) get washed away and b) accidentally seep into any nearby plants or lawn close to your gravel.
Option No4: Fire Up The Weed Burner
Let’s start with the great news: weed burners are seriously effective at killing weeds and, yes, they’re super-fun to use too. Oh c’mon, it’s like a flamethrower that essentially burns the whole weed right through to the root, effectively obliterating them in such a way that they won’t be re growing anytime soon.
The slightly less great news is if your gravel is made up of lightly-coloured pebbles and stones because a weed burner might also burn your stones, changing the colour of your gravel in a way you’re not too pleased with. Oh and, yeah, we should also mention the importance of being responsible and careful so that you don’t burn other plants, your lawn, your pets or your feet. But if you’re ok with all that, this might just be the best option for a long driveway as it is so easy to do.
Option No5: Use Weed Killer To Remove Pesky Weeds From Your Gravel Driveway
Last but not least (yet quite possibly the most obvious), weed killer is a great way to kill off any weeds in your gravel. That said, not all weed killers are born equal, so try and choose one that is glyphosate-based as this works best at decimating any existing weeds while also preventing more from growing back, for a while at least.
As a little heads up, though, it is absolutely essential you avoid choosing a non-selective weed killer as those things just go after everything they touch: plants, grass, trees, bushes, everything, so be very careful with where you use it.
As for the speed, chemical weed killers tend to take a week or so to take effect. If that isn’t the case, it may be time to spray your gravel again to make sure those pesky weeds get the message.
That covers it for the 5 ways to remove weeds form your gravel driveway.
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