For my drive, which is made of hoggin (sand and gravel), to stop the weeds.
May as well p*ss on it as use "P*thclear". Sodium Chlorate better. Really want something labelled:
"Nuclear mega-death - nothing will grow here for 10,000 years (guaranteed) - no visible damage or smell".
Any ideas?
Well I suppose you could always ask AEA Technology to park one of their trucks on your drive overnight on the way to Sellafield?
Isn't sodium chlorate the mutt's nuts for this - sterilises the soil IIRC? But doubt it's effective beyond a growing season.
Other than that, you probably need to fit a water-permeable/weed impermeable membrane below the gravel: cheap, 100% effective, but bloody hard work to install..!
David
|For my drive, which is made of hoggin (sand and gravel), to stop the weeds. | |May as well p*ss on it as use "P*thclear". Sodium Chlorate better. Really |want something labelled: | |"Nuclear mega-death - nothing will grow here for 10,000 years (guaranteed) - |no visible damage or smell".
I killed everything in my *overgrown* back garden with Sodium Chlorate. A year later plants grew fine. Beware Sodium Chlorate is an oxidant which can be used in explosives.
Alas AEA Technology (it's just the name on the shop) no longer deals with things nucular (bit of a bugger now we want to build some more!).
That's the problem,
Hoggin is a bit like soft concrete not at all like gravel (as in gravel drive) - sand and shingle really, packs down tight and hard. Drive goes full length of garden so there's a lot of it.
Better stick to regular NaClO3 drenchings I suppose.
Which is just what I DONT want!
Surely on a DIY group that should be:
Note for future projects: Sodium Chlorate is an oxidant which can be used in explosives! ;o)
Ah!, that takes me back to my school days of Sodium Chlorate and sugar devices. I've still got all my fingers but we had some lucky escapes. I believe there is a retardant in it these days.
Chris.
It may not be any more permanent but a good flamegunning might satisfy the nuclear mega-death to weeds desire emotionally.
Owain
Or you could enjoy the plants :-)
Mary
Chlorate works for a while, but frankly twice a year or more pathclear is better and safer.
Chlorate may leach where you don't want it to.
The sand is a bit of a bad news thing. It allows seeds to germinate.
Another good trick is go round in the autumn with a flame gun..this kills all the seeds as well as the weeds..at least you get a fresh start till next years seed crops come along.
I am afraid gravel is high maintenance stuff. Its the price you pay for its utter cheapness.
Doesn't work. Weeds just settle in on top of it.
sadly it doesn't work any more.. they mix something with it to prevent it going bang.
I used it when laying a graveled patio area about 5 years ago and it's been 100% effective. "Big" gravel particles (10mm-ish?) though, which may help.
David
No. Salt is just as effective as chlorate. Higher price can be charged for chlorate, if they sold salt no-one would pay that much.
NT
Firstly I don't believe it is as effective
Secondly it poisons soil even more.
Dog Piss !
Got to agree with that; it only seems to take a few grains of dust to settle in a crack or hole between staones, a micro seed germinates, tiny little shoots capture more windblown dust, a bit of rain helps it all along, pretty soon (like 3 months max) you've a nice weed plantation.
DAMHIK :-((
mike
not as effective = plants come back sooner, poisons soil more = plants take long to come back. I must be not understanding what you mean.
NT
Sodium chlorate is much more toxic than salt. It also breaks down, and the ground is usable in at most 12 months. Having to dig out all the affected soil before replanting may be suboptimal.
I mean it does more damage downstream as it leaches away.
Ideally you want a chemical that has a half life that equates to about the time it takes to get from the gravel to sufficiently far below soil level not to kill something unintentionally.
I use chlorate in the middle of the gravel, but path clear on the edges...I don't want to kill nearby plants.
Salt AFAIAW is less good at killing the plants but stays in the soil longer..
Yes, yes! These are the words I wanted to hear!
"Poisons soil for about 10 years" would do me.
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