weed control

[herb white]

I have a gravel drive about 10 ft wide and 500 ft long that has some weeds coming up. What is best to use to control those weeds that will not pollute the river? Thanks for any info.

[songbird]

weighted and angled scraper, pull behind lawn tractor once in a while to keep the potholes filled and any weeds uprooted to dry in the sun.

songbird

[David E. Ross]

Temporarily move the gravel aside. While doing that, scrape away the existing weeds.

Get landscape cloth. Lay down a double layer of landscape cloth the width and length of the driveway.

Restore the gravel over the landscape cloth. Add more gravel to create a depth of 3 inches.

New weeds might sprout, but their roots will not penetrate the landscape cloth or enter the soil beneath. You can either ignore those weeds as they will soon die, or you can easily pull them. In the meantime, rain and other water will go through the landscape cloth.

This works best if your driveway has some kind of edging to keep the gravel in place and prevent weeds from sending runners under the landscape cloth.

[Brooklyn1]

On Sat, 9 Jul 2016 07:25:41 -0700, "David E. Ross" wrote:

You obviously haven't a clue about how much LABOR and COST that would entail for a 500' driveway. I have such a 500' crushed stone driveway, once a year I hand spray with a weak solution of Round Up... I choose a hot sunny dry day... takes me about 4 hours, and costs a gallon of Round Up concentrate. I use a 2 gallon pump sprayer (not too heavy to carry), I mix Round Up to half strength, 3 oz per gal. Choose a wind free day, and don't be tempted to spray heavily, a light application works well... can always go back in two weeks to spot spray. Someone would have to be psychotic thinking they can move that much gravel and then put it back, talking moving over five ten ton dump truck loads, TWICE! That much commercial grade landscape cloth (5,000 sq ft) would cost well over $3,000, and take two people minimally ten hours to lay down. Landscape cloth is used to prevent soil erosion on slopes, not to prevent plant growth, in fact it's made porous to encourage plant growth, it's supposed to last long enough for plantings to mature enough so their roots can prevent erosion. Landscape cloth for a fairly level gravel roadway is a waste. Only a nut case would destroy a perfectly good gravel roadway just to eradicate weeds. It cost me $7,000 to to have a 500' crushed stone driveway installed... very expensive heavy roadway equipment was used, including a huge compacting vibrating roller. Lots of people here have gravel and crushed stone driveways, none would think to destroy their roadways over weeds... weeds will be back next spring no matter what one does. I bless Round Up... I use it around all my out buildings that would otherwise be difficult to mow. Gravel driveways are supposed to have some weeds, too many weeds simply means it's not driven often enough. If worried about weeds install a blacktop driveway instead. I paid a lot of money for this driveway, no way would I destroy it over a few weeds that a gallon of Round Up can take care of, not that I could remove all those stones and put them back myself anyway:

Were I to call any company to remove those stones and put them back over weeds the men in the white coats would arrive.

[JeÃƒà ¸us]

A hot, sunny and dry day is just about the worst kind of weather for applying roundup (aside from rain). Plants conserve water on hot dry days by closing their pores, meaning they don't get much of a dose.

The ideal weather is an overcast day with a slight amount of drizzle. On those days you can pretty much halve the usual dose of roundup.

[Brooklyn1]

[JeÃƒà ¸us]

Yes. A 'moron' with 5 years commercial experience using roundup (unfortunately). Have another drink Sheldon.

[hubops]

[Moe DeLoughan]

My first choice would be a propane flamethrower, if you're willing to walk and burn the weeds. Second choice would be a tank sprayer filled with boiling water. That could be a logistic problem, depending on how many weeds there are and thus how much boiling water you'd need.

[Brooklyn1]

I've tried both those methods, they work immediately but very temperary, neither will kill the roots so the weeds will grow back within a few days, often with a vengence as destroying the foliage will cause the plant to send out side shoots and runners in its quest to live and multiply. The only method I found that works with success on my long crushed stone driveway is to use a defolient that kills the roots.... Round-Up works best... a weak solution is very effective only it can take a week to ten days to see the weeds dying rather than the 2-3 days with full strength. When used according to the product's directions it will not harm the environment. I can't imagine an easy method for applying boiling water over so great a distance... you'd need a portable propane stove on a cart. I tried boiling water on weeds growing through cracks in a concrete walkway but a few days later the weeds were back only 2-3 times bushier... with many weeds all it takes is a small bit of root remaining and they will grow right back. Even with Round-Up the next spring new seeds carried by wind and critters will germinate so be prepared to apply it every year. A hint when using Round-Up in a portable sprayer add the water first or it will foam up from the slighest water stream and will take an hour for the foam to subside.

[Don Wiss]

I agree. The defoliant I have been using recently at my mom's is Stinger:

It does take a couple weeks for the Canadian thistle to die down. But it is working. The problem is I am spot spraying and the thistle is mixed in all around. I miss some. But then it grows and I find it. I may only have one more round to do. There are almost none left.

Stinger is a broad leaf herbicide. Or in other words, it won't harm monocots. I had to buy a quart. Enough for several acres of crops. I've only used about an ounce. I am going to try spot spraying weeds in her lawn

Don.

(e-mail link at page bottom).

[Brooklyn1]

I try not to harm thistle, the original velcro, I think it's a beautiful plant with gorgeous flowers... also its roots grow very deep and aerate the soil. Song birds love thistle seed. Next time thistles in my wildflower meadow flower I will remember to take pictures. Some thistles grow right along the base of my barn, I just leave them, I just try not to get too close or those velcro stickers get all over my clothes.

[Don Wiss]

Are you sure what you have is Canada thistle? Like this?

Don.

(e-mail link at home page bottom).

[Jeff Layman]

And what do you do with the dead weeds?

[Don Wiss]

Once a week my mom's town picks up the yard debris to send to composting. Stinger is used on food crops up to 45 days before harvest. I would think by the time the compost is made the herbicide will be gone.

Don.

(e-mail link at home page bottom).

[Brooklyn1]

I'm not sure which type of thistle I find growing here but it looks like this:

[Jeff Layman]

Unfortunately not. Just google "clopyralid" and "persistence" - for example see

Not long ago in the UK a number of composts had to be removed from the market. When used to grow produce such as tomatoes, beans, and some ornamentals the effects were very damaging - see

[Sheldon Martin]

Brooklyn1 used his keyboard to write :

Hey idiot, Glyphosate has no pre emergent effect on the soil.

In other words it *will not* prevent one weed seed from germinating.

Be prepard to apply it everytime a new weed gereminates.

HTH, clueless.

[Don Wiss]

And Roundup is different? I don't think my ounce of clopyralid mixed into the township's compost heap will make much difference. It is pretty crappy compost with road gravel. I don't know who takes it for what use. We don't.

Don.

(e-mail link at home page bottom).

[Jeff Layman]

Roundup contains glyphosate. It is much less persistent than clopyralid. Also, clopyralid is absorbed through he plant's roots. Glyphosate is absorbed through leaves, so it doesn't matter if there is any in the compost.

If yours is the only clopyralid mixed in the township's compost then it won't matter. But if you are using it, maybe quite a few others are too, and that might make a difference.