Killing weeds

Sean Kelly · April 12, 2007, 08:50:11 AM

What's the best way to kill the weeds popping up in my gravel road? Something non-toxic. I want to lay more gravel down but want to kill the weeds first. Mostly dandelions and thistles. And I'm not gunna pull everything up. It's goten out of control and covers a long ways. :-)

Thanks!

Sean

Mici · April 12, 2007, 08:53:26 AM

salt would work for a while, besides that i think the battle is already lost in the war which you can not win!
just take a deep breath, step outside, look at that gravel road and say to yourself " it actually looks even better with those dandelions"

Sean Kelly · April 12, 2007, 09:00:49 AM

Yeah, no kidding. I think the bees will like it. Salt might do the trick. Got some left over rock salt from this winter. It rains so much here I'm afraid that it'll just wash it all away before it does any good. Worth a try anyway.

Sean

Mici · April 12, 2007, 09:26:33 AM

yeah, i said for a while, if you have a lot of rain, it would be just a waste of the salt..

bluegrass · April 12, 2007, 09:40:57 AM

Spray or pour a mix of cheap vinagar with a little soap added. It changes the ph of the soil and kills the weeds, Just don't use it anywhere where you would want something to grow later on.

Sean Kelly · April 12, 2007, 09:55:49 AM

I'll give that a try too. Dont want anything to grow in the road, so it should be fine. :-)

Thanks guys.

Sean

Mici · April 12, 2007, 09:56:15 AM

now this doesn't make much sense!
vinegar (acid) with soap(alkaline) how does it change the soils PH if one destroys the other

Acid+alkaline=salt

MarkR · April 12, 2007, 10:53:24 AM

My flame weeder is one of the best investments I've ever made. They don't come back. Period. I'm betting you could rent one at an equipment rental place.

Mark

bluegrass · April 12, 2007, 08:33:06 PM

Quote from: Mici on April 12, 2007, 09:56:15 AM
now this doesn't make much sense!
vinegar (acid) with soap(alkaline) how does it change the soils PH if one destroys the other

Acid+alkaline=salt

The soap sticks to the plant and chokes it out while the vinegar moves into the soil and alters the ph...if you don't think it will work, try spraying your garden with the mix this year.

bluegrass · April 12, 2007, 08:34:23 PM

Quote from: MarkR on April 12, 2007, 10:53:24 AM
My flame weeder is one of the best investments I've ever made. They don't come back. Period. I'm betting you could rent one at an equipment rental place.

Mark

Mark is right about weed torches, I never thought about renting one, but I bet you can.

MarkR · April 12, 2007, 09:15:15 PM

There's also this stuff called "Burn" that's an organic defoliant and weed killer that is vinegar/clove/vinegar based I've use some. Works great on poison ivy. And makes your yard just smell oh so delicious. But the flame weeder is a more permanent solution.

Mark

AllanJ · April 12, 2007, 09:56:22 PM

Don't rent.. buy,
http://www.flameengineering.com/

Mici · April 13, 2007, 04:03:49 AM

WASTE OF MONEY you already have a "torch" you just have to use it. the strenght is within you, GRASP it!!

heheheh

BeeLady · April 17, 2007, 11:51:43 PM

Maybe I could even keep my smoker lit with one of those flamers! :-D

Cindi · April 18, 2007, 12:42:07 AM

Mici,, nice photo, flame throwing for sure.

Since I have been keeping bees, I have never been so worried about using herbicides/pesticides. I have spent eons of time pulling out weeds these days. Chinese hoeing out weeds. Natural weed eradication is one of my vendetas in life. Weed eradication. I am succeeding. Every season on my five acres I have weeds that surface less and less. It is hard work, but I have every intent on earth to do things 100% pesticide/herbidice free.

I never thought too much about these things as being a problem in our world, until I began to keep bees.

it has even extended so far that no longer do I employ the use of growth retardents with my greenhouse plants. In the years before the bees, I used several topical solutions to keep the seedling growth in my greenhouse retarded. I have used cycocel and B-nine. I still have these products at my fingertips, but refuse to use them in case there is residual effects on my flowers that could negatively affect the bees.

Imagine, how life does change. Fire, purifier, steam, purifier. Gotta get up, gotta go. BEst of this beautiful new day, great health. Cindi

bluegrass · April 18, 2007, 01:57:16 PM

I hate weeding, but don't use chemicals either. I like mulch, lots and lots of it

dlmarti · April 18, 2007, 03:00:32 PM

Cover the area with black plastic on a very sunny and warm day.
It will steam the area under the plastic, it will even kill some of the seeds that havn't germinated.

Sean Kelly · April 18, 2007, 09:37:21 PM

Quote from: bluegrass on April 18, 2007, 01:57:16 PM
I hate weeding, but don't use chemicals either. I like mulch, lots and lots of it

I really dont want to use chemicals either. I like the idea of doing something that wont poison the soil just for the sake of making my gravel look nice. So here's what I'm gunna try: Rock salt first, then vinnegar soap spray for the obvious spots, then go over the rest with my father's weed-dragon flame thrower. :evil: Then a fresh cover of gravel. That should do the trick. If not, then I'll go all-natural and just let the weeds do their thing. :-P

Sean

BeeLady · April 18, 2007, 09:40:56 PM

I have white crushed limestone on some of my walk ways. Will the flame thrower darken the white gravel?

Brian D. Bray · April 18, 2007, 10:03:19 PM

I'm changing the garden my parents had for so many years to raised beds and mulch. In between the rows I put down layers of newpaper and cover with mulch from my wood chipper. The newpapers are organic and therefore they are turned into dirt after being eaten by worms and insects. Several layers of newspaper is better plastic.