4 Tricks To Get Rid Of Weeds Growing In Gravel Using Items You Already Own

Gravel for walking paths and driveways is among the most practical, beautiful, and time-tested materials ever found. Exceedingly durable and ecologically sound, gravel excels in every way. There is only one frustrating downside: Weeds will eventually start to grow in any gravel installation. Because gravel is basically just an aggregate of rocks, it does not necessarily support weed growth. But, when dust and dirt get blown into the gravel along with weed seeds the sprouting begins. Many are looking for foolproof ways to get rid of weeds in gravel, so here are four tricks and tactics to get rid those weeds and help limit their further growth, all with stuff you already own.

The first and most obvious technique is pulling the weeds by hand. Some might think this as ineffective, but pulling weeds out by the root will keep them from re-growing. Many people also find the task relaxing and enjoy being outdoors. Wet the area to make pulling the weeds easier. Get to them early, as they are just sprouting. Attacking them early is important for all of the tricks being presented here, making them the most effective they can be.

Like all plants, weeds need three basic things: water, sunlight and a nutritional media to grow in. While gravel is not nutritional, dust and dirt will accumulate in its cracks and crevices over time. This sometimes leads to specific areas of your gravel starting to grow those annoying weeds. But if you starve them of sunlight and water, those sinister sprouts will be killed right down to their roots. Cover an area with landscape material or plastic sheeting to get this job done. Don't have plastic sheeting? Garbage bags sliced open along their seam work perfectly for this task. Cover the offending weeds with the black plastic and weigh it down with rocks or whatever you have at hand. Leave it on the weeds for four or five days. It will work especially well if the weather is very warm. The heat from solar energy will make the environment under the plastic even more harmful to the plants, raising the temperature high enough to harm the plants. No water, no sun, and baked to death — the weeds don't have a chance.

Keeping your gravel clean is great way to stop the sprouting weeds before they get started. Use a leaf blower to clear the gravel of dirt, dust, and other flotsam. Take care not to blow the gravel off of the path, but do use enough air velocity to remove the seeds, dirt, and other unwanted stuff. It may be obvious, but don't wait until you see weeds starting to grow. Blow gravel clean before weeds can sprout.

Following up with the leaf blower is a good practice to use after hand pulling weeds or the plastic sheeting technique. When hand pulling weeds, you may drop a bit of plant that could regrow through "vegetative reproduction" where a piece of a plant can grow the whole plant, like a cutting. The detritus that remains when you pull up the plastic sheet you used to kill the weeds is actually a fertile medium that seeds would love to grow in, so blowing it away is an important step to take to prevent more weed growth.

Somewhat like using a leaf blower to eliminate seeds and dirt from the nooks and crannies of the gravel surface, a pressure washer is another tool you can use. You will need to do a bit of trial and error to get the correct pressure setting and learn the proper distance to hold the sprayer head away from the gravel surface. Pressure washers have sufficient potential power to completely disrupt and harm your gravel's integrity, and that must be avoided. You are looking for just enough force to lift the seeds and dirt and then flood them away. Start at low pressure settings and work up to the point where you can see the gravel being cleaned. Once again, the best time to do this is before the seeds start to sprout. Also, like the leaf blower, using the pressure washer after hand pulling and killing the weeds under plastic is a logical preventive step that will stop weed growth before it begins (again).

Herbicides are an effective and super easy way to kill weeds. While many folks have concerns about commercially produced herbicides that may harm the environment, you can whip up a deadly weed killer from kitchen ingredients. This homemade herbicide is totally safe for children, pets, and the environment.

Mix one tablespoon of dish soap (Dawn works great) and a cup of table salt into a gallon of white vinegar. The vinegar contains acetic acid, which will break down the plant's cells allowing them to lose moisture. (To make this even more deadly, use a vinegar with 30% acetic acid. The salt is a powerful desiccant that further extracts water from the plant. The soap acts as a surfactant, which makes the solution stick to the plants more tenaciously, increasing the effectiveness of the vinegar and the salt. It is a remarkably effective homemade weed killer.

Put the mixture in a spray bottle, and apply the liquid directly to the weeds. (Again, this is more effective the younger the weeds are.) It may take a couple of applications. Wait several days before you blow away the dead plant matter to avoid spreading the salt, which could harm desirable plants.