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How to Stop Weeds Growing Through Pebbles
It’s your first time setting up a gravel driveway filled with pebbles. While everything looks like it is in good condition, you have to watch out for weeds. Yes, weeds are a problem. Don’t let weeds take over the gravel driveway. Make it your job to take care of your gravel driveway. In this article, you will learn how to stop weeds from growing through pebbles.
Why Do People Get Gravel Driveways?
Let’s start with first priorities first. Gravel driveways have become a growing trend in designing our houses to make them stand out across the neighborhood. Having a gravel driveways looks better. Not to mention, people can really get used to that crunching noise when visitors come up the driveway. Let’s look into a few more positives behind the gravel driveway.
- They add in a rustic charm to the house.
- And they are also very cheap.
- Easier drainage ability
- Cleaner than a tar surface
- ECO friendly
- It is safer
Are Gravel Driveways Worth it?
That is a good question indeed. Landscaping rocks have become a popular trend over the years. It is natural-looking and it is a different look. You can plan out your own design. Now that you have designed one in your own driveway that means that you have to pay close attention to every little changing detail. Because of the sunlight weeds grow between the pebbles forcing you to get down on your knees and pick out all the strands with your hands.
How to Get Rid of Weeds
Glyphosate is the best way to kill those pesky weeds. Any weedkiller that contains Glyphosate kills the roots of the weeds, including grass, docks, nettles, willow herb, dandelions, and bindweed. One of the best parts is that it gets the job done in one good spray. Buy it in a Home Depot store and then save it for the next time you need it.
What Tools Do I Need?
You’ll need to have everything that you need before this process begins.
- Trowel: This tool removes any long-rooted weeds from gravel. Very easy to hold, especially to those who have arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome
- Corkscrew Weeder: Very useful in helping with removing weeds growing through gravel. All you have to do is screw the instrument beneath the gravel and then pull out all the weeds
- Weeding Knife: A weeding knife helps you reach all the roots between the rocks
- Weed Flamer: Imagine using one of these to kill the weeds in the pebble driveway. Luckily, rocks can withstand heat. Blast it against the weeds and they’ll vanish. Just make sure that you are not using the weed flamer around any flammable materials because it is a danger.
Can I Pick Out the Weeds?
Yes, that is also an option, but think about what this is going to do to your hands, back, and knees. By picking out each weed, it’s a lot of physical work. Here are three tips that you should monitor when going through with this decision. Make sure that your body is able to cope with the process well before, instead of sitting down on the couch with an ice pack over your back at the end of the day.
- Pull Right Away: As soon as you see those pesky weeds, pull them. Leaving the weeds is not going to do anything.
- Get Low: If you have a small driveway, then pulling out the weeds is an easy chore. Get as low as you can down the stem for the weeds so you don’t leave any weeds left to regrow.
- Remove the Complete Root: It’s a challenge in itself to dig out all the dandelions and long-rooted plants by hand, so you should know that it is very important to remove the complete root. Leaving any bit of the weed behind and you’re only going to go through a continuous streak of having to pull out weeds.
- Scrape the Gravel: The easiest method of all to getting rid of those pesky weeds is to use a special weeding tool to scrape the gravel out of the weeds. The other methods that were mentioned will likely damage the liner. After all the weeds have been scraped away, find the tear, and use a trowel to dig out the complete weed. See, it is a chore.
Dig up First
To have the best-pebbled driveway, the first chore that you have to do is make sure that the ground is weed-free. Inspect the area and then get rid of any weeds that you see. Cover the area with plastic and leave it sitting there for six weeks’ time. The heat from the sun will kill all the weeds underneath the plastic. After that, throw away all the plants that you dug up so they won’t grow back. Spray the area with premixed, post-emergent, non-selective herbicide onto the weeds.
Pros of Using Landscaping Fabric Suppressants
- Weed suppressant material will prevent weed growth before it starts to form a barrier between the soil and the gravel. Then it will stop deep-rooted weeds seeding and growing up through the gravel.
- The use of plastic sheets for a barrier between the soil and the gravel. That way, it cuts out light which is what makes weeds grow in the first place
- Cheap
- Easy to cut a shape with a knife or scissors to get weeds out.
Cons of Using Landscaping Fabric Suppressants
- The fabric becomes punctures over time because of large vehicles driving over it
- Digging weeds out of the weed suppressant material is impossible, only damaging the material
- Some weeds will grow on top of the fabric. The landscape fabric has to be replaced every two years
- Prevents rainwater from escaping into the ground
Creating a Barrier
Layer a landscape fabric over the pebbles. It creates a border between the rocks and the lawn. This type of fabric blocks the growth of weeds that you miss upon taking them out by hand. Make sure that the fabric stays down. Use landscaping staples. Make sure that you don’t leave any gaps so the weeds can’t grow out. If nothing is blocking weeds from other landscapes then weeds will grow no matter what.
Never Do it Alone
Use your muscles when digging into all that soil. Another piece of advice is that you should never do this process alone. That’s right, you could pull a muscle in your back if you’re bending over too much. With the help of a second hand, you can have someone else do the second half of the pebble driveway.
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