Question
I wish to convert a weed & brush infested area into a hard weed free surface.  I wish to hack down all the growth which gets very intense.  And in turn lay down tons of "crusher run" which I hope will then solidfy as a then hard weed free surface.  I'm not sure of the best way to go about this.  If I hack down the thick accumulation of weeds and then cover the area with crusher run, will it then become solid and hopefully be devoid of weed growth?  How much crusher run to do the job?  6 inches?  Should I lay down a surface of black plastic, and in turn cover that?  I welcome any & all input on the matter.  The weed growth in in an area that is proximate to water and most prone to excessive growth.  You can almost "watch" the weeds grow to 6 ft. high.  Might there be an envirinmentally safe product that might be introduced to the soil to stifle growth.  Any and all suggestions will be most welcome.---Jack

Answer
Unless you regularly drive on the crushed aggregate, it too will be filled with weeds one day. Unless you pave it with asphalt or concrete or unless you drive on it a lot no matter what it is...mulch, sand, clay, soil, aggregates, etc...it will always eventually grow weeds because seeds blow in from the air and settles on the surface. Your solution will only deal with old weeds below the surface and would be only temporary.
My suggestion is to spray out the existing weeds with a herbicide, apply 6mil, black plastic if you like, and then cover with  a good 8" thick layer of shredded wood or aggregate, call a tree company for cheap wood mulch (often free). Then you need to spray for weeds when the come up about four times a year. Once you get the area under control the problem will get easier to deal with.


Sean J Murphy, LA,ISA, LEED AP
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