Question'Sure hope you can help. Our driveway is about 250 feet long by 12 ft wide and is gravelled - the small round "pea gravel" that has another name that escapes me right now. We live in the mountains of NC near Bryson City. My problem is how to keep the weeds and grasses from growing in the driveway - I have been using about $200 worth of Round Up annually w/o very good results, but I know there must be a better solution. Would a thicker layer of gravel help -- it is fairly thin right now. I THINK the black plastic sheeting is impractical on such an area. Do you have any ideas?
Thank you very much!
Jim Landrum
AnswerJim,
First...yes more gravel would help, but I'd leave the pea gravel behind and go with what we refer to here as "3/4 minus" or "3/4 crushed with fines". This ( as you've probably figured out) is crushed rock that hasn't had all the little stuff screened out. The effect is that is compacts pretty darn tight. I'm not sure if it's available everywhere, though. But that's the first thing I'd try.
Second, rather than treating the weeds as they come up with a post-emergent (I can see the leaves) herbicide, you can apply a pre-emergent herbicide. It prevents the weed seeds from germinating. I think homeowners can get the stuff in different granulated forms, like Preen or Caseron. But, this is expensive unless you find a really good sale. Depending on application rate, it can last 3 to 6 months.
Third, black plastic is always a bad idea. Stuff slowly but surely accumulates on the top, decomposes and then gives you a layer of weeds on top of black plastic, which is then breaking down into brittle pieces that are a mess and keep surfacing.
Fourth, you could switch to spraying vinegar. It's not perfect, but in warm weather it knocks a lot of weeds back. I've done it in several places. I use vinegar around playgrounds and stuff with kids nearby.
Fifth, you could stop letting the weeds get to you. A couple of tire tracks up a long gravel drive would look quaint.
For what it's worth,
Mark in Portland
