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Irrigation Guy
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# Posted: 4 Sep 2021 01:35pm
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Any ideas? We only come to cabin once a month or so, not enough to keep the weeds down. Should I spray them?
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frankpaige
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# Posted: 4 Sep 2021 01:44pm
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That, it seems is a personal preference. Some don't care about those weeds. Some do not like the use of herbicides. Depends on how long that driveway is? If you have put in the $$ and time for a gravel driveway. Seems like you should keep it nice looking. Maybe spray and knock down those unsightly pests. Then when moisture comes use some pre-emergent. That might help with having to spray when spring comes?
Got grandkids? Put a bounty on those weeds of a certain height? If? They are young enough? You might get off on the cheap? 😂😂
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paulz
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# Posted: 4 Sep 2021 02:16pm
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Couple years ago I had some leftover blue tarps, not good enough to keep water out any longer. I laid them over my weed infested side yard for a few months. Pulled them up, nothing but raw dirt, and lasted over a year that way.
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Irrigation Guy
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# Posted: 4 Sep 2021 03:44pm
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Unfortunately this the edges creeping in over the entire 800’ driveway.
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ICC
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# Posted: 4 Sep 2021 07:35pm
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We have used calcium chloride on several miles of gravel road. The primary reason was to control dust and stabilize the road base. It also stops the annual weed growth and severely slows down the spread of the perennials. I don't recall the mix as we hire that out.
Glyphosate (Roundup) works but there is still a lot of controversy about its use. We stopped using it for agricultural purposes a few years ago.
Road salt, table salt works to stop plant growth. Salt actually sterilizes the earth long-term so application rates have to be controlled to prevent rainwater runoff from poisoning the surrounding land.
I've been told that vinegar works and does not cause long-term soil sterility. Never tried it.
Heat kills weeds. Heat like from a weed burner torch. It is not necessary to actually incinerate the weeds, just scorch them. 800 feet on driveway would take a while though.
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darz5150
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# Posted: 4 Sep 2021 07:35pm
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I use the concentrated stuff from the farm co op, or Buckheit store. It's around 28 bucks per gallon. And it makes about 85 gallons I believe.
If you don't want to use commercial killer.
I take regular rock salt. About a half a cup. Dissolve it in water. Add a heavy splash of vinegar and a good squirt of dish washing liquid.
It works just about as well. And is less toxic. I use around the patio area where the grandkids and people hang out. But on the driveway too.
Still have to use either one every few weeks to a month to keep up with the weeds.
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 4 Sep 2021 09:42pm - Edited by: toyota_mdt_tech
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I use weedkiller in a pump sprayer, go over my entire drive. I have over 1/8 mile of gravel road and campsites. I just spray them. I do have casoron granules I spray over everything around cabin and in campsites, keeps it clear for a year.
You have an ATV? You can get a tank and a pump sprayer set up, runs off the ATV 12V acc socket and has booms that fold out, do one wide swath, cover the entire road. Go quick too.
NorthStar ATV Broadcast and Spot Sprayer with 2-Nozzle Boom— 16-Gallon Capacity, 2.2 GPM, 12 Volts
Now if you dont have an ATV, set up something on a rider mower, ie remove rear bagger set up, strap to it or tow a trailer with set up or cobble anything together that can tow it?
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Brettny
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# Posted: 5 Sep 2021 12:43pm
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I have tried a weed burner and the weeds just come back. Your just burning the leaves and the tough ones just grow back from the same root. I did this all one summer and about every 3 weeks I had to burn. Theres a organic weed killer called "burn out" it did work slightly better than burning the weeds but the roots still grew back.
This summer I caved in and sprayed glyphosate. I sprayed once and waited about 2 weeks then again the spots I missed. It's been about 2 months since I have sprayed and the areas I did spray didnt come back. This is on my gravel driveway. For poison ivy I spray glyphosate like I'm trying to win a war. We had fields of it
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paulz
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# Posted: 22 Apr 2022 12:15pm
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I have some weeds popping up in the concrete cracks etc. at my city dump. Had some free Roundup a friend gave me when he went 'green' but it's gone. Thought maybe I'd go green too since there's a lot of pets in the neighborhood. Found online a recipe for vinegar, soap and salt. Tried it in a sprayer but it doesn't seem to be doing much. Didn't follow the ingredients to the letter, used the 'dump some in' method. Anyone had success with this, or got another recipe using common stuff?
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 22 Apr 2022 03:22pm - Edited by: gcrank1
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I know Ive killed the grass where my mower gas line broke off and drained eth-blend gasoline.
Not recommending it, but it seems to have worked for over a year 
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FishHog
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# Posted: 22 Apr 2022 04:02pm
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Quoting: paulz I have some weeds popping up in the concrete cracks etc. at my city dump. Had some free Roundup a friend gave me when he went 'green' but it's gone. Thought maybe I'd go green too since there's a lot of pets in the neighborhood. Found online a recipe for vinegar, soap and salt. Tried it in a sprayer but it doesn't seem to be doing much. Didn't follow the ingredients to the letter, used the 'dump some in' method. Anyone had success with this, or got another recipe using common stuff?
My mom tried it on her driveway. Seemed to actually brown up the grass, looked dead, but grew back quickly. I think it doesn't go down and kill the root like roundup does. Kind of like the blow torch technique. Kills off what you can see for a while, but not really killing the plant.
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paulz
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# Posted: 22 Apr 2022 06:19pm
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Yeah that's what I think happened here. Thanks for confirming.
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SE Ohio
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# Posted: 23 Apr 2022 01:02pm
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I've used the vinegar-salt-soap mixture with some success. It helps to apply to dry grass, so wait for the dew to burn off. I like to apply in the evening, so it doesn't evaporate in the heat of the day. Need a heavy application, more than if using roundup, etc.
SE Ohio
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Brettny
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# Posted: 25 Apr 2022 05:05am
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Quoting: FishHog My mom tried it on her driveway. Seemed to actually brown up the grass, looked dead, but grew back quickly. I think it doesn't go down and kill the root like roundup does. Kind of like the blow torch technique. Kills off what you can see for a while, but not really killing the plant.
I torched the hell out of my driveway 2 years in a row and would have to do it just about every month and I was still loosing.
This year I'm going to use the more organic "burn out" mid spring then Glyphosate in full growing season.
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mj1angier
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# Posted: 26 Apr 2022 08:50am
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Ortho Ground Clear
https://www.ortho.com/en-us/products/weeds/ortho-groundclear-year-long-vegetation-kil ler
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Tim_Ohio
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# Posted: 26 Apr 2022 12:37pm
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My method is to use a landscape rake behind a tractor to pull up the gravel and disturb anything that might try to start growing in it. During the warm months, it's done about once a month. This also smooths out any of the low and high areas that naturally develop from use and redistributes the gravel from wash-out. If you know someone in the area with a garden tractor or a subcompact, either with a 3-pt hitch, they can use a landscape rake off of that equipment. My technique is to angle the rake to pull the gravel to the middle of the drive with a pass on each side. Then, I turn the rake all the way around and run it backwards down the middle. This evenly distributes the gravel back onto both sides rendering a very smooth finish. Of course, the pitch of the rake has to be properly adjusted so that it does not pick up the gravel, but rather, just spreads it back out. The drive will look like a new one after each treatment. It's also way more environmentally friendly than chemicals. If you have hills, it's a good idea to go back and drive on it with your car to compact it so it's not so easily disturbed by the next rain.
Best to you,
Tim_Ohio
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Tim_Ohio
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# Posted: 26 Apr 2022 01:13pm
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By the way, I notice they now have the landscape rakes for ATV or other vehicles that don't necessarily need a 3-pt hitch. Heck, you might be able to pull the rake with a tow hitch off of the back of an automobile and get similar results.
Tim
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Jackson
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# Posted: 28 Apr 2023 09:10pm
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Quoting: Tim_Ohio My method is to use a landscape rake behind a tractor
I use a box blade with rippers on my drive. Just pull the stone back up and be done with it. I have a creek next to me drive and don't really care to use chemicals to treat it.
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 29 Apr 2023 10:19am
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Chemical = bad, and Im not a green freke/environmental extremist, just a practical guy trying to conscientiously minimize my impacts.
The downside is that everything else so far has involved repetition/alotofwork. I know that sometimes the judicious use of chemicals, like for poison ivy, thistle infestations, etc, is pretty much required.
Since I now have a tractor I expect a box blade with rippers is in my future for driveway maintenance.
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Brettny
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# Posted: 30 Apr 2023 06:46am
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Box blades do make it seam like your pulling up gravel..but your also pulling up dirt and weed seeds. I have tried box blading, organic sprays, weed burner and glyphosate. Theres issues with all of them.
With the box blade I have a turn in my driveway and when ever the road surface is loose its spreading out around the turn.
Organic sprays do work but they work like the weed burner. They only kill what's above the ground. In about 2-4weeks the weeds will be back.
Glyphosate kills the root but I have pets, kids and a shallow well. I do use it on poison ivy and typicaly wait until we are nearing the end of spring to spray the driveway.
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toyota_mdt_tech
Member
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# Posted: 1 May 2023 08:45am - Edited by: toyota_mdt_tech
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Quoting: Irrigation Guy Any ideas? We only come to cabin once a month or so, not enough to keep the weeds down. Should I spray them?
OK, seen old thread, I had already answered it. 
Had same issue, long drive, campsites, lots of graveled areas with vegetation growing through. I was spraying by hand, but was overwhelmed, so bought a 16 gallon boom sprayer from Northern Tool, has a hand wand too for spot spraying, ran 32 gallons through it in about 1 hour, sprayed all gravel. Back just last week, areas all bare.
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NorthRick
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# Posted: 3 May 2023 05:37pm
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If you are not adverse to using a herbicide, Noxall works well and where I live will be effective for several years. I prefer not to use chemicals, but there are some locations where I'm just going to.
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travellerw
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# Posted: 5 Jun 2023 10:52am
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I know most don't like chemicals... but they really do work, especially if you have access to agriculture strength.
Here in Canada (or at least Alberta) you can't purchase unless you own farmland, but you can often find a farmer that will part with 500ml or so (enough for a HUGE lawn multiple times).
2-4-D is the same chemical used in "Killex", however non agriculture stuff isn't mixed strong enough. It works well when mixed up right. Kills broad-leaf but not effective on thistle. This is the chemical that fertilizer services (like Greendrop) use.
Curtail is my absolute favorite though. It absolutely wipes out any broad-leaf and thistle and lasts about 4 seasons. Good stuff, a little expensive upfront but you use so little. 500ml would probably go bad before you could use it (remember 1 application lasts 4 years).
Unfortunately, the only thing I have found effective on grass is RoundUp or derivatives. There are a couple of derivatives that guarantee 7 year soil sterilization (absolutely nothing grows, even kills trees). I draw the line on those as I imagine chemicals at that strength can't be good. Not to mention the potential for an accident and killing something you didn't' intend and now you have to look at bare dirt for 7 years.
I have tried the "green" recipes:
Vinegar and Soap = Weeds looked pissed off, then grew bigger
Vinegar/soap and Salt = Worked a bit. Still many weeds survived.
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 5 Jun 2023 03:40pm
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Quoting: darz5150 I use the concentrated stuff from the farm co op, or Buckheit store. It's around 28 bucks per gallon. And it makes about 85 gallons I believe. If you don't want to use commercial killer.
Darz, I use Killzall too, same exact stuff you have. Great minds think alike.  
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