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Tropical Plants

Weeds in pea gravel yard!

16 years ago

Greetings - this is my first post and I need help, please!

We just moved into a home that has a pea gravel yard. I've never dealt with that before. There are little weeds spouting up all over the place. A couple of weeks ago I pulled ALL those pesky weeds by hand because I really want to avoid herbicides (we live on a canal and I don't want to contribute to run-off) but now those weeds are back, and even worse than before.

What can I do? Must I use herbicide and if so, which is the "greenest" choice?

Thanks for all your expertise!

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Comments (13)

Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
16 years ago
Do you have some type of weed barrier underneath the pea gravel? If not, you'll need to rake up the pea gravel and lay one down. That said, I have some weeds (thistle) that have the nerve to poke thru my weed barrier.
lac1361
16 years ago
The weed barrier will work for only a few years. Eventually, leaves, dirt, etc. accumulates above the weed barrier and weeds then grow in that medium.

I use a weed torch. It's a long curved handle propone torch. A small propane canister screws into one end. You light it and burn the weeds. It's also fun.

Steve
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As others have said, without an edging to contain the gravel and an underlayment of landscape fabric, you won’t get the look you want regardless of things like furniture choice. Gravel will sink into the underlying soil, and weeds will grow. Without edging, gravel will end up scattered everywhere. Deep pea gravel isn’t friendly for walking across in anything other than full shoes (uncomfortable to walk on barefoot and stones get into sandals) and moving furniture in pea gravel, such as pulling a chair into the table, can be difficult. It is easier to fix these issues now rather than later. I would suggest stepping back for a bit and considering your goals. Right now you seem to be looking to have an attractive sitting and dining area in shade. How else do you want to use the yard? Do you have kids that need a play area? (If so, gravel can be an issue since it is so tempting to throw.) Would you like a groundcover in other parts of the yard, or gardens (either ornamental or veggie), or . . . ? You want to consider a storage place for the trash can. Are you planning other plantings such as to camouflage the fence or for your pots or for screening out views you don’t want to see? Is this a house you rent or own? Where generally are you located, both geographically and USDA planting zone? Will Tuscan look attractive in terms of your architecture? With additional consideration on your part and more info for us to consider, you are likely to end up with a more functional and attractive end result.
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Thanks everyone for the helpful input! I was leaning to not using the fabric, now I feel more confident in my decision. Yes, I think for the gravel pathway surface between the pavers and the planter boxes, where it will see more foot traffic, I'm looking for a very hard, compacted surface made up smooth pea gravel mixed with some fines and compacted into either drain gravel or base rock. Our local nursery has this surface, and it looks like pea gravel, maybe mixed with blue fines, compacted into road base. Towards the dry garden, I agree with either bigger gravel but I definitely thought it'd be looser. I have been thinking about what gravel material layers to use for back garden and now the front pathway for about a year! Pro landscapers tell me Decomposed Granite is what I want, but it will carry into house and scuff up floors, and does not drain well, etc. So thats why I'm thinking blue pea gravel as its aligned to our aesthetic wont track in as easily and scuff. I also want a hard surface that drains well and does not pool water, hence me wanting to use drain rock under pea gravel. it feels like DG would stick to your shoes when wet and track and pea gravel wont as its not sandy like that DG. I think Ill do a square foot test - gravel into base rock, or gravel and fines into drain gravel. As for the raw clay soil prep for plants, yes I totally agree with needing a wider hole and or mound, especially in hard clay. The way I usually plant in ground into our hard clay, is dig a hole 3 times bigger than potted plant, then fill the whole 1/3 with 50/50 mix of clay soil and cactus/succulent mix form Hardware Store ( amended mix) . then fill the rest with 100% cactus/succulent mix, mulch on top and superficial pea gravel for cover. Some quick screengrab examples and my updated layers plan
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dolphinheron
Original Author
16 years ago
There is no weed barrier under the gravel. And this yard is so big, plus we're renters, so of course I don't want to invest in a barrier. For my own yard in the future, absolutely I will do so.

Steve, I'm intrigued by this torch thing! Where can I find one, and how much do they cost? That sounds like a blast (literally!) and I'm sure I could entice my husband to help with groundskeeping if we had that little "toy" in the shed!
lac1361
16 years ago
I bought mine from Gardener's Supply Company at www.gardeners.com. About $45.

Steve
msmarion
16 years ago
This tool works wonders!
Come join us on the Florida Forum.
Marion

Here is a link that might be useful: Click here!
barbcoleus
16 years ago
Can you use this torch in mulch or just pea gravel.It sounds great.
We're having a lot of trouble here with fires in our area so I don't want to throw out the baby with the bath water. I heard somewhere that vinegar works and also boiling water.
Barb
dolphinheron
Original Author
16 years ago
Yes, I've heard about vinegar or boiling water, too. But I read that the vinegar needs to be the strong kind for canning (higher acidity) not the kind you put on your salad! I'm going to try everything before I resort to herbicide so I'm just trying to put together an arsenal of ideas. Any other suggestions are welcome...

Thanks to everyone for the replies!
lac1361
16 years ago
The weed torch works in gravel beds, driveways, sidewalks, etc. It sets the mulch on fire unless you wet the flower bed before using the torch.

Steve
dolphinheron
Original Author
16 years ago
Success! I found a product called "Perfectly Natural Weed and Grass Killer" at Home Depot yesterday. At 11 a.m. today I sprayed weeds in the back part of our yard and within an hour, most of them had started to shrivel. Three hours later most of them are dead. The others are still hanging on but are looking a pretty sickly. I think this stuff is going to solve the problem!

The only ingredients in this spray are vinegar, clove oil, and lecithin (apparently lecithin is an emulsifier) so I wonder why I couldn't mix some up myself... if I can find lecithin!

I will add that the clove scent is VERY strong - if you don't want your yard to smell like a spice cabinet, you probably shouldn't use this. But I kinda like it.

Just wanted to share this with all of you who tried to help me tackle these weeds without harming the environment. Thanks!
garyfla_gw
16 years ago
Hi
Have often wondered why people put down gravel. Most plants will grow even better in it lol Increases the drainge. If the purpose is to control weed it sure doesn't do that lol I curse the pervious homeowners who put down a marble chip bed and the weeds loved it. Had to get down on hands and kness and remove every rock.What a chore!!! gary
kelpie473
16 years ago
Lecithin is sold at health food stores in a granular form and a liquid form - the liquid is actually a very thick syrup. While you're there you can buy clove oil too.

Let us know if you concoct a good formula.

Suzanne
stickgarden
16 years ago
does anyone know where I should look for the strong form of vinegar? (I live in L.A. but I can also order online)
sethissurfing
3 years ago
Use strong 30% + vinager and soap. Kills all weeds..

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