Killing weeds

[Sean Kelly]

What's the best way to kill the weeds popping up in my gravel road?  Something non-toxic.  I want to lay more gravel down but want to kill the weeds first.  Mostly dandelions and thistles.  And I'm not gunna pull everything up.  It's goten out of control and covers a long ways. 

Thanks!

Sean

[Mici]

salt would work for a while, besides that i think the battle is already lost in the war which you can not win!
just take a deep breath, step outside, look at that gravel road and say to yourself " it actually looks even better with those dandelions"

[Sean Kelly]

Yeah, no kidding.  I think the bees will like it.  Salt might do the trick.  Got some left over rock salt from this winter.  It rains so much here I'm afraid that it'll just wash it all away before it does any good.  Worth a try anyway.

Sean

[Mici]

yeah, i said for a while, if you have a lot of rain, it would be just a waste of the salt..

[bluegrass]

Spray or pour a mix of cheap vinagar with a little soap added. It changes the ph of the soil and kills the weeds, Just don't use it anywhere where you would want something to grow later on.

[Sean Kelly]

I'll give that a try too.  Dont want anything to grow in the road, so it should be fine. 

Thanks guys.

Sean

[Mici]

now this doesn't make much sense!
vinegar (acid) with soap(alkaline) how does it change the soils PH if one destroys the other

Acid+alkaline=salt

[MarkR]

My flame weeder is one of the best investments I've ever made.  They don't come back.  Period.  I'm betting you could rent one at an equipment rental place.

Mark

[bluegrass]

now this doesn't make much sense!
vinegar (acid) with soap(alkaline) how does it change the soils PH if one destroys the other

Acid+alkaline=salt

The soap sticks to the plant and chokes it out while the vinegar moves into the soil and alters the ph...if you don't think it will work, try spraying your garden with the mix this year.

[bluegrass]

My flame weeder is one of the best investments I've ever made.  They don't come back.  Period.  I'm betting you could rent one at an equipment rental place.

Mark

Mark is right about weed torches, I never thought about renting one, but I bet you can.

[MarkR]

There's also this stuff called "Burn" that's an organic defoliant and weed killer that is vinegar/clove/vinegar based I've use some.  Works great on poison ivy.  And makes your yard just smell oh so delicious.  But the flame weeder is a more permanent solution.

Mark

[AllanJ]

Don't rent.. buy,
http://www.flameengineering.com/

[Mici]

WASTE OF MONEY you already have a "torch" you just have to use it. the strenght is within you, GRASP it!!



heheheh

[BeeLady]

Maybe I could even keep my smoker lit with one of those flamers!

[Cindi]

Mici,, nice photo, flame throwing for sure.

Since I have been keeping bees, I have never been so worried about using herbicides/pesticides.  I have spent eons of time pulling out weeds these days.  Chinese hoeing out weeds.  Natural weed eradication is one of my vendetas in life.  Weed eradication.  I am succeeding. Every season on my five acres I have weeds that surface less and less.  It is hard work, but I have every intent on earth to do things 100% pesticide/herbidice free.

I never thought too much about these things as being a problem in our world, until I began to keep bees.

it has even extended so far that no longer do I employ the use of growth retardents with my greenhouse plants.  In the years before the bees, I used several topical solutions to keep the seedling growth in my greenhouse retarded.  I have used cycocel and B-nine.  I still have these products at my fingertips, but refuse to use them in case there is residual effects on my flowers that could negatively affect the bees.

Imagine, how life does change.  Fire, purifier, steam, purifier.  Gotta get up, gotta go.  BEst of this beautiful new day, great health.  Cindi

[bluegrass]

I hate weeding, but don't use chemicals either. I like mulch, lots and lots of it

[dlmarti]

Cover the area with black plastic on a very sunny and warm day.
It will steam the area under the plastic, it will even kill some of the seeds that havn't germinated.

[Sean Kelly]

I hate weeding, but don't use chemicals either. I like mulch, lots and lots of it

I really dont want to use chemicals either.  I like the idea of doing something that wont poison the soil just for the sake of making my gravel look nice.  So here's what I'm gunna try:  Rock salt first, then vinnegar soap spray for the obvious spots, then go over the rest with my father's weed-dragon flame thrower.    Then a fresh cover of gravel.  That should do the trick.  If not, then I'll go all-natural and just let the weeds do their thing.   

Sean

[BeeLady]

I have white crushed limestone on some of my walk ways.  Will the flame thrower darken the white gravel?

[Brian D. Bray]

I'm changing the garden my parents had for so many years to raised beds and mulch.  In between the rows I put down layers of newpaper and cover with mulch from my wood chipper.  The newpapers are organic and therefore they are turned into dirt after being eaten by worms and insects.  Several layers of newspaper is better plastic.

[MarkR]

I have white crushed limestone on some of my walk ways.  Will the flame thrower darken the white gravel?

It shouldn't.  I use it on my brick walkway (among other places) and it hasn't caused any color change that I've noticed.  I'll check again in the morning though, just to be sure.

Mark

[Sean Kelly]

I have white crushed limestone on some of my walk ways.  Will the flame thrower darken the white gravel?

It shouldn't.  I use it on my brick walkway (among other places) and it hasn't caused any color change that I've noticed.  I'll check again in the morning though, just to be sure.

Mark

Yeah, my dad told me that you're only supposed to heat the weed real quick, just enough to kill the seed and wilt the leaves a little.  Plus it burns propane, so there's virtually no exhaust to stain the ground.

Sean

[Mici]

newspaper is far more poisenous than people think. in general ALL printed paper is poisenous, well i'm not sure for laser printed paper but newspaper is poisenous. it contains huge ammounts of lead

[Cindi]

I think that there was a post about newspaper toxins.  I am kind of remembering someone saying that the ink use in nowadays does not have the same amount of "poison" as what was once used.  I could be wrong, but that is what comes to my mind.

About the black plastic.  It is wonderful to use when one wants to heat up the soil when planting in the plants that love their roots to be warm, like the melons, cucumbers, etc., etc.

To kill weeds the plastic is good and fast.  BUT, I think for it to kill the seeds underground this takes several weeks. 
Again, do not quote me on this, but I think that is is a lengthy process, and most weeds' seeds need a long time of hot, hot, hot to destroy them.   So, be patient if you are into the seed kill.  All have a wonderful, great day, good health.  Cindi

[bluegrass]

newspaper is far more poisenous than people think. in general ALL printed paper is poisenous, well i'm not sure for laser printed paper but newspaper is poisenous. it contains huge ammounts of lead

My worms love the stuff, doesn't seem to hurt them and composting newspaper is common practice here. Everything is toxic in high concentrations...even water
I am lucky enough to live in a city that gives away mulch to residence from the city mulching facility. I get three, three yard loads a year. It composts down pretty good and I just till it in the next year and put more on top.

[reinbeau]

Most inks used in newspapers nowadays are soy based and nontoxic.

[Cindi]

Ann, that is what I thought.  I do not have any worries about using newspaper for composting for sure.  I know that the worms go nuts underneath newspapers and even go more crazy underneath cardboard boxes.  Ever left one outside on the ground accidentally? 

The other evening when I was weeding outside, I actually saw a dew worm.  I have heard about these monster worms, but have never seen one.  I was shocked.  I put it into the compost pile that is in my yard for the kitchen scraps.  This worm was huge!!!  It was about 6 inches long, about the width of a pencil, what a glorious site that was.  I showed my oldest grandson and he just shrugged.  Why can't kids have the same excitement about the size of a worm as me.  Go figure.

Once upon a time this grandson would come around with me when I was weeding along the sidewalks and help me pick up the worms that surfaced from the disturbance in the soil and carry them to my compost pile.  Now he just thinks that I am really weird (LOLL).  I am sure all the kids around here think that I am a little strange.  I show them the oddest things with nature.  But, don't they learn stuff from this gal?  Whether they get excited about it or not, I still show them all manner of stuff, like it or not, they have to come and have a look.....aren't I mean?  LOLL.

Have a wonderful day, beautiful day, good health to all.  Cindi

[bluegrass]

Dew Worm? Is that different from a Night Crawler? I noticed you are in Canada, so thought maybe it is a regional thing.

[Cindi]

bluegrass.  Hmmm..I think that they are one in the same, for some reason I have only heard them referred to as dew worms here.  Should google that I should do (LOL).  Best of this beautiful day, and good health.  Cindi

[bluegrass]

googled it...they are the same, just never heard them called that before. If you want more for your compost you can go out after a rain in the dark with a flashlight, and if you are fast enough you can grab them off the ground. One of our favorate past times as kids, we used them for fishing though, not compost. Actually a really good way to keep kids busy

[Cindi]

I did google nightcrawlers.  It appears it is a good business.  People go out on the golf course at night and pick thousands of dew worms, fetches a pretty good buck.  I love worms, but even more, I would love to go out by flashlight and get them.  Cindi

[bluegrass]

We used to let people hunt crawlers in our fields....we had more fun watching for the sparks when they walked into a fence in the dark.

[Dane Bramage]

Don't rent.. buy,
http://www.flameengineering.com/

Thanks for the link Allan!

[MarkR]

Don't rent.. buy,
http://www.flameengineering.com/

Thanks for the link Allan!

They are a great investment.  The only caveat I'd say is to be really, really careful using them on beds that are mulched unless you've had a fair bit of rain.  Please don't ask me how I know this, or what I was thinking at the time.

Mark

[Cindi]

Mark.  Awe, come on now, you issued a secret.  Tell us why you wouldn't put them on an area that is mulched unless it has rained lots.  You have prompted my curious nature for sure.  Best of a beautiful day, good health.  Cindi

[MarkR]

Well, umm . . .  if you combine a hot flame, really dry wood, and a spacey mind (just returned from a three beer bbq), you get a small bonfire and a really pathetic looking herb bed.     Heh heh . .

The lesson is . . . don't drink and burn! 

Mark

[DayValleyDahlias]

www.perfectlynatural.om

Spray is made of highly concentrated vinegar & clove...works within a few hours...smells kinda nice too!  Home Depot carries it...

[reinbeau]

www.perfectlynatural.com

Spray is made of highly concentrated vinegar & clove...works within a few hours...smells kinda nice too!  Home Depot carries it...

I fixedd your link here in this quote - you left off the 'c' in .com. 

[Cindi]

Sharon, right on, Ann, right on, thanks for fixing the link.

Now that would be an interesting natural weed killer.  I am going to get my husband to check it out, he loves to go to Home Depot like I love to go to the garden centres.

There are certain weeds around here that bug the crap out of me.  Mostly I deal with them by "weeding" them out, with tool in hand and bucket, or just hoeing them over.  But the deep rooted ones like Dock (is that how it is spelled) (Burdock), drive me crazy.  Last year I missed a big one and it almost set seed.  Millions of seeds would have sprung up in that corner where I didn't keep track of this monster weed.  Oh brother. 

You should see my blueberry patch and its little tiny weeds that have germinated.  I have an enormous amount of weeding to do there in the next day or so before these little guys really get there roots going.  I can't believe how they germinate so quickly.  Oh well, that is another day of fun, fun fun.   I love weeding, so I just get my little knee pad, a bucket, my weeding tool and resign myself to some time sitting in the sun, getting lots of the natural vitamin D and listening to the chickens and ducks.  What a peaceful place to go. 

Have a beautiful day, love the sunshine when it's shinin' and have good health.  Cindi

[KONASDAD]

WEEDS, Hate'm. I just bought ten trds of mulch. I've placed about 7 yrds down this week by myself. Exhausting work. The weeds this year are huge and numerous. I have tried all of the above except for fire! The cost of herbicides is also annoying. This year I will be attempting to get rid of my neighbors mint and bamboo that has spread onto my yard aggressively. Any suggestions for the bamboo?

[reinbeau]

Any suggestions for the bamboo?

Eat it?    Seriously, the young shoots are edible.......(sorry)

Seriously, bamboo is a horrible problem, as you know.  The only way to stop it is via a physical barrier, dug down at least 24".  Some can even get under that!  I've seen the huge bamboo groves down in Georgia - no wonder the old TV shows always showed boys with bamboo fishing poles! 

[MarkR]

Useless trivia fact #1:

Bamboo grows on every continent except for Antarctica.

Why do we need to know this?  Not sure.

Mark