The Best Way To Remove Weeds From Your Gravel Driveway

Gravel driveways are popular among homeowners since they're painless to install, and gravel is one of the most inexpensive driveway options. Moreover, the wide range of colors and materials available allows homeowners to build a driveway that suits their homes' aesthetics perfectly. But after a few years of installation, this type of driveway becomes susceptible to weeds since gravel offers weeds easy access to direct sunlight and damp soil. If your gravel driveway has begun sprouting weeds, you should remove them at once. Methods include handpicking them out, employing a weed burner, or using rock salt.

Though newly installed gravel driveways don't support weed growth, the sediment buildup over time provides the perfect environment for weeds to take advantage of dispersed seeds. Once they happily lay down roots, they'll be incredibly difficult to control and will take over your driveway quickly, tarnishing your home's curb appeal. While you can certainly install a weed control fabric to check their future growth, you'll want to pull on some sturdy gloves to eliminate the ones already present in your gravel driveway.

If you're dealing with a small patch of weeds, picking them out by hand is the best and most cost-effective method to get rid of weeds from a gravel driveway. Before you effectively channel your inner rage, though, and begin pulling out weeds, water your driveway since it's easier to pull out weeds once the soil is damp. Now, grab hold of the weed as close to the soil as possible and gently wiggle it till you can feel its root giving way.

In case the weed snaps in half while you're jiggling it free from the soil, grab your trusty screwdriver, trowel, or fork to dig in deep and pull it out from the root. Though you'll be tempted to just yank off the part of the weed you see above the surface, exercise patience since any leftover root will allow for the future growth of a new plant.

Even though handpicking weeds may be the best way to remove them from your gravel driveway, it's a time-consuming approach and labor-intensive process you might want to steer clear of if you're dealing with a large patch of a weed-dominated area.

Alternatively, you can use rock salt to eliminate weeds from your gravel driveway. Since rock salt contains sodium, sprinkling it conservatively at the base will dehydrate weeds and disturb their water balance, killing them in a few days. Or you can mix 1 cup of rock salt with 1 gallon of water and transfer the mixture to a spray bottle to directly spray over the affected areas.

Another environment-friendly method to eliminate weeds is using a weed burner. They're perfect for long driveways and will burn weeds to the root, preventing them from growing back in the near future. Note, though this is an effective method to remove weeds, you'll also be burning the stones lining your gravel driveway, altering their color. If you'd rather not discolor the stones in your driveway, combine undiluted glyphosate with water and transfer it to a watering can to successfully remove weeds from the area.