Think Twice Before Using Boiling Water To Get Rid Of Weeds In Gravel

Anyone dealing with removing weeds from their property will understand the special frustration that results from getting rid of them in gravel. The weeds seem to pop up again and again. You've tried tricks to prevent weeds from growing, but you want something quick and easy. Many people advocate for using boiling water to get rid of weeds in a landscape, but it might not work as your new go-to weed removal method.

It's easy to understand why someone would want to use the least harmful ways to kill weeds. Many people like to limit the herbicides that they use in the yard or walkways where children and pets come and go due to worries about potential toxicity. However, the boiling water method lacks effectiveness, especially considering the amount of effort and water you need to use to accomplish it.

Unfortunately, boiling water might cause you more annoyance in the long run. The logic behind using this weed control method is that its heat will smother new growth. Similar methods include applying steam or flames to the weeds. While it makes sense to use boiling water to avoid toxic herbicides, here's why you should think twice before using it in gravel.

What makes pouring boiling water on weeds in gravel a mistake? You may need multiple applications to kill all the weeds completely. Depending on the maturity of the plant, one treatment may not do it. It offers the most impact against younger weeds not yet established fully below the gravel. Older weeds with larger root systems could take multiple applications seven to 10 days apart. So if you've decided that pouring boiling water is the best way to remove weeds from your gravel driveway, understand that it may not be very effective.

Plus, there is no guarantee that pouring boiling water on mature weeds, even multiple times, will give you the results that you want. Boiling water will often damage only the top part of the weed visible above the gravel. Although boiling water will suppress new growth for a time, before too long, you will see the weeds again and realize that the time you spent hauling a full kettle of water out to the driveway or garden has been wasted.