Help us in our battle against Weeds! What do you do? (grow, grass)

[Vinny536]

when i had my gravel yards in phoenix I used Amaze brand pre-emergent weed killer from Ace. I would spread it with a hand cranked broadcast spreader (wear a mask!) twice a year. usually in april and september. This would leave me very few weeds to pull between applications, maybe one a week.

as a pre-emergent weed killer it would only stop the seeds from germinating. it would not affect any plants already growing, desirable or not. For the first treatment you'll need to pull the weeds you have. I found a hula-hoe to be the most effective tool before I got rolling with the pre-emergent.

[RenW]

Originally Posted by Vinny536

when i had my gravel yards in phoenix I used Amaze brand pre-emergent weed killer from Ace. I would spread it with a hand cranked broadcast spreader (wear a mask!) twice a year. usually in april and september. This would leave me very few weeds to pull between applications, maybe one a week.

as a pre-emergent weed killer it would only stop the seeds from germinating. it would not affect any plants already growing, desirable or not. For the first treatment you'll need to pull the weeds you have. I found a hula-hoe to be the most effective tool before I got rolling with the pre-emergent.

Thanks for the suggestions. Looking at a picture, I've seen hula-hoes at the hardware store but didn't know what they were for. We might have to pick one up.

[You Haul]

For those of you who have/had gravel landscaping...is a weed barrier (fabric, plastic, cardboard, etc.) necessary out here or is it more trouble than it's worth?

[observer53]

Originally Posted by You Haul

For those of you who have/had gravel landscaping...is a weed barrier (fabric, plastic, cardboard, etc.) necessary out here or is it more trouble than it's worth?

I think a barrier is more trouble than it's worth. When the plastic or fabric starts to break down, it's messy, and you get the weeds it's supposed to prevent as well. The black plastic flapping in the breeze is just not attractive, and the weeds aren't either. Keeping a deep enough cover of gravel, and using whatever preemergents, is the better option IMO.

Hula hoes are great, especially for lightweight weeds like that spurge that everyone seems to get.

[You Haul]

Originally Posted by observer53

I think a barrier is more trouble than it's worth. When the plastic or fabric starts to break down, it's messy, and you get the weeds it's supposed to prevent as well. The black plastic flapping in the breeze is just not attractive, and the weeds aren't either. Keeping a deep enough cover of gravel, and using whatever preemergents, is the better option IMO.

Hula hoes are great, especially for lightweight weeds like that spurge that everyone seems to get.

What gravel depth would you recommend if not using a weed barrier?

[observer53]

Originally Posted by You Haul

What gravel depth would you recommend if not using a weed barrier?

I'm no expert on this, as I need a gravel refresh myself. I'm sure you can find info on that from the experts online. I suspect you need at least a couple of inches. The size of gravel you are using figures into that too, I assume, I don't use the larger, less rounded pieces I've seen in a lot of yards.

[wit-nit]

If you're going to use gravel only it needs to be at least a minimum of 2 inches deep, preferably 4 inches. The only problem is eventually dirt and debris builds up and then the weeds start coming up. You also need to twice a year apply a pre-emergent, once for warm weather weeds in the early spring and again cool weather weeds when it cools down in the fall. If your timing is off you'll have a yard full of weeds.
My preference, which I've used over 30 years, is a professional weed mat, not plastic. It allows water and air to penetrate yet not let weeds come up through it. If you use a weed mat you only need 1 & 1/2 inches of decorative gravel on top. My weed mat has never deteriorated and is as good as the day I put it down years ago.

[You Haul]

Originally Posted by wit-nit

If you're going to use gravel only it needs to be at least a minimum of 2 inches deep, preferably 4 inches. The only problem is eventually dirt and debris builds up and then the weeds start coming up. You also need to twice a year apply a pre-emergent, once for warm weather weeds in the early spring and again cool weather weeds when it cools down in the fall. If your timing is off you'll have a yard full of weeds.
My preference, which I've used over 30 years, is a professional weed mat, not plastic. It allows water and air to penetrate yet not let weeds come up through it. If you use a weed mat you only need 1 & 1/2 inches of decorative gravel on top. My weed mat has never deteriorated and is as good as the day I put it down years ago.

Very interesting, do you have a link to the exact type of weed mad you're talking about?

[wit-nit]

Originally Posted by You Haul

Very interesting, do you have a link to the exact type of weed mad you're talking about?

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&key...l_7by5nsowgg_b
I recommend the 5oz pro weed mat fabric...along with Amazon you can find it at most Garden Centers.

[R_Cowgirl]

Originally Posted by ajonesaz

Looks like something to try, what kind of area does that bag cover? It doesn't say on the site and I am wondering how much I need.

I have a 7,000 sq foot back yard. Half is grass and half is rocks. I went through two bags.

Here's the miracle and why I'm such a fan -- I had a weed similar to wild carrot in my yard. Still not sure what it was. Woody stem, got about 7" high. Took over one entire section of the grass. If I mowed it, I spread it. I tried some chemicals but they screwed up the grass. Tried pulling and only succeeded in spreading it more because of the little white flowers. I was tearing my hair out. Took a sample over to Summer Winds nursery and an old gardener there recommended the Garden Guy cornmeal stuff. Within two weeks, it was GONE. Has not returned and I'm watering right now. I'll do another round of it just before planting my winter grass. So far there are NO weeds on my rocks.

Also - I have a dry rock river bed as a feature between the rocks and grass. That has been a royal PITA because weeds grow there. Ever since I sprinkled the cornmeal in the riverbed, NO WEEDS! YAY! Some of the grass grows there, but I just pull that.

Buying it at the store is the best because it's heavy. You don't want to pay shipping if you can help it. I like going straight to the Garden Guy location (I think it's in a landscaping company in Tempe or near Mesa...) because they have a lot of other cool tools like the sprayer.

Originally Posted by You Haul

For those of you who have/had gravel landscaping...is a weed barrier (fabric, plastic, cardboard, etc.) necessary out here or is it more trouble than it's worth?

I have very thick plastic under my rocks. It's been there now for 10 years and it's not too bad except around the edges. That being said, very enterprising birds will poke holes in the plastic so you might have weeds growing there. I just put down cornmeal. Of course, THAT may attract the birds as well...

It's an ongoing deal. That's why so many people use yard cleaning companies. If you can stay ahead of it, it's easy. My front yard is all desert. I had plastic under those rocks as well. However, one year I got creative and spread some wild daisy seeds on the rocks in the front. Now my yard is one of the most photographed yards in North Phoenix in January-March. I like it and it's also a PITA to go out and pull the flowers up once they die. But all that riot of color makes me happy. So it's a trade off. BTW - I don't use the cornmeal in the front rocks. Must be something in the daisies that keep weeds at bay. I only get a few weeds in the area where the daisies grow in winter.