Gravel driveway - weeds and grass

[scrumpyjack]

I have a 150m gravel driveway and the only 100% successful solution to weed control that I have found is glyphosate. I usually buy this in quantity from ebay branded as Gallup XL and apply it with a backpack sprayer.

Yes effective, but I think it is now illegal unless you have been on a training course and are qualified to spray it!!

I think not. You can buy Roundup concentrate by the litre at any garden centre.

Scott.

The last time I bought 360g/l Gallup the leaflet set out the legal requirements and I see they are still on websites selling it. The stuff I have seen at garden centres is much less concentrated.

per https://www.green-care.co.uk/product/ga ... ller-5ltr/

"Disclaimer
DISCLAIMER

SAFE USE OF PESTICIDES

“By law, everyone who uses pesticides professionally must have received adequate training in using pesticides safely and be skilled in the job they are carrying out.”

As from the 26th November 2015 any individual who purchases pesticides authorised for professional use must ensure that the intended end user holds the relevant specified certificate/s. (Section 9 (5) The Plant Protection Products (Sustainable Use) Regulations 2012)

Pesticides approved for professional use must only be used by users holding the relevant specified certificate/s. (Section 8 (1) The Plant Protection Products (Sustainable Use) Regulations 2012)

(Part III of the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985, and related Codes of Practice)

More information on how to get the necessary certificates is available upon request, and a member of our team will get back to you.

Should you purchase this product please be aware that you are purchasing a professional pesticide product.

Always read the product label before use."

[PhaseThree]

Yes effective, but I think it is now illegal unless you have been on a training course and are qualified to spray it!!

I think not. You can buy Roundup concentrate by the litre at any garden centre.

Scott.

The last time I bought 360g/l Gallup the leaflet set out the legal requirements and I see they are still on websites selling it. The stuff I have seen at garden centres is much less concentrated.

per https://www.green-care.co.uk/product/ga ... ller-5ltr/

"Disclaimer
DISCLAIMER

SAFE USE OF PESTICIDES

“By law, everyone who uses pesticides professionally must have received adequate training in using pesticides safely and be skilled in the job they are carrying out.”

As from the 26th November 2015 any individual who purchases pesticides authorised for professional use must ensure that the intended end user holds the relevant specified certificate/s. (Section 9 (5) The Plant Protection Products (Sustainable Use) Regulations 2012)

Pesticides approved for professional use must only be used by users holding the relevant specified certificate/s. (Section 8 (1) The Plant Protection Products (Sustainable Use) Regulations 2012)

(Part III of the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985, and related Codes of Practice)

More information on how to get the necessary certificates is available upon request, and a member of our team will get back to you.

Should you purchase this product please be aware that you are purchasing a professional pesticide product.

Always read the product label before use."

At this point we hit the joy of government over regulation and nanny-ism.
Gallop produce a 360 g/l glyphosate product. This is marketed professionally as "Gallup XL" and domestically as "Gallup Home and Garden". The XL product comes in minimum 5l containers, The Home and Garden product comes in max 2l containers.
- The two products are identical having exactly the same concentration and the same dilution requirements.
- The XL version is deemed a professional product and requires you to have a bit of paper to use it
- The Home and Garden version can be used by anyone
- The home and Garden version is more than twice the price of the XL version per litre.

I'm a law abiding individual up to a point but this is taking the p***

[scrumpyjack]

Yup, pour it into 2 litre containers and it then becomes the non-professional product you are able to use

[scrumpyjack]

Just ordered 20l on ebay £79. That should last me a number of years. Lucky I'm a 'professional'

[Mike4]

You have a long wide drive. I'm guessing it's particularly old and doesn't have a weed suppressant membrane below it. Effectively the cost of making a drive weed proof is quite expensive. And over that area you're looking down the barrel of a significant amount of money. Thus you are left with alternatives that all seem to be outside of your comfort zone.

1. Mechanical options - hand weeding - labour intensive & probably difficult as age progresses.
2. Chemical options - not kind to the environment or needs PPE options to be considered
3. Upgrade the drive - expensive

AiY

Have a look at this link posted earlier in the thread by mc2fool... the device looks cheap, simple and awesomely effective! Can probably be towed up and down the massive drive the OP has with the ride-on lawnmower they probably already own.

https://thegravelrake.com/

I recognise one of the properties in the demo videos on their website as I drive past it most days, and IIRC the gravel driveway always looks smart and tidy. I'll take particular notice in future though lol!

[AsleepInYorkshire]

You have a long wide drive. I'm guessing it's particularly old and doesn't have a weed suppressant membrane below it. Effectively the cost of making a drive weed proof is quite expensive. And over that area you're looking down the barrel of a significant amount of money. Thus you are left with alternatives that all seem to be outside of your comfort zone.

1. Mechanical options - hand weeding - labour intensive & probably difficult as age progresses.
2. Chemical options - not kind to the environment or needs PPE options to be considered
3. Upgrade the drive - expensive

AiY

Have a look at this link posted earlier in the thread by mc2fool... the device looks cheap, simple and awesomely effective! Can probably be towed up and down the massive drive the OP has with the ride-on lawnmower they probably already own.

https://thegravelrake.com/

I recognise one of the properties in the demo videos on their website as I drive past it most days, and IIRC the gravel driveway always looks smart and tidy. I'll take particular notice in future though lol!

Missed that, thank you.

I'm not sure how effective that device is and it does look as if it's going to be more effective on smaller gravels. I'm assuming the gravel drive that the OP has is a larger aggregate?

The rake could be part of a wider solution though, albeit I've a few reservations, not least of which it looks as if it is reliant on a decent sub-base and will, as per the website's comments, only work on gravels up to 20mm in size. Worth a look though.

AiY

[bungeejumper]

Have a look at this link posted earlier in the thread by mc2fool... the device looks cheap, simple and awesomely effective! Can probably be towed up and down the massive drive the OP has with the ride-on lawnmower they probably already own.

https://thegravelrake.com/

Hmmm, interesting. I reckon I could knock one of those up in fifteen minutes from a yard of 3x3 and a couple of dozen six inch nails. The magic ingredient must be in the bit of rope.

I use a twenty quid asphalt rake for sorting our Cotswold gravel (https://www.toolstation.com/roughneck-t ... ake/p53966) and it would probably suit people with smaller gravelled areas. You want one with proper round tines, not just a flat row of teeth. And a steel handle, the longer the better, or it won't be heavy enough to dig in properly.

BJ

[mc2fool]

Hmmm, interesting. I reckon I could knock one of those up in fifteen minutes from a yard of 3x3 and a couple of dozen six inch nails. The magic ingredient must be in the bit of rope.

I'm not sure that'd dig in; I rather suspect that it'd rotate so that the nails would be just scratching the surface.

If you look at https://thegravelrake.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/gfe4.jpg the trick seems to be in the angle ... and the length of the rope.

But don't let me stop you giving your idea a try ... please report back!

[bungeejumper]

If you look at https://thegravelrake.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/gfe4.jpg the trick seems to be in the angle ... and the length of the rope.

Ah, but you can always set the angle with a bit of cunning and ingenuity. Same principle as an old-fashioned plough, I suppose?

Think I'll stick to my tarmac rake, though. My limestone gravel contains binder that stops it moving about so much, so the rake works best if you wet the gravel a little bit beforehand.

BJ