Laying gravel

[Chae1]

Got a area outside house the wife is wanting gravelled. Its currently rolled in crushed stone thats been down 3 years. I've sprayed off weeds. What would be best base to suppress weeds?

Silage pit cover, obviously not good for drainage, some sort of permeable membrane? Or just leave it and spray weeds off? I do like killing things with chemicals! Not a huge weed burden at present.

 

[Dave6170]

Geotextile membrane? It ll stop weeds coming up but they ll probably just start growing on top anyway.

 

[Dry Rot]

Why not plastic sheet with a few holes in it? Serious question. Yes, some weeds will probably get through but they can be dealt with.

 

[Mydexta]

Lotrac or Terram from a builders merchant.

Let’s water go away, but stops weeds coming up

 

[designanddetail]

We geotextile then gravelled the drive. No weeds come through but they do still grow on top in amongst the gravel

 

[A1an]

Terram then stone.

 

[Kevtherev]

Unfortunately you will still get weeds even if you use Terram or similar
Dirt off car wheels etc creates the problem.

 

[br jones]

Buy a gallon of round up ,kill weeds when necessary, cheaper job

 

[S J H]

Buy a gallon of round up ,kill weeds when necessary, cheaper job

And the Terram won't show. I wouldn't put the gravel too thick, just enough to cover, else it's hard work to walk on. I'd just blind over with some granite dust, roll then spread gravel.

 

[A1an]

Glyphosate will be your friend no matter what route you take.

 

[Grim Reaper]

Got a area outside house the wife is wanting gravelled. Its currently rolled in crushed stone thats been down 3 years. I've sprayed off weeds. What would be best base to suppress weeds?

Silage pit cover, obviously not good for drainage, some sort of permeable membrane? Or just leave it and spray weeds off? I do like killing things with chemicals! Not a huge weed burden at present.

You’ll get some nice coloured chuckies from lovies Methlick quarry, just done our bit in front of the house, really tidy.

 

[roscoe erf]

use some big stone or it will become a kitty litter tray

 

[Mrs Brown]

Embossed or stamped concrete

 

[Exfarmer]

you can buy membrane for a few pence to put under gravel if you are not going to drive over. As others say you will still get odd weeds.
in my garden where I have pea shingle paths and am reluctant to use Glyphosate because of neighbouring plants, I just go over it with a dutch hoe

 

[shazza]

Use gravel grids, won’t help your weed problem but it makes hell of a difference to gravel driveways, no rust etc

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Unfortunately you will still get weeds even if you use Terram or similar
Dirt off car wheels etc creates the problem.

Include some decent potholes for biosecurity reasons?

 

[Chae1]

you can buy membrane for a few pence to put under gravel if you are not going to drive over. As others say you will still get odd weeds.
in my garden where I have pea shingle paths and am reluctant to use Glyphosate because of neighbouring plants, I just go over it with a dutch hoe

Known her long?

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Known her long?

Yes, 5 foot 7.

 

[bovrill]

The main advantage of a membrane is to stop the soil/subsoil getting mixed with the surface stone. The wheels passing over an area slowly pound the layers together, especially in the wet, without one.
Then weeds growing in just gravel and stone won't be as healthy as those with roots into the subsoil, and are that much easier to pull, or finish off with glyphosate.

 

[completedrives]

Winter rye can directly destroy weed