Rock bedding

[Bay Kid]

I want to have my rock bedding redone around the house. The weeds are winning. Any reasonable suggestions?

[retiredguy123]

Choice Maintenance.

If you like the rocks, all you need is for them to remove the rocks, replace the black weed barrier and reinstall the rocks.

[ThirdOfFive]

I want to have my rock bedding redone around the house. The weeds are winning. Any reasonable suggestions?
Round up.

[dewilson58]

Round up.

I agree.

I walk our rocks twice per month and I won.

:pepper2:

[tophcfa]

The most sure fire way to beat the weeds is to completely eliminate the garden and rock bedding and plant grass.

[villagetinker]

OP, if you do some research, the weed barriers are ineffective, I now know from firsthand experience, so I agree with above, get a good weed killer, with a battery powered extension wand, and hand spray for the weeds, very effective and very low cost.

[KAM+6]

Posting a photo may help response.

[Bomarsh]

Roofing felt, roll it out, cut width to size , replace rock and you will not see another weed there again. I did mine 4 yrs. ago still no weeds.

[Maker]

Dirt will still accumulate on top of weed barrier fabrics. Weeds will grow. It is not very effective as it ages.

How are you getting rid of weeds now? Pulling them? They will grow back because parts of the roots will break off. Every broken off part will grow into an entirely new weed. So pulling them makes them grow back worse.

Here is the way to solve the weed problem. As suggested, spray a weed killer such as round up. That kills the weed all the way to the root. Only spray on a very calm day. Wind will blow it onto things you don't want to kill. Now wait a week for it to work. Then pull what remains, but you can leave it and it will shrivel up and disappear.

Highly caution against using salt or vinegar solutions. They may kill the weeds, but it also contaminates the soil. As those migrate with rain or irrigation, they will kill shrubs and flowers. Replacements plants will also die once their roots are exposed to them.

There are 2 versions of weed killers.
The one you want for your garden is active for a few hours after being applied. Once exposed to sunlight it becomes benign.
The other type is a long lasting type. You want that for driveway cracks where you never want things to grow. Never use that in a flower bed because water will spread it around (just like salt or vinegar) and kills grass, shrubs, flowers, etc, for a year or longer.

[villagetinker]

Roofing felt, roll it out, cut width to size , replace rock and you will not see another weed there again. I did mine 4 yrs. ago still no weeds.

Since this is impermeable, I am guessing your trees and flowers need a lot of hand watering, at least the "weed mat" lets water go through. I would guess this also interferes with fertilizing
the plants. Glad it works for you.

[UpNorth]

You might want to try pine straw. Cheap, easy, and pretty effective in blocking out sunlight which the weeds need to grow. Allows water to get to your shrubs. It's what you see The Villages management using to keep the weeds down everywhere. You may or may not like the looks of it at first, but you will probably like it over time. You might just be able to put it over your rock bed if you don't want to remove the rocks. As it slowly breaks down, you just throw some more on top. Lowes and Home Depot sell truckloads of the stuff each year.

[Bomarsh]

You guessed wrong, the person was asking what to place under a rock bedding , not a flower garden landscape. I suggested one possible solution that I came up with that worked around my foundation.

[Papa_lecki]

What happened to me was the type of rock we picked notoriously has extra dirt when they are put down - they are a sort of moon rock.
If you are going to have the rocks if Ted and relaid - make sure you rinse the rocks before replacing them

[Miboater]

I've had good luck using Preen to keep the majority of weeds away and then using roundup for the few that get through. The Preen application seems to work for about 6 months before needing to reapply.

[dsiebenberger]

I jammed my leaf blower into the rocks and cleaned all the junk out of my rocks. Then sprayed Barricade 4FL herbicide. Active ingredient is 40.7% Prodiamine. Bought from Amazon. Saved myself a lot of money. I thought I needed more rock but ended up having pretty thick rock without all the sand and gunk in it.

[waterflower]

Roundup= glyphosate is a carcinogen (cancer-causing agent). Vinegar, cheap table salt & a dish soap will not harm you or animals.

[Paula Pinney]

OP, if you do some research, the weed barriers are ineffective, I now know from firsthand experience, so I agree with above, get a good weed killer, with a battery powered extension wand, and hand spray for the weeds, very effective and very low cost.

I use one gallon white vinegar, one cup salt, and tablespoon on Dawn to kill my weeds. Safe and it works!

[Bellavita]

[rock and plants don’t mix and in time weeds come through the membrane just sayin



QUOTE=Bay Kid;2354412]I want to have my rock bedding redone around the house. The weeds are winning. Any reasonable suggestions?[/QUOTE]

[Morgkell]

I also have rocks in my garden. I pull out all the weeds then scatter either Preen or Spectracide every other month over the rocks. Both stop new weeds from growing. Spectracide is cheaper and comes in a large bag. I love not weeding!

[Sandy and Ed]

Roofing felt, roll it out, cut width to size , replace rock and you will not see another weed there again. I did mine 4 yrs. ago still no weeds.
And no drainage.

[aldeana]

Weeds will grow on a grain of dirt. Do not use Roundup (glyphosate). It will kill you (slowly) and will kill the pollinators. Get garden vinegar (30%) at Home Depot or any garden store. You may have to order ahead, but at HD I got it within 2 days. Pick up at the store to avoid shipping costs. Use a spray bottle to apply.

[Markus]

You might want to try pine straw. Cheap, easy, and pretty effective in blocking out sunlight which the weeds need to grow. Allows water to get to your shrubs. It's what you see The Villages management using to keep the weeds down everywhere. You may or may not like the looks of it at first, but you will probably like it over time. You might just be able to put it over your rock bed if you don't want to remove the rocks. As it slowly breaks down, you just throw some more on top. Lowes and Home Depot sell truckloads of the stuff each year.

the problem with it is during the rainy season it stays damp underneath the pine stray which is the breading grown for earwigs.

[robertaonlowry]

Fernview Farms. They spray monthly. Used them fir a year. They are great. 352.245.7905

[retiredguy123]

Roundup= glyphosate is a carcinogen (cancer-causing agent). Vinegar, cheap table salt & a dish soap will not harm you or animals.
According the EPA, it is not a carcinogen and it is safe to use.

[namdoog55]

I just bought a weed torch on Amazon - and haven't had to call the fire dept yet! But not sure this gets to the roots although others on this forum seemed to have success.

[Rocksnap]

I just bought a weed torch on Amazon - and haven't had to call the fire dept yet! But not sure this gets to the roots although others on this forum seemed to have success.

Was making my way thru the comments, after weeding thru all the chemical/poison comments. Ready to pounce on my weed torch thought. Lo and behold, you just beat me to it.
Not much to worry about catching on fire in a rock garden.

[BlkBlt6]

I want to have my rock bedding redone around the house. The weeds are winning. Any reasonable suggestions?

In all of my previous houses and the one in the Villages, I’ve always had construction (very very thick) plastic put down then the rocks. Never a problem with weeds except if there is a little space between the plastic and the sidewalk.

[LeRoySmith]

Was making my way thru the comments, after weeding thru all the chemical/poison comments. Ready to pounce on my weed torch thought. Lo and behold, you just beat me to it.
Not much to worry about catching on fire in a rock garden.

I'm using a weed torch too. I make a quick walk around once a week and scorch the weeds in the beds and grass around the sprinklers. It seems to be working but I'm not sure it's a good long term solution.

[UpNorth]

the problem with it is during the rainy season it stays damp underneath the pine stray which is the breading grown for earwigs.

Never seen one in my pine straw mulch, but if I did, a small amount of granular insecticide would take care of them. Unless you are growing vegetables or delicate flowers, earwigs aren't capable of doing much damage. And they eat more harmful insects.

[FredMitchell]

You can't win. Just wage an endless war, or resign / pull out.

Weeds are like Viet Nam or Afghanistan. They'll still be there when you aren't.

[miadford@gmail.com]

I use one gallon white vinegar, one cup salt, and tablespoon on Dawn to kill my weeds. Safe and it works!

How long does the vinegar solution work?

[nn0wheremann]

I want to have my rock bedding redone around the house. The weeds are winning. Any reasonable suggestions?
I used to use Preen as a pre-emergent, and Roundup as a post emergent. I found a sale on Roundup Pre-emergent, and it has worked better than anything else. I read somewhere that plain old table salt will dry up weeds in rocks too. I am going to try sowing some rock salt on the rocks next. All of this has been almost asmuch fun as defeating the dandelions when we lived in Chicagoland.

[nn0wheremann]

How long does the vinegar solution work?
Vinegar drys up the leaves, but lets the weed’s root live. It seems to work for a couple of weeks at a time.

[DonnaNi4os]

Try a weed torch. I’ve found it to be a quick and easy solution without using chemicals

[DonnaNi4os]

I love mine and run the sprinklers for five minutes when I’m done…just in case.

[yellowtownhouse]

Roofing felt, roll it out, cut width to size , replace rock and you will not see another weed there again. I did mine 4 yrs. ago still no weeds.
Where can you purchase roofing felt? Thanks

[bobeaston]

Where can you purchase roofing felt? Thanks
Lowes, Home Depot, etc.

[waterflower]

EPA is a unit of the industry they represent, to protect their profits not your health.Since you feel that roundup is safe, drink a cup every day. See if they are telling the truth.The government or any affiliate corporation does not care about your health.

[Pdesensi]

Did that. Then the wind blows in debris and dirt and the weeds appear again. Ugh

[brianherlihy]

i put rock down 2 years i have one or two in a month i have weed block and plastic i put the stone down my self dont have them du it hear ripe you off bad

[merrymini]

30 per cent vinegar diluted with water for a 50/50 mix with some dish soap, no salt. I am a gardener and the rocks heat up in the sun and can damage the roots and dirt accumulates between the rocks and the weeds will grow. The mats do not allow water to get to the roots properly and that includes fertilizer. I have a large garden and am out there almost every day. Every box or bag of weeds is a battle won but, if you think you can win the war, you are mistaken, but I do love my coreopsis, milkweed and echinacea and all the bees and butterflies they bring.

[Glowing Horizon]

Choice Maintenance.

If you like the rocks, all you need is for them to remove the rocks, replace the black weed barrier and reinstall the rocks.
EASIEST & CHEAPEST METHOD
Step 1: spray weeds with (liquid) Roundup
Wait 2 weeks
Step 2: spray weeds with Roundup again (repeat until they are completely dead)
Step 3: Apply Preen (granular) pre-emergent weed killer
Step 4+: re-apply Preen every
6 months

[Glowing Horizon]

Dirt will still accumulate on top of weed barrier fabrics. Weeds will grow. It is not very effective as it ages.

How are you getting rid of weeds now? Pulling them? They will grow back because parts of the roots will break off. Every broken off part will grow into an entirely new weed. So pulling them makes them grow back worse.

Here is the way to solve the weed problem. As suggested, spray a weed killer such as round up. That kills the weed all the way to the root. Only spray on a very calm day. Wind will blow it onto things you don't want to kill. Now wait a week for it to work. Then pull what remains, but you can leave it and it will shrivel up and disappear.

Highly caution against using salt or vinegar solutions. They may kill the weeds, but it also contaminates the soil. As those migrate with rain or irrigation, they will kill shrubs and flowers. Replacements plants will also die once their roots are exposed to them.

There are 2 versions of weed killers.
The one you want for your garden is active for a few hours after being applied. Once exposed to sunlight it becomes benign.
The other type is a long lasting type. You want that for driveway cracks where you never want things to grow. Never use that in a flower bed because water will spread it around (just like salt or vinegar) and kills grass, shrubs, flowers, etc, for a year or longer.

Weed barriers encourage some very undesirable insects & mold. Soil underneath never gets compost so weed barriers like black fabric or plastic destroy the natural biome.

[jimjamuser]

I want to have my rock bedding redone around the house. The weeds are winning. Any reasonable suggestions?
Weeds and grass increase tremendously in these summer months with the longer sunlight and more rain. That is to be expected. So for those with low maintenance rock areas, it is good to remember their great usefulness in the winter months because of the need for no grass cutting. Also there is no need for fertilizer on those areas so they keep the fertilizer runoff into the lakes at a minimum, which keeps the lake cleaner. So, during the summer months there is just a little more effort required to keep a rock area looking good. Round-up can be used on a dry day and after a rain storm the weeds are easily pulled.

[jimjamuser]

Unfortunately the more grass, the more constant grass cutting and the fertilizer and chemicals end up in the local lakes. Personally, I think that Florida grass is ugly and not soft like northern grass. I like landscaping rocks better and it adds a more unique style to a house, whereas grass is unexceptional and requires too much maintenance.

[jimjamuser]

OP, if you do some research, the weed barriers are ineffective, I now know from firsthand experience, so I agree with above, get a good weed killer, with a battery powered extension wand, and hand spray for the weeds, very effective and very low cost.
I agree that the weedstop-type fabric is a waste of time and effort.

[Maker]

If buying 30% vinegar, and mixing it 1 to 1 with water, you have 15% vinegar. Typically 15% costs less than half the price of 30%. You are spending extra money needlessly.

Remember, vinegar changes the soil. It takes a long time for it to dissipate. During those months, it will make growing stuff you want a lot harder. It will spread to your good landscaping and harm it. Weeds are a lot more tolerant. They will regrow while the shrub next to them dies.
Salt acts the same way.

Roundup kills the vegetation it contacts because it gets absorbed into it. What is left around, in sunlight, changes into an inert form. No longer toxic to anything. It does not kill other vegetation going forward.

The cancer lawsuit lawyers are targeting farmers and landscapers that spray it every day. In windy conditions that blow it back into their faces, and they breathe it often. We are smart enough, and have the flexibility, to pick calm days to spray it. We use it in tiny amounts. I have zero fear of it.

If having to deal with weeds more often than once after several months, you are doing something wrong. Weekly is a total failure.

[Bay Kid]

Thanks for all the weed killing ideas. I am looking to redo the rock beds, so who to use? There is a good underlayment that will drain and protect.