Howdy folks I would like to landscape the side path to our house with pebbles and pavers. At the moment it is a mixture of soil and grass. I need to top it up ... what is the cheapest option and most effective to prevent weeds growing through the pebbles? Is it necessary to spray the soil with weed kill? Id like to use a natural one if possible. Do we need to put down some sort of matting to stop the weeds... Cheers
Yes Boiling water poured on weeds kills them I'm pretty sure the product you need is called weed mat.
Are you going to lay the pavers on a sand bed or on crushed rock base then a layer of sand? If you are using crushed rock, that will stop a lot of weeds. Or, are you mainly laying pebbles and a few pavers as steppers? Weeds always grow up,through those small pebbles. If it was me, and I wanted pebbles, I would chose the big river pebbles about 8-10cm wide. Much easier to keep weeds down. But you will still have to keep it maintained.
You don't need to spray the soil with weed killer. just lay down some black plastic and put the stones on top , you wont ever have weeds come up and you wont need as many stones just a thin layer.
Compacted crushed granite wont harbour weeds. Pebbles are a pain in the a and are just a mowing issue. The key step is ensuing the base has no vegetation. Spray to kill and excavate to required depth. Border sides. Consider weedmat. Layer the granite mix (mixed with cement by landscape supplier) and apply in several layers and plate compact each. Water and repeat. Fill sides with topsoil. Drink beer and admire effort. Natural weedkiller ? Roundup is a phosphorous salt not a poison. It just kills green things that are growing and can be used selectively to kills weeds, not crops. Its not uranium or cyanide
Many weeds come later from bird droppings on top and seeds blown about from other places. Vinegar is another weed killer if you dont want to use boiling water.
I paved a side path with pebbles and lay it with weed mat. Very effective. Haven’t had the need to weed the area. Probably because it’s narrow and out of direct sunlight.
As everyone above has said. Weed mat is the only way to truly try and stop the weeds from coming back up. I have a pebbles in my garden down the side of my house and I am forever pulling weeds out but garden was there before I moved in and happy to just keep on top of it.
Make sure you get a good weed matting- most of them are NOT effective after a short period, the weeds will grow right through them.
You will never completely stop the weeds. Birds drop seeds and seeds blow in to the gravel. At best you can slow then down, but some ongoing maintenance will be required to keep it weed free. And even black plastic breaks down over time, as does any other form of weed barrier. Marg
I have not used this "Pour On" product but I saw it the other day and thought wow, I like the sound of that. Permeable Resin Bound & Outdoor Paving Solution – Pour On
We like to recommend Weedgunnel - but amount might be a bit large for your job Weed Mat, Weed Mat, Weed Matting, Biodegradable weed matting, Organic Weed Control Australia
Thank you! I've seen this product on TV, but have been met with blank looks when I've tried to describe/buy it from Bunnings. Good now know where to get it from.
The key word that interests me is "permeable". So technically you could cover an entire site with the stuff and since it is not non-permeable you wouldn't be breaking council rules re maximum percentage of site permitted to be covered with non-permeable surfaces
