Gardening fans share their top tips for banishing pesky gravel weeds – & all you need is already sitting in your kitchen
AVID gardening enthusiasts have revealed their favourite methods to get rid of annoying gravel weeds with items already in your home.
Gravel is an inexpensive way to give your garden a more rustic feel – but if neglected, it can also become overrun with pesky weeds, instantly ruining the look.
Fortunately, fans of the hobby have taken it to Gardening UK page on Facebook to share their top tricks for banishing the plant.
One member of the group, John Hopkins, sought advice: “My wife and I are getting on a bit and it’s a real chore to try and keep the gravel area free of weeds.
”Your views and experiences please?”
There were more than a hundred responses and many strongly advised against using store-bought chemical weed killers and instead, recommended a range of natural methods.
Laurie Cunningham said: “Instead of a dangerous pesticide… we use either boiling water or a solution of vinegar. Both work.”
Terry Turner commented: “I used white vinegar on my gravel driveway and it worked a treat.”
Meanwhile, Sophie Harland replied: “White vinegar is game-changing for this as it’s too acidic for weeds to survive.
”I buy cheap bottles of white vinegar and lash it around where I don’t want weeds, just squirt it on neat in dry weather and it kills gravel weeds overnight.
“It works for removing moss on paths too. It dried it right out so the moss just brushes off.”
Jane Sedgwick revealed: “I buy the Stardrops white vinegar spray from Home Bargains, it’s only about 80p and it works a treat.”
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White vinegar is believed to effectively remove moisture from weeds, in turn killing them by dehydration.
Other members of the group suggested another natural approach – boiling water and salt.
Sandra Lovett wrote: “Boiling salt water kills them overnight, then do it as soon as they start showing through again.”
Marylin Needham said: “Pour boiling water on it. I got this tip from a gardening group and tried it out for myself. It’s cheap and cheerful.”
Jack Pengelly penned: “Sprinkle salt (lidl 18p a box) on a dry day when rain (but not torrential) is forecasted.”
Similarly to white vinegar, salt, too, dehydrates weeds and disrupts the internal water balance.
The mineral, available at all supermarkets, such as Sainsbury’s and Aldi, is most effectively applied when mixed with water.
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