Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2012 10:56:50 GMT 1
This year I have sprayed our front once a month, we still have the odd weed popping through so I will keep spraying until next May time and then put a new layer of gravel on top. I know I will still have to spot weed on a regular basis.
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Post by troll on Sept 23, 2012 11:10:17 GMT 1
I let the pony graze my "drive" yesterday!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2012 11:19:40 GMT 1
It's a relaxed attitude I've come to expect from you troll....
And it does give WWW and RD another option - go for the natural, bucolic look, and b*gger the weeds....
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newport
I'm settling in nicely
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Post by newport on Sept 23, 2012 13:26:13 GMT 1
In my experience the weeds will always win having membraned a number of drives the weeds still get through weed killer is the only way
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Post by lib on Sept 23, 2012 20:22:02 GMT 1
This subject is always interesting and Annon has a good point. Over the years I have laid down a few 'drives' of all shapes and sizes. The only conclusions I have come to are, membranes are a waste of time and money. (Lady S is a great one for using membranes esp where she wants gravel and 'rockery - alpines' type plants, she spends time weeding the top surface, because the wind borne seeds alight on the gravel and are left to germinate.) The material chosen must match the usage and not just the aesthetics.
On an area that is hard standing for vehicles, ie parking as opposed to vehicles passing over it I have found that 20mm clean limestone is good. Round about 40mm deep. The size seems to not hold wind borne seed has they appear to be 'washed' through. On my present main car parking it remains almost weed free. The underlying surface is hard compacted earth. Until I worked this area it was grass , part of a field. I compacted it using a hand 'Wacker Plate' and Limestone graded 1/8th inch to dust. There is no point in trying to vibrate when wet as you will only end up playing mud pies, then only a good heavy roller will do. Edged this with cobble stones as the main drive was to be of 10 to 15mm clean limestone 'cos it looks better. Lady S wanted a turning circle so I did one way in just laying two tyre tracks and laying 1/8 to dust until it was well compacted by vehicles. the the way out is on a rise and the whole rise was compacted and 1/8 to dust layered with 10 15 mm clean limestone. Again stays virtually weed free. Bear in mind we are in a farming area and there are many wind borne seeds etc.
I have also built a parking area to the side / rear for the gas wagon, coal man etc to turn. This goes from zero depth to 5 feet. Dry stone wall capped with very heavy copings then unfilled with earth, small rock, and hard core. Topped off with usual dust up to 20mm. Compacted this by running the bobcat (Mini-Pel) over it. This gets little use but remains weed free, but the track edges leading to it are full of weeds lodging in earth / mud washed down.
Have attached a couple of pics of the rear just before final layer of 20mm, will show other side if can find some pics. We have a lot of gravel as paths in the garden and we do not bother about plants that self seed if we like them, weeds are just kicked. The paths are pea gravel on compacted earth but only a very thin layer. A few minutes rakeing with a leaf rake sorts it out. Sorry for the length of this. PS Asked my mate how the drive is that we laid at his place in france some years ago, he's concreted some of it 'cos the kids keep churning it up with their cars. Pic is starting point of rear car park
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Post by lib on Sept 23, 2012 20:23:05 GMT 1
Ready for final dressing
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Post by lib on Sept 23, 2012 20:32:29 GMT 1
Don't know if this helps but this is an early laying out of paths and flower beds. Part of the front car park is at the right. All turf has been removed.
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Post by lib on Sept 23, 2012 20:35:17 GMT 1
This is the barn part of the house we already have allowed plants to seed in the gravel but it really does remain pretty weed free.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2012 20:51:51 GMT 1
Looks a gorgeous place lib....
Seems to be that you're getting good weed control just by heavy compaction of the sub-base....
I don't know what kind of user performance you get out of 20mm aggregate, though, without 'fines' to bind it. Is there just pedestrian traffic on this? Is it like a beach, albeit aesthetic?
There's another notion that limestone - 'calcaire'- will slowly breakdown and influence the pH of the underlying soil to the extent that weeds are inhibited for this reason, but then I have been drinking....
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2012 20:55:58 GMT 1
Looks a gorgeous place lib.... Seems to be that you're getting good weed control just by heavy compaction of the sub-base.... I don't know what kind of user performance you get out of 20mm aggregate, though, without 'fines' to bind it. Is there just pedestrian traffic on this? Is it like a beach, albeit aesthetic? There's another notion that limestone - 'calcaire'- will slowly breakdown and influence the pH of the underlying soil to the extent that weeds are inhibited for this reason, but then I have been drinking.... Flipping heck!! and I just thought it was a question of who beats the weeds.
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