Removing Weed from Tarmac Driveway.

Hi everyone

I was hoping to get some advice about removing weeds from the edges of a tarmac driveway. The Driveway is about 130ft total distance.

I have do some research myself

Glyphosate(Round-up) :- When i read up about this weed killer it states that it is very harmful to aquatic life, this makes glyphosate a big NO for me because the drains set in the driveway drain off to a large lake with lots of fish.

Vinegar : I have read that you can use vinegar but the acidity needs to be 15% and that you have to distill it yourself, from what i can gather there are lots of conflicting opinions on the usefulness of vinegar. Not sure

Weed Torch : Just don't like using these things.

One important point i have 1 dog, 2 puppies & 3 cats.

Does anyone have any advice on possibly making an organic weed killer that is friendly to aquatic life, or if there is a specialised weed killer i can purchase.

Any help greatly appreciated

Thanks
Darren.

 

I use vinegar for my paths and patios all the time Darren. Works well for me.

 

Although it may look unsightly for a while, you could try laying some strips of old carpet on it, but first put some plastic sheeting between the carpet and the weeds. It should take about three weeks to clear it. Of course, if there are any weed seeds, they are certain to come up once the carpet etc, is lifted. It's a very old problem, especially where you can't use something like Roundup.

 

Welcome to the forum Darren.
I used to have a similar problem with weeds growing in to the edge of a private tarmac road - some 250 yards.
I found road salt dumped on them did the trick, even for difficult weeds like mares tail.
I put it on in dry weather and added just enough water to start it dissolving and sinking into the roots.
I'm sure by the time it reached any water course the dilution was enough to render it harmless.

 

Thanks for all the replies so far. I think i am going to try the road salt, and see how that goes.

 

salt or vinegar? - smells fishy - maybe a load of cod.

Joking aside, please try it out on a small scale first and after that in small doses as there are fines for polluting waterways and neither of the above are approved for killing weeds. If salt runs off onto soil it can kill the plants in borders etc

 

Darren can't you use Round up by lightly spraying it on?

 

On a dry day... it's deactivated when in contact with the soil (does tarmac count as soil?)... if rain isn't forcasted for a few days... like in the South now

 

Hi, I have been looking on the "net" lately re:- "homemade weed killer".

Two or three seem to be popular.

Homemade Weed Killer #2

If weeds appear in the cracks of your sidewalk, the easiest and least expensive method to remove them is to simply pour boiling water on them. This method will kill any weed without using chemicals or changing your soil. This spot treatment can be difficult in tight areas of gardens, but is still very feasible with careful application.
Homemade Weed Killer #3
Boil water, pour on weeds, and then it will die.

>>> Another site went on to say that one could use a steam making devise...such as a wall paper stripper, or some other steam making devise, either made for the porpose or "borrowed", such as a small steam cleaner or some thing.

I like this idea, as it is "about the greenest of them all" what with no cemical or 'owt!!!!!......may need to repeat now and then:gnthb::gnthb:

Others include:-

The others use...bleach...or salt...or salt and vinegar...or using white vinegar, salt and dishwashing liquid. ...or1 cup of salt , 1 gallon vinegar 1 tablespoon soap.... went on to say...
"and my weeds all shriveled up within 2 hours after just a light spraying. Never have we had this kind of success even with roundup or other name brands. I am a huge believer in organic weed killer and would love to see all the poisons stay out of our ground and stay natural."


another:-
Salt & Vinagar treatment; 1 cup salt, I use cheap own brand cooking salt, 4 litres white own brand cheap vinagar, mix in a Plastic container until salt is dissolved then spray or use a an old cup and pour on the weeds.

another interesting one for prevention :-

>>>>>>>CORN MEAL (not corn Gluten meal): For the last 2 years we have been experimenting with corn meal as a weed suppressant. We have either ground whole dried corn or just purchased some cheap cornmeal at the store. It works very well. It is inexpensive & easy to get. After planting plants, or after the seeds we have sowed emerge, we sprinkle the area lightly/evenly with corn meal. This greatly reduces the amount of weeds sprouting in that area.>>>>>>


If you google for "home made weedkiller" as I did, you will find lots of sites talking about the various ideas.

Would not say if I would be happy to use all of them, BUT, compared to the vast amount of chemical used by farming (sulphuric acid to kill the tops of potato plants) and industry and on the roads by the millions of tons...maybe a small amount of "natural" substances used wisely (locally by hand sprayer maybe) would not be so bad in comparason.

Many thanks

Steve