Gravel paths are very popular in the garden because they fit well into any type of garden design. The gravelled surface easily compensates for subsidence, which is often a problem with path slabs. However, the loose structure is difficult to control weeds. In this article you will find out how to keep the large area of the gravel path weed-free with minimal resources.
How can you effectively remove weeds from a gravel path?
To clear weeds from a gravel path, use a pendulum hoe to separate the weeds down to the roots. Prevent weed growth by bordering the path with a lawn edge, laying out drainage or weed fleece and spreading the gravel on top. Avoid chemical weed killers as they can cause environmental damage.
Weed control with the pendulum hoe
Permanently removing weeds from gravel surfaces without chemicals is possible with an almost forgotten garden tool, the pendulum hoe (€26.00 at Amazon). With this tool, which is also available in an electric version, gravel paths can be cleared of weeds in a relatively short time. By moving back and forth, the unwanted greenery is separated root-deep and can be easily trimmed. In this way, the weeds are damaged so badly that after a while they hardly grow back and the path remains permanently free of weeds.
Prevent weed growth through clever path design
When you create a gravelled path, you can do a lot to make later maintenance easier:
- Always border gravel paths with a lawn edge. This prevents the green from unintentionally spreading into the gravel.
- Dig the path about 20 centimeters deep.
- Lay a drainage or weed fleece that is not too thin on the smoothed soil. A grammage of 90 grams per square meter is ideal. Weeds remaining in the soil cannot grow through the gravel surface.
- Put the gravel on top and smooth the surface.
Grouping wild herbs can be removed very easily using this measure. Since the roots are not anchored in the ground, you can pull them out without any effort.
Not very effective: The chemical club
It sounds tempting: spray on weed killer and the green wild plants disappear as if by magic. Unfortunately, the use of herbicides only shows short-term success. Only freshly germinated weeds are reliably killed, but they must be removed in a second step. Larger and stronger plants often remain standing and you have to weed them mechanically. Seeds lying dormant in the ground are not recorded at all and are not lost to anyone. This makes multiple applications necessary.
In addition, the sprayed agents not only damage wild plants, but can also cause environmental damage and are also classified as toxic to humans.
Tip
The pendulum hoe is also suitable for removing weeds in vegetable beds. The pendulum movement creates only minimal lateral movement of the earth, so that the growth of tender lettuce plants and freshly planted vegetables is not disturbed.
