What's up with the Weed Killers?

Boiling water is one way to kill weeds. It doesn't do a good job killing the roots though so if you have some of those perennial weeds with taproots they will probably come back. Works well for annual weeds though. The salt that's in brine will also act as a weed killer but since it's bad for plants I wouldn't use it for weeds in garden beds.

One of my friends told me last week on the phone she has had some success on her driveway using white vinegar mixed in the watering can with boiling water, she feels she got rid of all the annual weeds but expect to do several goes for the perennial weeds as they have larger roots and even though the top growth on those have died off, she thinks they may come back unless she resprays them as soon as there is enough green to take the soaking with the mixture, might be worth a try, would avoid doing this close to lawns, beds or borders though as I would imagine this would be very acidic stuff from the vinegar. good luck. WeeNel.

Let's start this thread up again.
I had a long gravel drivelay. Poisons worked, but cost a lot and I worried about toxicity. Boiling water worked, but is way too slow for a big area, and you have to lug hot teakettles back and forth all day. Hand pulling works, as does hoeing, but killed my back and knees. Vinegar kinda works, but costs a fortune. Maybe you could get a 50 gallon drum delivered.
Then I discovered my Benz-O-Matic Propane Weeder. It was cheap. You screw it on an ordinary little propane canister like you would use for a campstove. Then you wander down the driveway with a drink in your hand and scorch the weeds. You don't need to crisp them, just turn then bright green. If you do this about every 2 weeks at first even the tap rooted ones eventually give up. after that you go over it occasionally while the weeds are little and it is very quick. I gave my sister and her husband a Red Dragon propane Weeder. It's much more powerful for their acreage, but then you have to pull a bigger propane tank along behind . For my yard the Benz-O-Matic is perfect. I live near Seattle, so fire hazard is low in spring and fall, but in the summer I keep a big watering can nearby (I caught a wooden planter on fire once). Don't use it near bark mulch or your house or anything flammable. I love weeding gravel now.

These propane weeders are fantastic. I agree wholeheartedly wmimlakestevens

mlm
I am so glad you posted. Now I can show my DH who had taken over the burning the weeds. He keeps that fire on them so long the gravel glows! What a waste of time and fuel! Of course if I put a vacuum in his hand.....then the 'do it as quick as you can' bug bites.

I am a newbie to gardening and all, but I have an alley next to my house that has gravel and cement and the weeds did look awful and always allowed the weed seeds to spread to my lawn. Granted I don't have a large lot or long driveway, but we killed the weeds with a Roundup type chemical and put grass seed in place of the weeds. Looks a lot better and just needs a run of the mower when it gets long. Seems if you have a spot where weeds grow plant something there that you like, even a low growing ground cover maybe. Otherwise cover it with more gravel after you kill the weeds.

I agree mclar but can not plant in this scenario - it is a gravel driveway - we don't want anything growing on it (except maybe I'd tolerate a nice sparkly BMW!)

Have a Bismark seed just poped in a gallon baggie. the root or stem is growing down. Do i leave it like that ? are take it out and put it in a pot? First time germinate

waitsb--you might want to start your own thread since it's a completely different topic--if you go back one page and scroll all the way to the bottom of the page you'll see an area to start your own thread.

missingrosie--once you've flamed out all the weeds that are there now, you could consider using a pre-emergent herbicide to keep any new weed seeds from germinating. Unless your DH has so much fun with the torch that you don't want to take that excitement away from him of course!

Ecrane: Thanks for thinking of us DHs. We are so seldomly entertained that the thought of any thing that burns,blows up, or we can drive fast is about the highlite of our weekend. We need these little diversions to keep us sane. :-D Down with pre emergents!

I sort of figured the weed torch might be a guy favorite! LOL