Landscaping rocks make any garden worth it. These low-maintenance decorations allow you to achieve any look and feel without damaging the soil underneath. However, their porous nature will allow any weeds to seep through and damage your garden.
Keep weeds out of landscape rocks by implementing a solid sub-base layer of gravel in-between layers of landscape fabric or weed barrier for the best results. Other options include using weed killer chemicals, vinegar, salt, or other natural weed killers.
With the right precautions, you can easily prevent weeds from growing through your landscape rocks, but it does not stop there. The same treatments can work with other forms of landscaping. As such, by reading further, you will learn how to do them the right way to get the best results.
How Do You Get Rid of Weeds in Rocks Easily?
Nothing enhances your yard like highlighting it with decorative rocks. They fit into any space. They offer excellent, low-maintenance drainage and airflow for your plants. They are also easy to install and design into patterns and shapes.
Despite the benefits, landscape rocks come with a huge downside. They are very porous as landscaping material. As such, weeds can grow between the rocks.
To make matters worse, dealing with these weeds without disturbing anything else can pose quite a challenge.
Therefore, you need a more permanent solution for controlling the weeds. Something you can do once, or at least once a season. Luckily, there are a few easy-to-use steps to do just that.
Step 1: Clear Out Any Existing Weeds
If you want to keep the weeds out, you must start with a clean lawn. That means removing any weeds that currently inhabit your yard, especially around where you want to use your rocks. You can use any weed removal method you like here.
Some of the more popular ones include:
- Your hands
- Commercial or home-made weed killer
- Plastic sheets
Here’s a cool video showing the best tools to remove weeds:
Step 2: Remove the Landscape Rocks and Store Them
Once you remove the weeds, you must then remove the rocks because you must modify the base soil underneath them. Just store them in a safe place so you can put them back later.
Because this may require some effort, you should store them somewhere near your work area.
Step 3: Place Landscape Fabric as a Base
Your next step is to lay down water-permeable landscape fabric as a base over the exposed area. The fabric will keep most weeds from growing under the rocks while allowing water to pass through.
It will also prevent anything that remains from becoming tall enough from popping up.
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Step 4: Apply a Sub-Base on top of the Landscape Fabric
Next up is adding a sub-base of gravel or stones. While optional, a sub-base keeps your landscape rocks in place while providing an additional layer of protection against weeds. It also improves drainage and soil stability.
Step 5: Add Landscape Fabric Layer
Some weeds are strong enough to punch through most landscaping fabrics, but they usually lose their potency as they do it. As a result, you should add a second layer of fabric for additional protection,
Just note that the extra layer will decrease your soil’s drainage. Therefore, you may want to skip this step when working with a garden.
Step 6: Install Edging
Before you put your rocks back into place, you should consider adding some landscape edging. The edging prevents weed growth along the perimeter of the rock layer.
Most experts recommend using a 6-inch edge to achieve the best results, but you should use what works for your yard.
Step 7: Place the Rocks Back
With everything else in place, you can now bring your rocks back. Evenly install the rocks are you normally would. Just makes sure you try to leave the gaps between them as small as you can. Keep adding rocks until you no longer see the fabric underneath.
Step 8: Implement Some Preventative Measures
Finally, you may want to use some preventable measures to ensure the weeds stay gone forever. Any preventative measure will do, though using several in conjunction may add additional protection.
Some popular measures include:
- Long-lasting weed killers
- Torching any weeds that pop up
- Salting the ground without any desirable plants
What Can I Put Between Stones to Prevent Weeds?
Stone pavers make great patios, driveways, and garden paths. However, weeds can pop up in their gaps. While you could just routinely remove the weeds as you see them, there is a better way. You can fill the gaps with polymeric sand.
The artificial sand never degrades, making it the perfect filling for stones. Water turns the sand into cement, reducing erosion as well.
How Do I Keep Weeds Out of My Gravel Landscaping?
Many people use gravel instead of landscape rocks since it is a natural weed killer. However, some weeds may still get through.
Luckily, there are a few things you can do to reduce the likelihood of weeds popping through your gravel landscaping.
Vinegar
Vinegar is a natural herbicide. However, it dries up quickly. You can improve its longevity by adding salt. Just make sure you only pour the solution on the gravel. The salt will permanently contaminate the soil.
Weed Killers
While not as environmentally friendly, weed killers will help you manage the weeds. Weed killers come in different levels of potency. So, you should get the one that best fits your situation.
Salt
For particularly troublesome areas, you can use salt directly. Just sprinkle the salt over the area. You can even add it to water to make it easier to dispense.
Landscape Fabric
Landscape fabric creates a barrier that permanently keeps weeds out of your gravel, while still letting water through.
Check out the deals on Landscape Rock Found Here on Amazon. Don’t forget to use a Quality Landscape Barrier Like This under the rock to prevent weed growth.
Conclusion
Weeds can ruin any landscaping, including decorative rocks, paving stones, and gravel. Fortunately, you can deal with the weeds in a few simple steps. Some of these steps are permanent, while others are only temporary. Either way, they all help maintain the beauty of your backyard.