Dealing with grass and weeds in gravel paths and drive

[d000hg]

Our paths and car parking area are soil with a layer of small (10mm?) gravel. It's gotten pretty thin and we've struggled to keep weeds at bay - even using the maximum weedkiller dosage they don't disappear.

Clearly we need more gravel because in places it's virtually gone but will this alone make a big difference, with thicker gravel inhibit growth?

On paths and patios it's common to lay a membrane, but then you need quite deep gravel which probably means I'd have to dig the whole thing out a few inches - a huge job. And on driveways etc I don't think this is the norm anyway?
I doubt the soil underneath is that great or the weeds would grow even more, perhaps it needs pounding down as well?

All suggestions welcome - I don't mind managing the weeds but as it is, even this is impossible.

 

[scbk]

Ideally it all wants dug out.


For the driveway say 3"-6" of hardcore/scalpings/mot, then a couple inch of clean gravel on top.

For the paths you could (if the ground is quite hard) get away with a membrane then a couple inch of clean gravel.

The deeper you lay the gravel, the harder it is to walk on
If you do a good job of it now, it will still be looking half decent in a few decades, with a little maintenance.

 

[jfg]

white vinegar, a lot better in lot's of ways than chemical killers

 

[d000hg]

Will simply laying more gravel act as a short term fix? Digging it all out isn't something I've time or money for right now but if spreading a few tons of gravel will buy me a couple of years, I can put it in the long term plan!

 

[JohnD]

Pathclear.

 

[sodthisforfun]

It'll give you a quick fix and will work for a while. Problem is that you have earth underneath and between the gravel and until that's covered/removed, ideally with a weed membrane/hardcore then the weeds will keep rooting easily. All gravel paths will eventually fail, due to normal debris such as leaves rotting down and creating new soil on top of the membrane and the membrane getting damaged.

If you want a permanent driveway with little weed upkeep, then get it covered in tarmac/slabs.