Gravel is more than just a pretty surface. If not appropriately managed, it can also be a perfect place for weeds to thrive. However, tackling weeds in your gravel driveway doesn’t mean you must resort to harsh chemicals that might spoil your garden.

When it comes to most weeds you find on gravel, gardening expert Barney from the Jolly Gardener blog claimed that “a homemade solution could prove to be an effective solution”. For those preferring environmentally-friendly options, there are several natural remedies and DIY weed killers you could try — despite being all-natural, one has been labelled as “lethal”.

Lemon juice 

When sprayed directly onto weeds, the acetic acid in lemon juice works at killing weeds by drying out the foliage.

Simply squeeze the juice from the lemons and add it to a spray bottle. You can probably tell by now that you might need a lot of lemons to cover a gravel driveway, so perhaps this natural method is more suited to the odd pesky weed growing between paving slabs than for covering large areas.

Vinegar and baking soda

Vinegar works fine as a standalone organic weed killer, but when mixed with baking soda provides a “lethal concoction”.

Barney explained: “The acetic acid in vinegar and the high content of salts in baking soda provide a lethal concoction for getting rid of unwanted weeds in a day.”

For “best results”, mix one part baking soda with two parts vinegar and apply with a hand sprayer to the foliage.

This method works best on young plants, but several applications may be required to kill off the most stubborn annual and perennial weed growth.

Salt 

Use approximately 200g of cheap table salt per litre of water and apply directly to the weeds and gravel.

For this method to be successful, there will need to be a couple of days without rain. Barney said, “Results should be seen within 10 days.”

Once the weeds have been removed, the expert recommends using rock salt as a “preventive measure to keep pesky weeds from growing back”.