[LordX]

Hey all - I have a 4 foot chain link fence that surrounds my entire pool in the back yard.

A couple of years ago, my wife and I spent too many hours digging, laying weed tarp, and putting little white rocks all around the fence. We thought we were done - and of course we weren't! Grass/weeds grew right in the rocks themselves!

So then we resorted to round-up... but this is a tremendous amount of footage, especially when you have to do both the inside and outside.

So now I am looking to make a more permanent solution - and an idea I had was some black rubber 'matting' that I got for a little room that I was making into a home gym. It isn't super thick, but it has good enough weight that I think it would prevent things from growing.

I could cut lengths of 6 inches by 10 feet, and shimmy them under the fence. May not look the best, but it would look better than weeds - and be safer than spraying poison all around my backyard (have kids now).

Any other ideas would be certainly welcome - or even how I would go about getting custom lengths of this material (I really don't want to cut it myself, I don't have the tools/garage layout to do it).

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,.... No matter what ya put down, weeds will eventually grow on top of it in the dust, 'n dirt that lands there from natural causes,...

The rubber mat would look pretty tacky wouldn't it,..??

Weed killer a couple times a season, or weed wackin' up to it are how I deal with it on my fences,....

 

[SeniorSitizen]

There are soil sterilizers available if you care to go that route.

 

[de-nagorg]

A walk around the fence line with a lit propane torch once in a while, eradicates those weeds.

Of course be careful that the surrounding vegetation is wet enough to not cause a major catastrophe.

As well as be careful of any buildings, and your hairy legs.

ED

 

[ZTMAN]

You state it takes a long time to spay Round Up. I assume then you are using those little bottles with the trigger they sell in the big box stores. Get some Round Up concentrate, mix it in a pump sprayer, and it will take no time to keep the weeds under the fence as dead as a door nail

 

[LordX]

ZTMan - I am a DIY noob for home stuff (gimme computers/electronics and I am all set though).

Where would I obtain round up concentrate and a pump sprayer? Big box stores or special order?

An automatic sprayer that is attached on my back like a backpack would be nice - but I also don't wanna spend tooooo much on one.

That sounds like it would work nicely for the majority of the property - however there is still one IMPORTANT part.

One section of my fence borders my neighbors yard - and he is a CLASSIC 'get off my lawn' old man who looks at his lawn with a magifying glass on his hands and knees (no joke).

So I cant be willy-nilly spraying round up on that part of the fence, which initially got me thinking about the rubber mat stuff since I could just put it there and never think about it.

 

[de-nagorg]

Concentrate and pump sprayers are available at hardware and most home improvement BOX stores .

Are really simple to operate , even a NOOB can do it.

ED

 

[SeniorSitizen]

With the neighbor's attitude along with over spray / wind drift, I suggest you forget a sprayer was ever made. Use a saturated sponge to apply the Glyphosate ( Round-Up ).

 

[Oso954]

If you don't have expansive soil or frost heave problems in your area, I would consider a concrete fence underpayment or mowing strip.

 

[Bud9051]

I tried some wood under the fence but the mice decided they liked it and make it into their home. My next try will be 2x4's on each side screwed together to give me a surface for my weed trimmer to trim against. If some weeds grow up between the boards it will be easy to control the weed killer to just the gap.

I also need a pet barrier to keep my friends inside.

Bud

 

[cjm94]

If you know any farmers they will havewhat you need I have bare dirt around my LP tank haven't had to respray for 4 years yet.

 

[de-nagorg]

Farmers reminded me of a solution.

Adopt a few chickens, they keep their area free of weeds and bugs, and anything else that tries to get in .

Of course you will need to clip their wings, or they will "Fly the pen", and be gone, Then there's the noise factor, that grumpy old neighbor might not like the early wake-up crow.


ED

 

[Startingover]

Roundup hasn't worked for me but stuff I buy at my nursery is great, 'Kiltz' weed killer. I bought a 2 gal pump sprayer for $19. Easy peasy.

Trigger sprayers tire my fingers.

 

[DexterII]

I like Oso's suggestion, always have, but it would be a pretty good size job, and, as mentioned, you need the right climate and soil for it. I remember one year that I was disappointed, may have been the climate or timing that year, but otherwise have had good results with Roundup. I finally retired my 30 some year old stainless sprayer a couple of years ago, and got a new 3 gallon plastic one, right around $20 at Ace Hardware as I recall. Figure about how many square feet you need to treat, and you will be able to figure from the manufacturer's websites or from the labels at your local big box, hardware, or garden center how much product you need. It's not inexpensive, but, based on my experience anyway, it will keep fine for a couple of years. It's safe enough if handled properly. Obviously keep it away from kids and pets, and I always where rubber gloves and goggles just to be safe. The first thing I always try to do when I get the sprayer out is put a quart or so of just water in the sprayer, and spray the sidewalk. This tells me that the nozzle is clear, and reminds of what the pattern is so that I don't spray things that I don't want to. Designate and mark a measuring cup or whatever just for the sprayer, mix only what you will use, clean the sprayer when you're done, hang the hose up to drain, and it will give you good service.

 

[joecaption]

I have to treat up to 17 yards and several driveways.
The pump sprayer was killing me and was way to slow, so I broke down and bought this sprayer. http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200644983_200644983
It has a broad cast nozzle on the back that sprays about an 8' wide spray when doing the whole driveway.
The power cord and hose is long enough that I can sit on the lawnmower while spraying.
There's an on/off switch on the cord that gets attached next to the seat.
The nozzle has a lock on it to hold it in the on position.
It now takes me 1/10 TH the time to do the job and no more having to stop and pump it up, refill, carry it around.
This is what I use to kill anything that dares to try and grow.
It stays dead for a year.
http://www.agrisupply.com/glystar-original-weed-killer/p/57379/
First thing I look at on the label is the amount if active ingredient.
This one has 41 percent.
Look at how much is in Round Up 360, only 1 %, the rest is filler.
http://www.roundup.com/smg/goprod/r...ntrol-365-with-ready-to-use-wand/prod11000008

 

[ZTMAN]

Joe, I don't think you can compare agri concentrate to round up ready to use because you have to dilute the agri. Look at the round up concentrate. It has 50 percent active ingredients for the super round up

 

[cjm94]

That's why I go to my farming friends. Tell them what I want to do and they get me the good stuff.

 

[SeniorSitizen]

Round-Up is not for impatient people. It requires time to kill the roots. For quick results on grass paint/spray it with paint thinner, diesel fuel or something on that order.

That old man told me " sometimes good things take a little longer "

 

[jeffmattero76]

Harbor Freight sells a 4 gallon backpack sprayer for $20. Mix up roundup from concentrate you can buy at nurseries or even possibly home depot, and walk the perimeter while spraying. Very easy and effective.

Sent from my LG-D415 using Tapatalk

 

[Nik333]

Regular table salt works, too, if it is contained.
I like your idea of a black rubber/plastic; you could put the rocks on top. ( Kids do like to throw them while in the pool) Even Roundup has weeds that are now resistant. Some other herbicides affect surrounding trees. Your neighbor might mind that. A ground cover that overwhelms weeds also might work.

Nothing grows in modern kitty litter. Sounds ridiculous but works. Depends if it is narrow enough to not encourage cats.

Plastic lawn edging will prevent whatever you put down from going into your neighbor's grass & your pool.. Comes in at least 25' strips. Good luck!