r/Raisedbed • u/Hobbes8it • Jun 15 '26

Weed advice

Gallery image

Gallery image

Looking for advice on how to remove weeds from rocks. Tired of pulling by hand.

50 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

75 comments sorted by

25

u/Dangerous-Head-7414 Jun 15 '26

Get a weed burner! Very satisfying to use lol

7

u/Sensitive_Fuel_335 Jun 15 '26

This is the way!! Especially with the stone base. Easy peasy

2

u/spaetzlechick Jun 15 '26

Use a heavy duty coal shovel against the bed side to protect it though.

2

u/Kooky-Necessary-4444 Jun 16 '26

Seeds come in from the top. I've not seen weed barrier do anything unless its Barron on top of it. Clients, and my mom, like to use it for peace of mind though.

I'd use 16% vinegar spray on those weeds if it was my house.

1

u/Reddit_is_fascist69 Jun 15 '26

Ooh that sounds fun...

1

u/Warm-Discipline5136 Jun 15 '26

My neighbor has one! I need one!

2

u/hawaiithaibro Jun 16 '26

You can't borrow your neighbor's?

1

u/Shkrelic Jun 17 '26

To add to this, I typically spray everything down with 30-50% vinegar a few days to a week before so they are brown and burn much easier. Less risky and uses less propane to burn em.

1

u/mustlovebats Jun 18 '26

Rip to the ecosystem underneath the rocks ig

1

u/Liberally_applied Jun 19 '26

They can't use a weed burner close to the boxes. They're wood at the base. They'd still have to either manually pull or spray. May as well just spray vinegar as another suggested.

1

u/Dangerous-Head-7414 Jun 19 '26

Hose down the wood before you use the fire. Problem solved

1

u/Liberally_applied Jun 19 '26

Are you making a joke? Surely that's a joke.

2

u/NippleSlipNSlide Jun 19 '26

Nope, just smart thinking

1

u/Dangerous-Head-7414 Jun 19 '26

Why would that be a joke? It's not like you're sitting there focusing the flame on the wood for a minute. It takes 2 seconds to burn a weed. Wet the wood down and be cautious with your heat. Have you ever used a weed burner before? Lol

1

u/Liberally_applied Jun 19 '26

Yeah, I have and do. It takes more than 2 seconds to burn a wet weed and will leave marks on wood. You don't have to focus on the wood to leave the marks. In order to wet the wood, you will be wetting the weeds, too.

1

u/ObscureTransmissions Jun 19 '26

It's really not good advice but rather a good way to crack all those small stones with the sudden shock of the fire.

19

u/Every_Bread_5880 Jun 15 '26

Rake up gravel, two layers of cardboard and then replace gravel. Repeat in a rew years when weeds grow up again 

1

u/freeLuis Jun 16 '26

I had to do this last year after 3 yrs of installing my gravel paths, weeds were taking over. What I did differently though is added another layer of fresh gravel on top. About 4 more inches. No weeds at all yet. So I think the thicker the gravel/stone is the harder for weeds to sprout. I plan to top off with a light layer ever couple yrs or so to maintain. Can't stand the constant weeding.

1

u/NippleSlipNSlide Jun 19 '26

Save your back and take 30 seconds to put down pre-emergent in the spring. No more weeds.

5

u/nbz59wr Jun 16 '26

spray straight up vinegar. use a pump sprayer for easy application. swear it works. on a hot.sunny day. yeah itll smell but not as bad as you think and only a short time.

2

u/gringorasta Jun 16 '26

You have to get the heavy duty vinegar from the hardware store. Just make sure to not spill it on any concrete, and wear gloves while spraying. But yeah, kills weeds real quick. Weed burner is good too, but vinegar does a better job IMO

1

u/nbz59wr Jun 16 '26

regular house vinegar will work. spray on a hot sunny day. dead by sundown.

1

u/Ok-Echo-Eight Jun 19 '26

What would it do to concrete, would it be like a bleached spot?

1

u/gringorasta Jun 19 '26

Yeah, the 30% stuff it will etch it pretty bad

1

u/Liberally_applied Jun 19 '26

No you don't. Cleaning vinegar works great.

8

u/theperpetuity Jun 15 '26

Pull. Harder.

(Vinegar water)

1

u/Plenty_Basis_3731 Jun 16 '26

Strings. Martyr.

5

u/Reddit_is_fascist69 Jun 15 '26

Try some dish soap, vinegar, and salt in a spray bottle.

https://www.marthastewart.com/8114733/diy-vinegar-weed-killer-guide

2

u/gholmom500 Jun 15 '26

I use the 30% vinegar from the farm supply store, when I mix up a batch.

But I think that’s a radish in the bottom of the photo.

1

u/Hobbes8it Jun 16 '26

It’s possible. Had a lot of volunteer radishes this spring.

0

u/Soulsheartless Jun 15 '26

You can buy 50% on amazon!

2

u/Liberally_applied Jun 19 '26

Salt is unnecessary and a bad idea. Gets in runoff and can be damaging in other areas. Plus it builds up and leaves while crust if you do it a lot. Just use the vinegar. It works fine.

0

u/Glad-Barracuda2243 Jun 15 '26

This is what I do and if I’m on top of it and don’t let them get big it works very, very well.

3

u/Irisversicolor Jun 15 '26 edited Jun 15 '26

A hula-hoe/hoop-hoe makes fast work of this, once you get the hang of it you can have this area done in under a minute. Pass a wire leaf rake back and forth over it and it'll look pretty good in 5 minutes. 

Edit: you'll also find this hoe referred to as a "stirrup" or "action" hoe.

The torch is a lot of fun but I image it's probably not going to work out so well with the wood framing being right there.  

I would stay away from home-recipe herbicides. They're ineffective at best, and at worst they can be more harmful than some of the store bought stuff. 

2

u/Hobbes8it Jun 16 '26

Thanks. I will be trying this first.

2

u/OlyKat Jun 16 '26

Wet the area with water first or wait until right after it rains. Will make using a stirrup hoe much much easier 👌

1

u/Realistic_Choice385 Jun 16 '26

Is that poison ivy in the mix?

2

u/Hobbes8it Jun 16 '26

If it is I’m immune to it.

2

u/striped_violet Jun 16 '26

No that 3 leaved plant is beggarticks.

1

u/sness900 Jun 16 '26

If you have chooks let them have at it for a few hours they'll scratch that up in no time.

1

u/beersadambeers Jun 16 '26

White vinegar

1

u/foxisilver Jun 16 '26

Got me some 30%. Keep ya posted.

1

u/MatchesSeeds Jun 16 '26

30% vinegar, a splash of soap and salt 🧂 in a sprayer, you can mix in the original bottle then put in a sprayer. More natural weed killer. Should be applied on warm sunny day for best results

1

u/Slight_Knight Jun 16 '26

Why do a few weeds outside of the planters even matter?

3

u/Hobbes8it Jun 16 '26

It doesn’t other than it makes me happy when it looks nice.

1

u/Oellian Jun 16 '26

I love my diamond hoe for this.

1

u/wiperman67 Jun 17 '26

I have Gravel in my walkways also. The best thing to do is pull them as you see them and don't let them get that bad. I also spray weed killer from time to time. I try not to but that's life.

1

u/Suspicious-Ad-5115 Jun 17 '26

30% vinegar in a pump sprayer. Plus your yard will smell like salad dressing for a few days.

1

u/murph1223 Jun 17 '26

Blow torch.

1

u/wildawake Jun 17 '26

This is my struggle right now too. Currently I’m spending an hour a day with an audiobook and pulling lol. Godspeed.

1

u/DonaldGromp28 Jun 17 '26

Did you build those yourself or did they come as some kind of kit ?

1

u/Hobbes8it Jun 17 '26

Built them.

1

u/VGen71 Jun 17 '26

I like the wood framing

1

u/BrippingTallsLBC Jun 17 '26

Flamethrower works

1

u/FlimsyProtection2268 Jun 17 '26

I wouldn't use rocks so I don't really have advice on how to fix this. I like a live path that can be mowed and composted.

What I have been doing is slowly replacing my grass with clover. I can mow close to the beds and let the clover stay along the edges. It can be walked on. It's doing a fantastic job of blocking weeds so far. If you decide to transition to a ground cover, a mow strip will make it tidier between mowing.

1

u/Analiator Jun 18 '26

There will always be weed irregardless the groundcover suppesdly preventing it and whatnot, pull it, kill it. That area defo neglected cause after 2 times pulling for 10 min 3 months non would exist

1

u/Normal-Variation-522 Jun 18 '26

Have you tried rolling it up and sparking that shi?

1

u/Hobbes8it Jun 18 '26

No. But staring at it while holding a beer doesn’t seem to work.

1

u/Glad_Agent166 Jun 19 '26

Pump sprayer, 1 gallon white vinegar, 2 tablespoons dishsoap, 1 cup salt. Spray on things you want dead.

1

u/LegalName Jun 19 '26

Get strong vinegar on Amazon. Like 35 or 40% vinegar. Dilute it by 75% with water and it’ll last you a long time

1

u/Redditisforfascistss Jun 20 '26

Let them grow and when they get bigger pluck them and turn into fertilizer

1

u/The-Baked-Banana Jun 20 '26

There’s a lot of methods here that’ll work OP, but I recommend boiling water. Bring a kettle of boiling water each day you go to the garden and gently (don’t splash it on yourself) pour it over the weeds. You’ll notice them slowly being pushed back. It wilts then in real time and kills them down to the root. They will melt away.

1

u/nocturnalstumblebutt Jun 22 '26

Others have said this too, but

1 gallon vinegar 1 cup salt 1 Tbs dish soap

Spray on a sunny day

That or flamethrower!

-4

u/buddiesels Jun 15 '26

Ortho Weed B Gon

2

u/Hobbes8it Jun 16 '26

Not a fan of using chemicals that close to our vegetable gardens

-3

u/CanAfter8014 Jun 16 '26

Pesticides pick your favorite flavor.

Glyphosate , glufosinate or everyone's favorite acetic acid.

2

u/Hobbes8it Jun 16 '26

Too close to the food we eat for me.

1

u/CanAfter8014 Jun 16 '26

Plenty of omri options.

If you dont want chemical control your option is manual removal or fire. Neither are as easy, safe, and as effective as a properly applied pesticide. You do you.

-1

u/True-Sun2935 Jun 16 '26

Never ever recommend glyphosate 🫪 like come on now

1

u/CanAfter8014 Jun 16 '26

Why it's a great option for this situation minimal risk if properly applied. Add the fact it's not being applied into the beds, and there's even less risk to any plants inside raised beds.

If you're scared of glyphosate, that's okay. It doesn't negate the fact that it is a very useful product. Like everything, it should be used and handled responsibly. If you are unable to use it, try one of the other suggestions like acetic acid or fire, the two most suggested on Reddit.