What about a product that is a mix of sand and a poison retaining crystal or particulate material? The poison would be for weed prevention. The application would be for use when setting patio stone or pavers using the 'dry laid' method. The poison contained within the particulate material should last about two years and be renewable with a simple liquid application.
While there are already time-released weed poisons for the garden that could be added to sand. None can offer two years of effectiveness.-- Cosmo, Aug 31 2003 More poison in the soil = bad. --- Pseudonym #3, Aug 31 2003 Am l missing something here? If existing soil sterilizers such as Casoron only last 6 months or so, how is it that sand is going to quadruple the effective life of the chemical?-- bristolz, Aug 31 2003 Yeah, think of the poor endangered Northern Speckled Sarlac.-- DeathNinja, Aug 31 2003 bristolz,------------The sand does nothing to extend the effectiveness of the poison. I'm looking for a poison that is mixed into the sand and has properties of its' own, which degrade slowly.-- Cosmo, Aug 31 2003 Salt, then salt water. Both products here are courtesy of the Atlantic Ocean, but I’m sure any ocean will suffice.-- Shz, Aug 31 2003 [Cosmo],You're also going to want to be careful about any type of poison or herbicide you add to the sand that is more toxic than the salt which [Shz] suggests because you or your stone masons are going to be working in close personal proximity to the mix for a prolonged period of time. I can't imagine that breathing in that sand dust is going to be good for my health, and repeated prolonged contact with my hands, arms, face, and chest is very likely to cause serious skin irritation or worse. Nor can I imagine trying to lay a stone patio in the hot sun clad in a protective chemical suit.
Living with the occasional weed poking through and dealing with it by routine strimming or the very occasional spritz of Roundup begins to sound like a lot smarter course of action.-- jurist, Aug 31 2003 <just curious> [UB], do you use the word “pavers” as a thing? </jc>-- Shz, Aug 31 2003 Good idea but why only kill weeds? Don't like dogs, kids on your property, mother-in-law...the list goes on.-- subchief, Aug 31 2003 Shz, Great simple solution, I'm going to test it out soon. Thanks.
Jurist, Good point,however safety concerns are al- ready an issue. Most would agree that when working with cement products with their current chemical components,etc. It is recomended that goggles,gloves and pro- tective clothing be worn. Many workers just ignore these warnings.
Also I was trying to eliminate the weekly weed-wacking and regular spraying of Roundup products.
UnaBubba, Your suggestion is valid for that particular method of paving. I'm concerned with air- borne weed seeds lodging between pavers.
subchief, he,he,he,........(laughing) I only wish it was that easy to get rid of the kids,dogs and the mother-n-law. I've never seen my mother-n-law licking the sand out between any of my brick walk-ways.
Shz, Wouldn't salt just wash away after one good rain storm?-- Cosmo, Aug 31 2003 The salt will definitely cure the weed problem; but as you point out, it is quite soluble. It has a tendency to leach into any bordering vegetation (like your lawn and nearby shrub and tree roots), and will hasten its demise as well.-- jurist, Aug 31 2003 One can also flame or steam the weeds (good for a few months), but they're energy demanding methods.-- FarmerJohn, Aug 31 2003 Mix in some UraniumOxide from the nearest nuclear dump. It will last a long time, it will kill most things, and whatever keeps growing may have interesting properties.-- kbecker, Sep 05 2003 random, halfbakery