weed control in paths

[oldmoleskins]

we've touched on this before, but I've recently rediscovered the joys of sodium chlorate (lovely, devastating, almost instant results) and while pre-treating a stretch of potential new gravel path dug out earlier in the year was going through the obvious options:

put membrane over consolidated hardcore, thin gravel so it's not like wading through Dungeness beach, but resign myself to membrane showing through in places

don't put membrane down and consign myself to a lifetime of spraying chemicals

and then I though of the mound of ash I have, built up during a couple of year's use of 'coal nugget' things in a now-redundant stove. Nothing grows through that ash heap. It is probably, beautifully toxic. Unlike bonfire ash, it has no place in garden use. I could spread it with the hardcore before compacting.

Has anyone ever used something like that in their paths as a built-in chemical control?

OM.

[Dutchy]

No but the thing that springs to mind is that it might leak.
I mean leak chemicals into your border and I have but a faint feeling that that is a no no.
Are things growing around the present ash heap?
If not don't use it but when things don't mind growing near it why not try it in the path.
It is not as if you are suffering the Ark building for dummies conditions Foz is facing.
So your paths will not swim off.
Ash does compact very well, which is why people out here don't use it on their clay soil.

Come on OM be adventurous.

[Amo]

I've just asked my builder and he said the ash would hold the water and probably end up like a quagmire.

If you are going to mix it with the hardcore it would act as a binding agent, bit like scalpens I suppose, and certainly sterile!! You are going to get weeds blowing in whatever you do underneath so buy a blowtorch

And don't forget to get the angular small gravel as that eventually knits together unlike the round and cats (sorry Lulufish) don't like larger stones as much. ;D

[JennyWrenn]

Read in Reader's Garden Hints in a mag that vinegar works - kills the weeds immed - may try it

[oldmoleskins]

Thanks all for your path input... 'leaking' isn't a problem - there's only grass alongside and the the base is about 6 inches below, so I think bordering grass is safe. Drainage could be a problem, particularly as there's no guttering to the buildings that this path runs along in front of, but as the ground is built up a bit there I think I can take a chance on that. And the addition of vinegar to the mix is a clincher. I did try this a while ago in another place - but at that time was worried by the proximity of a box hedge so didn't lash it on. I could liberally water the ash in with vinegar, pile on the hardcore whack it down with the whacker - and set about finding cat-friendly but wheelbarrow-friendly gravel...

OM

[Amo]

You go for it Moley!! And you DON'T want the cat friendly!! It will be squelchy and smelly then ;D ;D