Wratherax

It's too much square footage for a tarp. How long would it take to kill everything that way anyway?

calvino

depends on heat... black plastic works best, another good method is to weedwack the area, get rid of the weeds and "bake" the soil to kill the weeds, where i live it is HOT but up where you live (guessing Pa) it is probabaly snowing... or very cold, i would try different methods of killing them, heck, get CREATIVE, if you gota nitro, drive it over the area, nitro fuel = good weed killer (that is what a ton of people say[8D])

s7jstep1

yeah just run really rich and the raw fuel will kill the grass lol

calvino

or just take some old fuel and dump it on the track and (SAFELY) light it, naw, prob wouudln't work[],. ha, tons of oil spewing out of the exhust + trucks weight + tires thrassin the weeds = theyre GONE soon

Wratherax

Going to tear the top layer off of the entire track, coat it with a layer of clay dirt from the giant pile we have nearby, and then cover the entire track with rock salt right before it rains. It's going to be a ton of work but that's the plan. It'll get rid of all the weeds, leave few roots, and the salt will kill and sterilize the ground for a good long time.

Dudelive

Weed killer is your best friend, talk to someone in your area that does landscaping. They can and will tell you that weed killer is the correct and safe way to do this. I have used weed killer myself and when used according to all the directions on the container it will work. This is one case where more really ain't better. You have to use it most times when there is just the correct amount of moisture in the ground to carry the product to the plant correctly and not just dry up or evaporate due to the sun or wind blew it away. Spraying late in the evening after the sun has gone down behind the trees and buildings so there is shade on the area to be sprayed works best for me also the wind has calmed totaly down by then usually.

Don't pour diesel fuel or any other product that will chance damaging the water supplies or streams. You really don't want that problem...........EXPEN$IVE

calvino

i may also recomend adding a little soap and oil to the mix, sounds dumb but the soap will cut the surface tension of the water and make it flow better, while the oil will alow the killer more time to do its job, that is if you have to spray in the heat of the day[>:]

boltech

KILLEX Herbicide.. 3 days the weeds and grass nearest to the track will turn yellow. By the end of the week they will be brown and dried up.

Wratherax

Well, like I said, we tried RoundUp Super Concentrate. It's been almost a week now and nothing has happened. The mixture was correct.

Wratherax

And also I don't see any Killex products that kill weeds AND grass.

BuzzBomber

My Feedback: (4)

DO NOT salt the land. You will be creating a permanent alkalinity problem by doing so which will require soil remediation if you or anyone else wants to do anything on that land within the next century. I deal with these problems frequently since I'm a landscape architect and our firm's business is designing and building parks and athletic fields.

I think the problem you are having with roundup is that the surfactants in the concentrate break down over timeif the concentrate is sitting on the shelf for a long time, it does not do it's job properly when applied because it won't bond to the plant's surface and be absorbedthis is also why you are supposed to shake the misture before applying. And no, adding soap to the concentrate doesn't work in practice. Back in college I worked for a contractor and did a lot of pesticide/herbicide application and we had the same problems when using older batches of roundup and/or arsenal at times.

Best suggestion I can give is go get your money back and get a FRESH bottle of roundup concentrate, look for a date code and buy the newest one you find, or at least don't buy anything that's been sitting on the shelf long enough to collect dust. Don't mix it any stronger than the directions call for, it doesn't necessarily help. Once the weeds are killed, you will want to spray a "pre-emergent" herbicide on the track surface, this will keep any new weeds from growing and will have to be re-applied occasionally.

Wratherax

I'm going to try that. You definitely seem to know what your talking about. Can you give an example of the "pre-emergent" herbicide?

I'm still not totally throwing out the salt idea. The piece of land that we are on is in a low flood plain that was an airport and trailer homes before 1972 (big flood up northeast that year). I know for sure that no one is going to try and grow anything on this piece of land ever. At least once or twice a year the flying field and car tracks flood because they are on such low lying land. That is why this section of land was never rebuilt on after 1972. I'm going to try the roundup again, but I'm not totally throwing out the idea for rock salt as a pre-emergent herbicide just yet.

BuzzBomber

My Feedback: (4)

I know some really good ones, but you need a pesticide applicator's license to get them[)]. As far as over the counter stuff, Preen works well, so do Pendulum, Simazene, and Surflan. Look for something that says "prevents new weed growth".

Wratherax

I used to use Preen in one of my previous landscaping jobs. It was the dry spread stuff. I'll have to see if they make anything that will kill and prevent weeds. Be a hell of a lot faster and easier to just pull out the spreader and cover the track that way.

As of right now, me and the rest of the guys have decided that, now that the paved oval and dirt track are just about completely restored, we're going to simply weedwack the dirt track once a month and start running our trucks on it much more often since just about all of the labor that went towards fixing up the tracks is now out of the way. Those two things alone will keep the weeds down pretty damn well. Also thinking about coating the track in rock salt after the next weedwacking just before it rains lol (we might be able to get a crapload for free)

I can't wait til we get everything finished and in tip top condition. We spent the last month and a half restoring a dirt track and paved oval that had been abandoned about 4-5 years ago. You wouldn't have known they were there because the weeds and grass were so tall and thick.

I'll put picks of em up once it's all done.

boltech

I would not recommend it if I didn't use it. Wilson "WipeOut" is also very good. Maybe such products are banned where you live.

dsales

To keep everyone happy, enviromentalists and destructive people, just burn the damn grass, the grass and weeds will be gone within a few hours and the land will be more fertile than before

calvino

more fertile for new weeds eh, i just took out or weed wacker, killed my neck and back and go rid of em (for now) am going to spray the track down with that "bleach and water mix" to get rid of anything i didin't get. it was worth the effort, makes the track AWESOME[8D]

nubzorz

dont know if this will help but i spray my car down useing air compressor i blow out the big crap stuck on the chasis then i use electrical component safe contact cleaner to get all the stuck-on dirt and whatnot

sunco1

use a goat [)]

calvino

i just got fed up with the weeds, and grabbed my dads weed eater, and cut em that way, worked AWESOME, about oh an hours worth of work i got it almost all cleared out (few "micro weeds" and that is all) now all i have to do is stay on top of the track

Wratherax

I have a really good and expensive weed wacker and leaf blower that I've been using to maintain the track. That's what I'm going to have to continue to do at least once a month. The track is quite large though so it takes at least a day for me to do it alone.

Wratherax

So, I've solved the vegetation problem on our track. A friend of mine owns a huge walk behind tiller (2 foot wide blade), and yesterday, we began tilling the track. It's going to take a few days, if not up to a week to till the entire thing and then rack smooth and use our roller to pack down the loose dirt. After that's done, I'm going to find out about getting a small truckload of rock salt in to cover the track jsut before it rains to help prevent any further weeds from growing.

As far as maintenance goes, it appears as though once a month we'll run through the entire track with a weed wacker to take care of anything that persists. But overall, this track is going to look INCREDIBLE when it's done. And right next to our paved oval that is almost complete as well (just needs a bit of pavement over a few holes on the high side of the turns and sealant over the cracks that circle the inner barrier of the track.

Yeah, once a month we'll weedwack the track and surrounding area to make it look nice, then blow everything off (the oval in particular to get rid of the little rocks and whatnot that tend to send our street cars airborne every time.

I'll get pics up when everything is completely finished.

hands without shadows

I think you highly underestimate the power of salt. A small truckload is way past overkill. The salt will wash away and seriously damage the surrounding area. When I said nothing would grow there for the next decade I was talking lightly. This isn't something you want to mess with.

Dudelive

Unfortunately any damage that results from run off, the person who applied the solution will be responsible. That is one of the reasons BuzzBomber was getting at when he gave very good examples of how to do what you need done. Also if you till the ground you will be removing the weeds you see at that time while at the same time bring up more seeds that are just waiting to see a chance to grow, which takes you back to a pre-emergence. It is somewhat complicated to do it correctly.

Good Luck but be safe.

Wratherax

I spent all day tilling the entire track. Just need to rake out the roots and whatnot, smooth it out, and hit it with the roller to pack it all down. I might end up leaving it at that and skip the rock salt. I'm going to try putting a small amount down on a small section of the track to see how much of a difference it makes. For the most part, the trucks running on it every day should keep a lot of the weeds from coming back. I'm figuring that about once a month or every few weeks, my friend and I will weedwack the entire track to keep it clean and neat. If I see a significant effect with the rock salt, I'll cover the whole track later on. If need be, I'll till the entire track once a year to keep it under control. Just gotta make sure we all keep our trucks running to help prevent new growth lol

We might have both tracks and our stand finished by Sunday. As soon as it's all done I'll be sure to get some pictures up.