Question
I wish to convert a weed & brush infested area into a hard weed free surface.  I wish to hack down all the growth which gets very intense.  And in turn lay down tons of "crusher run" which I hope will then solidfy as a then hard weed free surface.  I'm not sure of the best way to go about this.  If I hack down the thick accumulation of weeds and then cover the area with crusher run, will it then become solid and hopefully be devoid of weed growth?  How much crusher run to do the job?  6 inches?  Should I lay down a surface of black plastic, and in turn cover that?  I welcome any & all input on the matter.  The weed growth in in an area that is proximate to water and most prone to excessive growth.  You can almost "watch" the weeds grow to 6 ft. high.  Might there be an envirinmentally safe product that might be introduced to the soil to stifle growth.  Any and all suggestions will be most welcome.---Jack

Answer
The old slash and burn worked for colonists, although I am not sure what the local Fire Dept will have to say about this.

Some of the most noxious Weeds will grow thru plastic, thru Concrete, thru DGA 'crusher run' and anything else that gets in their way.  If you need to permanently halt these Weeds, the best way to do that is to treat the target area with Salt after wiping out the vegetation.  Then cover with the stone or gravel of your choice.  No fuss, no muss, and totally green.

-------------------------
Sounds like a great idea! Never thought of salt. And it's cheap. I would guess I could get a truckload fairly inexpensively. When you say "wipe out" existing vegetation. Do you mean totally uproot it? Or maybe treat it with polyphosate herbicide? Would you in turn cover the project with black plastic. Or might that not be necessay? Thanks for your input.---Jack

-------------------------------

Jack, you're makin' me nervous.  Who said anything about Herbicide?  There's nothing 'environmentally safe' about a Chemical Weedkiller.  Besides, who's going to be putting that stuff down -- you?  You have a death wish, Jack, my friend?  Hold your horses.  Let me clarify here.

You can burn the stuff a la the Pilgrims ('slash and burn').  The local FD may not appreciate this method, but that really depends on where you live.  If you have a drought in your area, it is definitely a bad idea. If it rains daily, and you have the means and expertise to control the slash/burn brushfire, it is a good idea.  Study this carefully and make a decision.  You don't want to go down in history as the striker of the Match that burned down the state of Oklahoma in 2007.  That's 15 minutes nobody needs.

Alternately, you can machete them down, chop chop, or just yank away, then mow and mulch.  If you have a bulldozer, bulldoze them.   If you have a truck, roll over them.  Level the Weeds physically, then cut or yank.  You are now in a position to Salt everything.  Salt is one of those Earth friendly things you can do that is cheap, Green and -- unlike RoundUp -- 100 percent guaranteed to work.  Plus it's permanent.  Extremely permanent.

Check the Wikipedia description of 'salting the Earth':

www.answers.com/topic/salting-the-earth?hl=scorched&hl=earth&hl=policy

It which tells us this refers to and I quote 'the practice of spreading salt on fields to make them incapable of being used for crop-growing. This was done in ancient times at the end of some wars as an extremely punitive scorched earth tactic.'

Wikipedia also reminds us: 'The Red Army also salted Soviet fields as a part of the scorched earth policy against the Nazi invasion. It was reported that when the Soviets reclaimed the territory, they were equally unable to use it.'

Salt will solve your problem here, sir.

Salt (Sodium Chloride) reaches toxic levels dissolved in water.  Sodium ions displace Phosphorus and Potassium in your soil.  Weed roots take up Chloride ions and ship them around to all the leaves; there, they interrupt the manufacture of Chlorophyll, the roots suffer from severe dehydration, and it's Goodbye and Good Luck.

Salt is not COMPLETELY permanent.  However, if you are indeed decking over the soil, and preventing any use of it at all, you can count on overlays of black plastic and crushed rock to make the damage as permanent at least as civilization.  Happily, no Fish or Birds in the nearby body of Water will be injured or killed in the process.  Happy hacking.