May I ask why you want to remove them, if competition with crops is not an issue? Personally, I think weeds beautify the otherwise drab look of concrete and gravel.
The thing with contact herbicides like vinegar is that you have to do it repeatedly, starving the root eventually. Once, twice or seven times, whatever it takes. Your other option is to cut it off and dribble concentrated Roundup on the exposed stem.

You know, don't you, that after global warming has really screwed up our gardens, the humble dandelion will continue to produce but even it could be wiped out once people realize that it's a nutritious food!

I assure you, I have plenty of dandelions to eat elsewhere in my yard for years to come. I'm talking about the ones that grow in cracks such as I have, in my FRONT yard, where neighbors can see the ratty results of not using a weed killer. Why not let them grow anywhere they please? Because I have a sense of pride and like to keep my home neat and clean, especially the very public front yard.

I put gravel down to KEEP the weeds from growing there, but they're finding ways anyhow. Who would want dandelions to grow in cracks to "beautify concrete and gravel"?! I have plenty of grass and flowers around for that. C'mon..... there's a lot to be said for "neat and clean."

I'll weed whack 'em and try some vinegar. But I'm still hunting for effective alternatives.

IÂm normally in favor of just pulling the weeds but the invasive grasses growing through the gravel around our AC unit this year finally got the better of me a couple weeks ago.

IÂve been trying a product called EcoSMART Weed and Grass Killer. It's an Organic product I found at Home Depot that seems to work pretty well (at least so far). The active ingredients are plant oils (clove, rosemary, peppermint, thyme, and a derivative of peanut oil) so it smells pretty strongly when you first apply it, but given the ingredient list, the smell really isn't all that unpleasant. My neighbor happened to be nearby when I was applying it and she asked which one of our plants smelled so good.

Thank you! I will try some EcoSMART weed killer, then. I pulled and hacked away at what I could (my back hates me now) but yes, I also have grassy things and other weedy things also invading the gravel in other places. It's virtually impossible to get it all, all of the time.

I appreciate the input!

jonas, a lot of us are less concerned with the poster's exposure to RoundUp than we are the drift of RoundUp into our own yards and waterways.

People always say, "I do NOT want to use RoundUp, but...." or "I HATE poisons, but...."

The weeds in those pictures could easily be dealt with using boiling vinegar. And so what if you had to do two applications, if you "HATE poisons" as much as you have indicated?

drhorticulture - the weeds in the cracks break down the pavement.

BTW, some of the stuff in EcoSmart is carcinogenic, if you use the same "Ames test" that is used on synthetic pesticides. But that doesn't have to be declared on the label because it's "natural".

annpat -- I don't mind multiple applications of boiling water or vinegar. I was saying I didn't want to try six different things in a row if the first five aren't going to work---that's why I asked in this forum if anyone had good luck with the water, the vinegar, or anything else out there.

I do hate poisons and rarely, if ever, use any. And only then with the smallest amount possible and never with wind. I'm 99% organic, more than most people.

As it so happens, I hacked and pulled all those weeds (way more than the photo shows), no poisons involved. I will try vinegar on top, for good measure, to slow their comeback.

However, not everyone is physically able to pull a lot of weeds out of cracks like I did, although I do have back problems. Some people are elderly, disabled, etc. And not everyone can pay someone to do it, either.

Sometimes, extra help is needed. That's why I was asking around in this ORGANIC forum for an organic alternative--the purpose of its existence, I believe.

Yes, you're right. I was scapegoating you. It always seems to me that people who call themselves organic gardeners(which you never said you were, of course) cave the minute the first problem arises. Usually it's some minor, cosmetic, leaf damage that makes them rush to the sevin.

I appreciate that you understand the danger of using RoundUp when there is wind. Most people are irresponsible with garden chemicals. There are other bad conditions, too, for applying RoundUp, pertaining to air temperatures.

I hope the vinegar works for you. I'm waging my own desperate battle against a buttercup. I've been trying to suffocate mine, but I've weakened some that might succomb to hot water or vinegar.

Did you use household vinegar or the 20% hard stuff? The latter is a pretty vigorous biocide and highly acidifies the area on contact (you don't want it in your eyes!), but it dilutes down pretty well with no lingering effects. It is tough to get those dandelion taproots with anything benign, except sweat labor.

On the concrete a strong solution of salt water will work well but don't use it any where that it will run off into the grass.

I second the suggestion to use a salt solution for driveway weeds.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure...

I can't help but notice the dandelions have gone to seed. When I am trying to control problem weeds, step one: don't let them reproduce.

I second that, my mornin walk round the yard is relaxing and great for reaching down and pulling the young weeds before they can get a good grip! You can also use a magnifying glass and your kids, they will have fun cooking it and then turn them loose on that ant hill for a little solar bbq!

What mixture do you use for the salt solution? I am also battling driveway and inter-concrete weeds. So far I just keep repeatedly cutting them down, I'm ready to try something organic to actually kill them though.

Black plastic or carpet. Anything thar cuts out light. Takes a couple weeks but everything dies without light.

Why would a salt s0olution be any more acceptable to an organic grower than any of the synthetic poisons? Simply because salt is "natural"? There are many things others use that would fall into that "natural" category that simply are not acceptable to an organic grower because of the long term consequences they pose.

Weeds are a fact of life, they will grow no matter what one does.
We cannot really do anything to stop them no matter what anyone says. Keep them cut back so thye do not get access to the sunlight all plants need to grow and even the most persistent will die.

Newspaper or cardboard is a much better alternative to plastic.