Some people get oil [ tack coat type for asphalt ] sprayed on gravel roads going by thier place. The local municipality may supply or you may have to go to a paving contractor to get it done.
We've been experimenting with a different solution to this problem lately. Somewhat mixed results... definitely keeps the dust down but there are some other unpleasant side effects: A layer of snow. I know, it's hard to apply without some outside assistance, but it's pretty low maintenance once you've got it groomed nicely.
Alright, I'll stop before I lose my priveledges on the forum. I'm just in a particularly silly mood today for some reason [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
Egon - Thanks for the suggestion, I'll look into that.
Your right Rob, asphalt or concrete would take care of the dust. Someday, it will be concrete (I hope it's this year).
It's actually not for the driveway, it's for the gravel under my carport. Actually, the main reason I want to put something on it is not really even for the dust. I just asked the question that way because that's what I figured people would be familiar with. The main reason is that I want something that smells bad to cats and I knew that people have used something on gravel to keep the dust down and was wondering what it was. The %$*&^%@!!$#* worthless pests are digging in the gravel and crapping in it! I don't have it packed down real good yet, all I've done is drive over it bunch of times. I've used ammonia, which seems to work, but it evaporates too fast and doesn't last long. I'm beginning to think my .22 is the best solution to this problem, but if I can avoid that I'm willing to try! Snow won't help, they think the whole yard is a big litterbox when it snows.
Rather than spreading something on the gravel, why don't you compact it. Rent a small plate compacter and spend a few hours tamping down the gravel. If you have crusher run gravel it should compact well and become hard enough that the cats will go elsewhere to leave their calling cards.
Now that we know the pets are the problem consider building them a nice sand box that is located on your terms. You could even cover it over to protect from the elements. Cats in apartments use " litter boxes " so once you get them started on the sandbox things may work out.
I don't think my previous suggestion of tack coat on the yard parking area is very viable. It's about the last thing I would do as it will track all over.
AndyF - Thanks. But, I still don't have it leveled the way I want it. I just did a quick job to get through the winter. So, I don't want to compact it until I get it leveled out good. Right now it's frozen anyway, so that should hold them off until it warms up again in a day or two.
Egon - Thanks. Your suggestion makes sense, but I doubt my cats would cooperate. They haven't cooperated with anything I've tried so far. I actually did make a sandbox for them (not really a sandbox, but a large pile of sand). They use it sometimes, but it's about 100' from the house and they're lazy. I have thought about covering it, but it would really tick me off (even more than I am now) if I went to that effort and they still used the carport and flowerbeds. If you have time, read this post to get a better understanding of what I've been putting up with: Cats, I'm trying to make this work out, but
<font color="blue"> They use it sometimes, but it's about 100' from the house and they're lazy </font color>
Or maybe smart, cats that stray to far from our house are coyote dinner. If you have coyotes, put the litter box 200 feet from the house and feed them there. I have a hunch your not a cat man Dan.
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