a few years ago our above ground pool got destroyed in a hurricane so we removed it. in its place we put 12 tons of river rock and created a large entertaining/fire pit sitting area. i used the generic weed fabric that is sold at home depot, but admittedly, i did not do as careful of a job as i should have. i figured 12 tons of rock would prevent grass and weeds from growing through. it has become a nightmare every summer! we have so many weeds, grass, crabgrass, etc etc growing through the rocks. We have tried going section by section and ripping up from the roots which helps a little and then i also have used a lot of roundup, but it just keeps coming back. any tips or tricks on how i can make this more manageable or even get rid of it once and for all?

Try a pre-emergent herbicide in the Spring. You could also pull any weeds currently growing and apply the herbicide now. That should bring the population under control. You will have to use the herbicide in the Spring for at least 3-4 years to bring the reservoir of weed seeds to a manageable level. Be sure to follow the directions carefully and completely. If a little is good, a lot IS NOT better.

The rocks provide nice crevices for windblown seeds to get stuck and grow. Some dust will also get into those crevices giving the weed seeds even a better foothold. The fabric under those rocks does absolutely nothing to stop that from happening.

Early in the spring I use RoundUp Max Control 365 on all my driveway seams and cracks, and that stops weeds from coming up all season. I use the long spray a few inches from the ground so I'm not breathing in any of it, so I'm not worried about using it just once a year like that. Just be sure to follow the directions. Don't let it run off into any areas you don't want killed off, it will kill any vegetation, good and bad. It's effective even if it rains 30 minutes after applying it, but be warned that the rain can and will have some of it run off into areas you may have decorative plants you don't want killed, it could harm them or even kill them. It will leave a small brown area in the grass for me at the end of the crevices when that happens which quickly grows back over the spot, so for my area, it's well worth it to use... otherwise I'm weeding my driveway daily.

thank you for the replies! ill keep up with things this year and then look to next spring to prep for the season!

It's not too late now to try spraying with the RoundUp, you'll still save 3 months of constant weeding. You also might try sprinkling Preen all over the rocks too. That will at least stop any new seeds from sprouting. I use it along my fence in early spring where a 50' row of hostas and another 50' of perennials are, and helps quite a bit. It's too late if I wanted to do it now since the plants are covering the soil, that's the main reason to do it early spring around plants. But to sprinkle over rocks where no plant growth is covering it, it would be fine and can be done anytime. Preen also won't harm existing plants, just stops new seeds from taking hold.

Get a vegetation, not weed, killer that is long term.
I got some, do not remember the brand that I applied two years ago, made the mistake of walking through where I had sprayed heavily and you could see each foot step I made on my lawn, for two years.
Round Up is greatly over rated, and I have used a lot of it; there are other brands that are just as good, usually cheaper and work just as well.
Farm related Fleet type stores, not Fleet Farm, often have truly effective stuff, usually, but there it may not be cheap.