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Central PA

Has anyone used a Roofer's Torch to control weeds? I was at a workshop the other month (about a different crop) and someone mentioned Burning weeds when they are small with a Torch. I like the idea of frying the little buggers under a 500,000 BTU torch instead of Roundup, etc. Yes, I imagine the hoe will still be needed as the season goes on. But right now there is a lot of space where the pumpkins will be going and frying them as they start to poke out of the soil seems like a good idea.

Anyway has anyone experimented with Burning weeds: Does it have a good long term effect? Pros & Cons

5/23/2005 11:34:14 PM

Mill Creek West by god Virginia

hombrew i use a torch most all season to keep weeds under control,i just dont like to use pesticides torch and occasional hoe works for me!

5/24/2005 1:34:38 AM

Montoursville, PA

Searching the garden supply vendors will show you a nice torch that works off of propane tanks. Burning most weeds gets the for sure. A few stubborn root running types may still need to be hoed or killed with poison but the poison types are very risky after the plant is in the patch. Wind drift is very much a fact because the fine spray drifts in the breezes even ever so slight of a breeze.

Roundup or such is best left to three inches at fence posts, driveways, pattio areas and such applications.

5/24/2005 7:26:00 AM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

I just started using one this season. I think I like it so far. Takes care of them young weeds easily with out disturbing the subsoil. The only down fall is that handle gets cold fast and the tank is a bear to lug around.

5/24/2005 9:09:17 AM

Appalachian Mtns.

I use a torch as one tool in my weed "toolbox", but you can't ever do without a good old fashioned hoe.....

5/24/2005 11:58:03 AM

Grants Pass, Oregon

My neighbor uses a torch, the dumb ass didnt pay attention and torched his acre. scary thought sometimes.

5/24/2005 1:48:40 PM

wilmington,ma.

I think a hoe is quicker.

5/24/2005 2:45:29 PM

Nikiski Alaska

if you torch them they seem to come back faster then hoe and pull dayly

5/24/2005 7:10:54 PM

Thornhill, Ontario, Canada

I think that I read something on BP a little while back about somebody who uses a steam weeder which kills the leaves but also boils and bursts the roots. That sounds like an even better solution than a flame. I have a steamer for cleaning bathtubs and getting wrinkles out of clothing. But, you better bet I'm trying it out on the weeds as soon as they try to poke up in my garden/patch.

5/24/2005 7:23:32 PM

Sioux Falls, SD garyboer@dakotalink.com

I saw a special machine on TV once that killed weeds by steam. It was designed to ride between fruit trees and kill everything. It blew steam under a canvas it dragged. The steam melts a thin wax covering that protects leaves from drying in the sun. Its most effective when followed by a warm sunny day. You don't need to fry the weed.

5/24/2005 11:23:51 PM

Deer Park WA

Fire, Fire, huhhuh, torch em,, torch em,, Ok too much Bevis and butthead, but dang its fun frying those little B@$tardz.

5/25/2005 12:04:28 AM

South Western Pa

This was posted on a Garden Web Forum but it sums up my feelings towards this “tool”;

The ostensible use for these is weeding - exposing weeds to the flame ruptures their cell walls and causes the foliage to "bleed" to death. It's the 600-pound gorilla of weed control, so it's not recommended for use around your prized annuals, but it's fantastic for chores such as keeping your gravel driveway free of dandelions and such. Better yet, most plants require repeated treatments to kill off completely, which gives you the excuse to whip out the flamethrower on a regular basis.

There are, of course, many other uses, limited only by one's imagination and collection of accidental fire suppression tools. Wasp and hornet nests, provided they aren't attached to something dangerously flammable (like your roof), are instantly obliterated - particularly satisfying when you are seeking revenge for a sting. Pile of wet brush you'd like to burn and don't want to wait for it to dry out? Mr. Flame Thrower at your service. This has the added benefit of not having to use gasoline for this purpose.

continued.....

5/25/2005 12:23:44 AM

South Western Pa

The rest...

The final side benefit is neighbor envy. I can report with full confidence that -- to a man -- every guy who witnesses this baby in action will react in the following way:
1) Their eyes light up with evangelical zeal.
2) They ask to use it, and upon being granted permission, do so with a gusto usually only exhibited by children.
3) They immediately begin plotting to purchase their own.
4) They will purchase their own within a 6-month time frame.

There is an equally consistent reaction from their wives/girlfriends, which consists of:
1) Widened eyes, signifying a reaction ranging from mild alarm to outright terror.
2) Utterance of the phrase "I'm not sure this is such a good idea."
3) Upon seeing that it's not quite as dangerous as it looks, grudging acceptance. After all, the driveway does look much nicer.
4) The less timid will venture to try it, but without the air of demented glee that the guys exhibit.

Mark Muller

5/25/2005 12:24:12 AM

Indiana

I have used one for a couple years they work best on young weeds without disturbing the soil and stirring up more weed seed. They will catch wood mulch on fire so look back at where you have used it and make sure nothing is smoldering. They make a large version like a roofing torch and a smaller one that takes a camping propane bottle its easier to carry around but isn't as much fun or as loud (the big ones sound like a hot air balloon burner). Overall they work great!
Steve

5/25/2005 11:08:13 AM

Montoursville, PA

My neighbor was cooking his foundation growth lines where a weed wacker would have been fine. Out went a huge spider. He flashed the sucker at the edge, of his siding. The rest is history. Got the damn spider though! Only cost him $1500.00 for the materials to replace the shed. Lost the mower, the 2 tillers, the weed wacker he should have been using, the garden cart, hedge trimmers and bunches of hand tools.....and a half case of Bud Lite. Five or six gran was the real loss....all for the easy way to do things with the torched fire. Replacement, of toys, at new cost was over ten gran.

5/25/2005 11:40:23 AM

Ontario, Canada.

Homebrew, Lee valley has a torch kit for weeding. In their May catalogue they had a smaller hand held unit also for the small bottles. I Can't find that one on the web site though. Check out the link to the larger 1000,000 BTU torch


http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.aspx?c=1&p=47306&cat=2,2300,44822&ap=1

5/25/2005 11:39:59 PM

Ontario, Canada.

oops should be 100,000 BTU's

5/25/2005 11:41:16 PM

Macomb County

I would suggest straving weeds out. This is done by continually cutting them off so they never have a chance to draw energy from the sun. I run around my patch with a small gas powered cultivator every day or two and cut off any I see starting to poke through the soil. Last, but not least, when the pumpkin canopy puts them in the shade, any left don't have the engery or the strength left to emerge and make it.

5/26/2005 2:40:44 AM

White Bear Lake, Minnesota

I think weed burners are the way to go this spring. At least ya can stay warm while weeding.

5/28/2005 1:16:39 AM