Any experience of weed burners?

[brass monkey]

Such as -

the hassle/money? TIA.

[Tom]

Worth the hassle/money?

Dunno, look like fun though!

Tom

[Mike Barnes]

brass monkey :

SWMBO used one for a couple of years. Apart from the obvious dangers, the main drawback is that you have to repeat the treatment frequently. Once a month for a year is no good, you need to burn every few days for a few weeks to kill them, or they just keep growing back again.

She was trying to avoid chemicals but she could never get round to burning often enough and now happily uses Roundup.

But it's pretty good for lighting bonfires, barbecues, etc.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Worth the hassle/money?

depends what you want. Flame guns are really good at sterilising vast tracts of soil without leaving poison behind.

That thing looks a bit noddy.

[Tabby]

I was disappointed with mine. Not worth buying another gas canister for.

NT

[gb]

Agreed.

Geoff Beale

[Steve Firth]

No. You want one of these:

given that you're a numpty you'll probably buy the cheap crap.

[Andy Dingley]

-

Worth the hassle/money?

That's a big gas torch, on a hose, to a separate bottle. On the whole, that's probably the best sort. You need to have a cylinder rented, but I guess you already have one? Otherwise it's not too expensive to obtain one. It's not brilliant though for killing weeds - it's good at killing a patch of nettles so that you can go in there a few days later and dig them mechanically without gettign stung, but it only kills above-ground, not beneath the soil (if you scorch the leaves).

It's also handy as a big gas torch - I use mine for heat-bluing steel when I need power, but not such a high temperature as the oxy-propane set. Great for lighting big barbecues too.

Disposable canister weed burners are a pain for flaring if you tilt them.

Paraffin burners (the big Sheen X300) are better for sterilising soil in quantity, but they're really big and clumsy for small patches.

[robgraham]

-

> Worth the hassle/money?

Thanks for the timely comments - anyone wanting a cheap one to try could go to Lidls next Thursday. I don't think I';ll bother now.

Rob

[brass monkey]

You simply can't help being obnoxious, why is that?

[Tim Lamb]

Way to go:-)

In regular use here, 40 years back, for medium scale horticultural activities.

Worked best with an initial spray with Paraquat (now banned) to kill off the leaves followed a week later by the flame gun which would burn the top growth and destroy surface seeds. Big cloud of hard to avoid smoke though.

As the site suggests, two goes are necessary without chemicals.

Paraffin is expensive and not easily come by these days.

Something smaller might be OK for controlling weeds in patio cracks etc.

regards

[ARWadsworth]

I have just been looking at these. Shop around you can find them new off ebay for less. It might only be £15 less but that should buy some parrafin to run it.

[dennis]

If it uses a disposable gas canister you aren't going to get any power from it. The one I have needs a 13kg propane cylinder to supply enough gas if I fit the 38 kW burner. It will kill weeds instantly, however you don't bun them with it, its too expensive. The heat breaks down the cell structure and they die a couple of days latter. You can then burn them away when they are dead and dry if you want.

Its a Bullfinch torch but it 30+ years old now and still going (that reminds me I must get a new hose).

[Phil L]

Worth the hassle/money?

They get rid of the tops, but don't affect thr roots, which grow back into a new weed pretty soon, in short, you'd be better off slicing the tops off with a spade and then removing the roots by hand.

If it's in paving, use roundup, which kills the tops and the roots, and breaks down in contact with soil

[The Natural Philosopher]

> Worth the hassle/money?

The one thing a PROPER flame gun does, is kill seeds as well.

The above is not a proper flame gun, however.

[Dave Liquorice]

All the sheds carry it for greenhouse heaters but I bet at something like =A31 or =A32 per litre. Find some one with pressure jet oil heating=

they burn kerosene/paraffin/28 sec oil, just doesn't have the "nice" perfume or colorant (well it does heating oil is now marked yellow). Last heating oil I bought was 43.67p/l inc.

[Dave Liquorice]

I think the action of actually burning the weeds is a common mistake with a weed burner. As you say it's the flash heat that naggers the cell structure and destroys the top growth. A wilt is more than enough.

A weed burner is not a single hit treatment for most weeds as they will come back from the root.

[Huge]

The last time I bought paraffin in the ironmongers, it cost more than super unleaded.

[Rick Hughes]

Worth the hassle/money?

The paraffin ones were a right pain to light .. so can't be worse.

[Andrew Mawson]

Worth the hassle/money?

Beware burning weeds in gravel paths. A/ the gravel explodes (strictly speaking exfoliates) and B/ the hot gravel melts the soles of your wellies and sticks to them AMHIK !!!! I now use a Roundup type none selective weed killer as we have approaching an acre of pea shingle in one area and road planings in another to keep weed free.

AWEM