Weed burner

[Charlie MV]

I found a gizmo at TS that hooks up to a propane bottle. You tow the bottle around in a cart and the gismo burns off weeds. Is it worth spending the money on? I have a suitable cart. The gizmo is $55.

I thought I would kill weeds once every week or so until the plants get tall enough to apply newspaper and mulch. It looks like it would work well for lawn weeds too.

[Canadian Farmer Guy]

I've never used one, but I've heard good things about them.
The idea of flaming little weeds by the dozen is certainly appealing.

Apparently you can also use them for starting campfires, melting ice,
heating asphalt and sterilizing animal cages.

CFG

[applestar]

I got one for DH years ago. He doesn't use it often (less often than he should -- he lets the weeds get too tall. It works better on young weeds) but when he does, he plays with his "flame thrower" with enthusiasm.

I have to close the back door to the patio (brick) to keep from getting smoke in the house.

He has been less enthused about it lately than he used to, because he says the weeds that grow back seem stronger and healthier. We wondered if it's the ash fertilizing them with the Forest Fire effect. But if you are diligent about it, my understanding is that it would kill off the existing weeds and keep down any new ones.

The patio really looks "cleared" after he's done, too.

Probably no need to tell YOU this Charlie, as you seem to be a careful person, but obviously, you want to remove any flammables from the vicinity and NOT use it during periods of drought.

Oh! Be sure to get the kind you seem to have spotted -- the one that attaches to the larger (like 5 gal size?) propane bottle and NOT the one that uses a dinky little 1~2L bottle sized one. At least the way *my* DH uses it, the little bottle would never be enough.

[Marlingardener]

Around here the flamers are used on prickly pear cactus. Works a treat to burn off the spines, and then cattle can graze the cacti. Some folks use them on young mesquite trees but that doesn't seem to have much effect. The mesquite grow back since their roots aren't torched.
For lawn weeds I just use a squirt bottle of vinegar.

[Charlie MV]

Probably no need to tell YOU this Charlie, as you seem to be a careful person, but obviously, you want to remove any flammables from the vicinity and NOT use it during periods of drought.
.

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got it.

[Marlingardener]

Oh Charlie, you are a stitch!

[Gary350]

They work about the same as a hand held propane torch. It is good for setting dry grass and dead weeds on fire. Best part is it is long and easy on the back you don't have to bend over to start fires but the down side is you have to carry around a 50 lbs propane cylinder. I don't mind carrying around the cylinder if is it almost empty it only weighs about 20 lbs like that.

[The Helpful Gardener]

I have eyballed them and like the idea of NO chemical residues, but that just isn't the case, is it? It does give off a gas...

In this day and age of anthropogenic global warming, the idea of carbon generating to kill weeds strikes me a just another pollution, so I have not made this leap...

White vinegar; dirt cheap, and it does the same job, and breaks down toot sweet... not as much fun but we don't have the Wile E. Coyote effect to worry about...

My two cents...

HG

[farmerlon]

My favorite weeder of all time!... a stirrup hoe...
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-5496-5-stirrup-hoe.aspx

The right tool can make such a tremendous difference. Of course, everyone is entitled to their own preference of what the right tool is.

[Charlie MV]

I have eyballed them and like the idea of NO chemical residues, but that just isn't the case, is it? It does give off a gas...

In this day and age of anthropogenic global warming, the idea of carbon generating to kill weeds strikes me a just another pollution, so I have not made this leap...

White vinegar; dirt cheap, and it does the same job, and breaks down toot sweet... not as much fun but we don't have the Wile E. Coyote effect to worry about...

My two cents...

HG

Will the inevitable slight over-spray from the rows hurt my crops?

[Gary350]

Mother nature produces all kinds of air pollution. Lightning strikes sets grass on fire in the Planes States and you have wild fires. Lightning strikes starts forest fires too and man goes against nature and puts them out. Fire is natures way of cleaning itself and making ash fertilizer. I don't have any problem setting fire to organic material like wood, grass and weeds.

[gooberfarmer]

charliemv:
Sorry to be late on this, but I've seen one of the following in action.

http://www.flameengineering.com/Row_Crop_Flamers.htm

Higher speeds with the fire low to the ground. I saw it on a organic cotton farm. The tractor moved way faster than I thought it would have. The fire doesn't burn the weeds up, just hits them enough to kill them. In my opinion, I think going fast at first and leaving weeds alive and having to repeat would be better than damaging plants. Just my two cents.

[The Helpful Gardener]

There
s the ticket with the flamers; don't fry them, just scrch them. Then you are moving fast enough to make your fuel consumptions worthwhile.

Too many folks let their inner pyromaniac take over...

HG