weed torch?

[ilovethisgame]

For years I've seen propane torches made for weed control advertised in several tool catalogs. Just curious if anyone owns or has tried one of these things? Personally after years of paying hundreds for round up pro, filling out pesticide reports, and having anti-pesticide customers cry foul when I spray I'm getting tempted. Thanks

[anthony]

i was thinking about them last week.it would be ideal to use it for a paver weed control .spraying roundup on the pavers is a pain and lot of waste.
anthony

[Albemarle Lawn]

Don't use mine for weeds, but to roast Yellow Jackets at night when they are in their nests in the ground. Works.

KB

[proline32]

I have one of these, They work ok.... but the weeds will comeback eventually so you do need to use it regularly and becareful not to set the country on fire.

[vipermanz]

i use just a propane torch to burn out driveway/sidelwalk weeds

[RoyaleRcr]

They have been used on organic farms and orchards for decades. Remmember that you do not actually set the plant on fire. All you do is hold it over the weed until you see it wilt. That is all it takes. About two/three seconds ussualy does the trick. The Bernz-o-matic one that I bought did not stay lit, so maybe get the larger one but then you have to lug around a bigger tank.

[MOW ED]

OK for around the home but I don't really like the idea of carting a 20lb cylinder of propane around with me. First of all, no one secures the cylinder correctl. I am sure most of you never have seen the fire and resultant explosion if a problem develops. They also make great missles when breeched. Secondly its heavy. Last is that as was mentioned, the weeds will come back. Nothin beats the salt bath of glyphosate to get rid of the enemy. Good Luck.

[Rooster]

I used to use the torch method, recently I changed to boiling water right on the weed (works great in my area for weeds in pavers and coming up in the cracks in concrete).

I make coffe and tea in the morning the old way boil water and pour, just make a little extra.

Try it and see if it works for you, at home that is!!!!

Just a thought!

[yardmonkey]

Another possibility is vinegar. Regular vinegar is 5% acidity. For weeds, 10% or 20% is used. Greensense makes quarts and gallons of 20%. http://www.greensense.net
I have not yet tried it but will be getting some soon.

[yardboyltd]

I know oxy-acetylene is alot hotter than propane, but I did some cutting on expanded metal in a parkinglot and the concrete flew... Expanded so fast it would come loose and shoot off. Looked like somebody took a chisel to the parking lot later. I did see a weed and torched it, didn't work to good, too wet.

Rapid thermal expansion is bad

[leeslawncare]

1 answer ..."round -up pro"

[Bob Minney]

I have about 300' of drystack wall that gets grass/weeds growing in the cracks & along the base. Because of shrubs I use a torch instead of herbicides.

Never used it on customers property.

[digger1]

in addition to Rooster's boiling water, add some table or rock salt to make a "hot brine" solution then pour on weeds. the salt sterilizes the ground.:blob2:

[lawnworker]

I am having visions of burning mulch beds in my head.

[GroundKprs]

Burning is great, for those who want a continuing employment. The roots of many plants will survive a surface fire, and regrow - that's how prairies survived, fires burned off tree starts, and grasses just grew back. Some people here used to burn their fall leaves right on the lawn, and would have apparently dead rows of grass, but these always came back next spring.

So you can burn, or salt, or vinegar, or even pee on the weeds (salt in urine will burn plants also, LOL), but you'll not get the complete control you would from Roundup. For brick or paver drives and patios, as long as you have some border to control runoff, Snapshot early in the spring is a great tool. Just put it on at about 10% of regular rate, because you're just doing the spaces between the bricks. I will lightly blow (blower at idle and not directed down at ground) the granules into the cracks so I see they are evenly distributed. Needs to be done right before a rain, because Snapshot is photodegradeable; needs to be watered in within 2 days or it begins to break down.

[richlawns]

Just use gasoline it does the trick.:blob2:

[roscioli]

doesnt rocksalt damage cement? be careful.

[cowman66]

gas can stain concrete plus if u get it on u it smells for awile, but thats a common problem...with the mowers and all

[FL_Rob]

Originally posted by cowman66
gas can stain concrete plus if u get it on u it smells for awile, but thats a common problem...with the mowers and all

In my part of the country you would be arrested for improper use of hazerdous materials or contaminating the ground water...