I appreciate all the safety precaution. I'm on the fence about buying one for myself so I'm of course watching tons of videos. This is the first that bothered to make safety more than an afterthought.
If you water heavy prior its much more effective, the water conducts the heat through the soil dramatically better than without, get much higher temps at the roots and for longer.
We don't have some things in my neck of the woods; basements (cellars) and SNOW SHOVELS, to name a few. We have plenty of mosquitos and weeds, though. I'm going to buy a weed burner. Never even heard of them before today, but it sounds like it may be a great alternative to hand weeding. And especially to herbicides. Thanks for posting.
You're so right, much better than herbicides. It might take several sessions over time to weaken persistent weeds to the point where their roots finally give up, but as long as we're equally persistent the heat will greatly reduce the need for hand weeding. For stubborn species, after flaming, I sometimes use a hoe to slice below the roots and further disrupting them. Thank you so much for watching and commenting. Sounds like you live in lush enviroment!
Thank you for the video. If you kill the leaves by destroying the cell structure and stopping the plant from photosynthesizing more food, isn't it essentially the same as plucking the leaves where the roots just grow new leaves? I heard of some people claiming using burners to kill the roots, but I don't see how the heat will penetrate down to the roots under the soil. Your explanation makes more sense, but I don't know if it will prevent the roots from sprouting new leaves.
*GREAT VIDEO!* Consider using a fresnel lense, and a pillow case fro safety. You can adjust the area burned & the amount of heat by simply moving the lense farther or closer to the target weeds. This can also be used with a mild vinegar (5%) to ensure tinged weeds die off. We use a paint roller to apply the vinegar precisely where we want it, and no worry of corroded o-rings. *Happy weed slaughter!*
With the torch, annual weeds shouldn't return. Perennials with substantial roots can return but they're usually weakened. I love hand weeding but bits of roots can remain and regrow. Uprooting weeds can also bring dormant seeds to the surface where they can finally germinate. So, regardless of the weeding method, my ultimate goal is to finish them off with a heavy mulch, which smothers grass roots and dormant seeds. Bottom line, a bare soil is an open invitation to weeds! Thanks for asking.
Right. You don't need to char them, just heat them up. Some weeds are stubborn and require a second or third flaming, especially plants that evolved around wildfires.
Right you are! Glad you brought this up. I could have transplanted it but we have plenty of mullein in other areas. I love how it looks in the landscape too. It's so sturdy and rarely falls over.
I tend to go scorched earth on my weeds but I always have my hose within reach and also a 5lb dry chemical extinguisher 🧯 as well. Better to be extra cautious.
