Sutton Vlog #7 - Tips and Tricks for Flame Weeding (Red Dragon) 

Been weeding this way for years, on gravel driveways and especially between pavers. On one occasion, a small fire sprang up over an hour after I had quit, put away the gear, and gone inside. Only noticed when I looked out the window and quickly put it out. Enough smoke generated that the fire department came. No damage, but it could have been far worse. (EG, if I had left the property.) So not only do I have a hose at the ready at all times while weeding this way, but I also finish the session with a good soak of every area I've cleared and the perimeter around that. Otherwise, a tiny loose ember can start a fire long after you've quit. Voice of experience.

I love my Harbor Freight propane torch! These things are essential on a homestead so if you don't own one, get one. You will be glad you did. For weeding, keep in mind that the heat is a "top kill" process that won't necessarily take out all kinds of weeds. Many plants will die and not come back if top killed by fire. But plants with extensive and deep root systems will likely recover and grow right back. Like any tool, it is useful for certain things but is not a universal cure all for every kind of unwanted plant you want to remove. These things are a beast! You will enjoy working with one of these due to the insane power it has. Need to start a brush pile fire? Just hit the brush pile for a minute or two with your propane torch. No need for pouring diesel fuel all over the brush pile. Want to cull unwanted hardwood saplings and small trees in your woodlot? Just ring around the tree trunk about 1 foot up from the roots with the torch to char down to the inner layer just beneath the bark layer. Most species of hardwood trees will die. Evergreen trees however are not easily killed with this method so don't waste time and money trying to kill them with the torch. Need to burn old paint off metal items? A propane torch makes fast work of that process, although some scraping and final clean up will be needed most of the time. Sanitizing surfaces? A propane torch can do wonders for sanitizing dog kennels, horse stalls, chicken coops, etc. Torching off the floors and other areas of these animal pens will help keep the area free of unwanted germs, insect eggs, etc. Fire treating wood? Yep! Works for that too. Melting tar? Easy! Burning residue off your BBQ grill? Sure, why not? You will discover all sorts of ways to put a propane torch to use. Great video. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks so much for all the helpful info. Tried mine out for the first time yesterday and realized I need to know more about what I'm doing! Luckily, no harm done and now I feel safer and more confident. Thanks again.

This was the exact information I was looking for. Thank you for such a wonderful tutorial on how to flame weed. It's the best video I've seen explaining the how to of flame weeding.

One of the best reviews I’ve seen simple and clear with a bit of humour Thanks.

Thank you so much for teaching us how to safely use this! I’ve got aggressive weeds in my rock driveway. This will work better than roundup, which is like swatting my weeds. Bless you!

Good job, Sutton. Very clear, fast moving, and informative. In the future, I'd like to see you in my three acre weedpatch of a lawn demonstrating how to kill "air potatoes" and other vines smothering everything (including 100 year old oaks) here in Florida. It's heartbreaking and not being addressed in any way by our government entities. I want to save our beautiful parks and preserves!

Thank You for the safety valve tip! It made a world of difference.

Thanks Sutton for making this explanatory video on this flame weed gun. I came across this on my gardening group and found this very interesting. I also live in the woods of Fla and hate using pesticides , but am sick of pulling weeds on over an acre of property! Ugh! it’s backbreaking work! We definitely need to help the environment and need more people to get on board even though it will cost us a few tanks of propane (Even with these rising prices 🙈of course!) It’s great to find alternative uses for it as well.

Lots of good info here...in the video and comments. Just ordered the Lincoln Electric Torch. Hope it is as nice as yours. I chose it because of the 10' hose. Plus I believe it is manufactured in Poland. Thanks for taking time to put this together for us and Jesus bless.

Thanks for the tips! Just got my first flame weeder. Can’t wait to start using it-after the next rain, of course!

$7 or $8 for a tank of propane, is cheap. For those of us that used to use Roundup, that was about $40 for a gallon which you had to mix, too. This will definitely get the roots, too. So much safer for the environment, bees and other insects, pets, wildlife, etc.

Great, informative video. Couldn't help but to subscribe. Good stuff

So comprehensive, well done.

Thank you very much I was wondering with mine I tried to fire it up the other day and that damn safety valve kept kicking now I understand appreciate it so much! Great video

Thanks. This was very helpful.

Great and well presented !!!!

This is one of the best vids on weed burning.

Thanks for the video and information.

Great instructional video. Thanks

Thanks Dark Knight. Very helpful video.

Excellent video. Came here to answer 1 specific question, got the answer and more.

Great video! Very cool! Thank you!

I was struggling with that safety valve.you explained it much better than the owners manual,thanks

Well done! Thank you!!

Thanks a lot, really helpful

Great video and T-shirt!

this is AWESOME!

I was napping till the terminator scene. Holy loud!

Boots, good shoes, and a hose nearby - I am looking into doing this, a few other vids mentioned having a water source nearby (nobody mentions boots - Darwin award), just in case. You mentioned 'wait until after a good soaking'. You added other tips I need. I think I will be making the 'jump'. Nice to know it will blow through a whole tank in an hour, I would hate to start and run out of fuel to complete the job. Thanks.

You sure have presented a good video. I have just come in from flame weeding...

I like to have a spotter helping look where I'm not. Easy to get tunnel vision when using the torch. Never used it for weeds yet. Looks like a great way to do it. Thanks

Thanks for the tips, I have a lot of outdoor tools and equipment but never owned one of these. You saved me a lot of aggravation

Helpful thanks! 😊

Another use for my flamer is removing oil spots from my concrete paver driveway. No amount of brake cleaner, detergent, etc. would keep an oil spot from coming back to the surface, but with the flamer I had near total success. Still a good idea to scrub off all you can first. Also, I have read that you should make sure than concrete is totally dry (no rain for many days) before flaming, because the moisture in the concrete can become steam and expand, causing cracking.

Thanks. Good job.

Wow good info thanks!

I had no idea it was safe to hold the pipe vs. the handle. Yes, my forearms are killing me and my hands are shaking afterward. The other time I burn-weed is (I'm in New Mexico) late winter when the tiny weeds come up and it takes minimal time to kill them. Since we don't have many showers here I will hose down an area near flammable plants. Thanks for a couple of safety issues you covered. - I LOOOOVE my blow torch.

Your video is great! I just got a flame weeder and the only problem is my yard is too small before I get bored.

good tips for starting the torch. It is winter and mine is just blowing air. I wonder if the trips were activated.

I have been using mine for about a week, several hours a day. My entire yard is full of nothing much except weeds and invasive ground cover. He says to just wilt the plants but I have been going for scorched earth, as I do not want to be back out here doing this all over again. I have used 2 tanks of propane and will be purchasing more tomorrow. My sister came out yelling at me that I was going to kill the roots to the pine tree which was about 15+ ft away from where I was working. I don't think any roots are affected as I don't think that heat goes far enough down to do any damage, but if anyone knows for sure would you just let me know. The tree is about 60 years old and stands about 50 ft tall and I would hate to lose any of my trees by being ignorant about this issue.

Just bought mine. Thank, just did about 10 feet x 3 feet and i was burning it coal black. Good thing i found this video... at 35$ refill in Canada, yeah because of covid right, i would of been broke soon. LOL. Thanks :) man after listening to this video, I'm appointing my dolly permanently to this torch. Wow, 64, where in hell was I all these years... thanks :) good video :) Just a little advice, we have a farming cornfield, like 100 acres, from a neighbor farmer surrounding 2 sides of our 5 acres. We will avoid burning when he will harvest his corn due to votality of corn powder present in the air... here is a cut and paste: Grain dust is highly combustible and can burn or explode if enough becomes airborne or accumulates on a surface and finds an ignition source (such as hot bearing, overheated motor, misaligned conveyor belt, welding, cutting, and brazing).

I will have to play with my controls. Mine doesn't seem to stay lit like yours. Once I let off the handle mine goes out. Could be the brand I got.

Worked great

OMG! Thank you! I've owned this for several years and somehow could not recall how to get it started properly. I do not like using pesticides, want a bee and eco-friendly environment friendly, but the weeds have been driving me INSANE! I'm going to be able to kill my weeds without worry now.

Good information, I have a Bravex and it won’t start with the push-button starter, so I may have to get a striker like you have..and I just bought this for $60.00..I shouldn’t have to do that.

I've had my flame weeder for years and LOVE it. I try my best not to use chemicals. I wish I had found this video sooner; your tips are so helpful! Have you ever used it to get unruly wisteria under control?

Really like the shirt Brother.

An hour! Haha brilliant. Rock star weed killing. 🔥

Thank you i didn't know about the safety

Thank you! I guess I could water first and keep the charged hose nearby.

Good job! Nice editing...I like how you get right to it, tout de suite.

Thank you

China freight has one torch with a push button igniter for $38...love it so far!!!!!!!

Please make a video melting ice in Winter.

Love your video. I am so tired of hoeing and pulling weeds. I asked for a suggestion other than using "poison" today, because I have created a habitat for butterflies, bees, lizards and hummingbirds, the LAST thing I want to do is put poisons out and kill everything. A friend suggested burning and when I did a search I came to your video. Informative! Thank you for the tips and tricks. Much appreciated!

Love my Red Dragon! I've found that thistles are really hard to kill though, you can blacken the stems by the ground and the top of the plant will keep growing.

Thanks for your informative how to video. Couple of questions for you. How fast do you go through a 20 lb. cylinder? Would it be more economical if the tall grass and weeds were knocked down with a weed trimmer first then torch the stubble? How long does a torching session last? Will weeds and grass spring right up again? If I were to torch the remnants of a perennial flower garden late fall, would torching effect the plants root structure? It would seem to me that the ashes would contribute to the health of the ground. Correct?

It doesnt rain here. So what should I do to keep safe?

How did you adapt to a standard propane tank?

Do you need to hit the whole part of the weed with the fire or just any part of it?

I’m getting one for sure and I plan to also have (I’ll put it in the tank so it’s nearby and am easy grab away…and keeps tank out of direct sunlight) a soaking wet towel, so if by chance a fire starts, I have it to throw over the fire! Good idea?

Good video. Best one I’ve seen so far. Thank you all the safety tips. Who wants to use chemicals and risk contamination? Tree huggers unite!

Do you need a regulator between the propane tank and the torch assembly hose? Thanks in advance

thanks

For those that live in the city, do you need a permit to do this?

Thanks, works a lot better, turning on just a crack. Aka it works:) Thanks

A great flame barrier is heavy cardboard. You can bend it around anything you dont want scorched. I always have a charged hose nearby when I burn weeds so it's easy to give the cardboard a light spray if needed. I killed a nice young peach tree in my selfish desire to murder weeds.

Good tips, do you have any problems with the valve icing up?? I seem to be getting ice on mine.

What's the benefit to using a torch instead of a string trimmer?

Can I use it on my driveway filled with snow

Can I use a lighter to light it ? Or does it have to be what you used ?

Glad I found your video I was ready to throw the dragon out, couldn’t get the thing started, we also keep bees 🐝

Does this damage or discolor the mulch? Of course you can't sit the flame over the mulch and start a fire, but will a few passes over the mulch ruin it?

My flame seeder didn’t kill sour sops. Very disappointed in it.

A good flame barrier is an aluminum shovel.

"especially, you don't wanna be on the news" Lol

Thanks for the video. Ok, I'm using the Bernzomatic lawn torch, live in Phoenix, and have a lot of problems killing off these weeds. I've tried using the heat to wilt them, but they just won't die. Any suggestions?

Does having more btu make a difference? Like a 800,000 btu propane torch? Looking to make a purchase and need to know what btu to get

I been using the harbor freight version of this, has electronic igniter, which makes it even easier.

What about flame weeding in my mulch beds? Risky?

The good stuff starts around [3:25]

Love the shirt. I couldn’t keep mine going yesterday and found this vid gonna give it another go

if you cut that jungle down short first it will not take nearly as much flame and gas. the quicker you can get than flame down to the ground the better. with tall grass you have to burn them down first then finish up with the green on the ground.

my grandkids got mine out and bout burned downed the neighborhood. you wanna keep'm separated.

1:30 propane tank safety valve.

You’re saying I shouldn’t light my blunt with it?

Is this safe around grass & trees?

It's close to $20 to refill or exchange a propane tank now!

Need to know where to get the T-Shirt! Great video, will start after the next rain.

What size is that? I’m thinking I should get a 100,000, the 500 looks hard to control

I always have a hose turned on near by and even have my bf follow me with a low stream of water... especially if I am burning rock beds.

I don't think the wheat stalks that some folks call grass, will die from a kiss of heat.

How long does that take? Flame weeding looks like a slow process.

Why did you not use weed/grass cutter? Zero pollution and more efficient. Dry leaves can be used as compost putting them in a pit.

Haha good luck getting that signed off by the missus

Refill $7.00 or $8.00 no way. cheapest around here 17.00

Could this work for killing moss on concrete?

One of these will start up your charcoal grill in seconds also;)

Can you burn cattails