"Natural and Effective Weed Control" OR....

[beac]

"I burnt my house down trying to get rid of Creeping Charlie!"?????



http://www.weeddragon.com/


The thought of frying some of the more persistent pestiferous plants I deal with every gardening season it tempting but, a) I garden mostly in containers and b) Yikes, FIRE!

Plus, is using propane to garden REALLY all that green?

[mopinko]

1. yeah, but i have a brick house, so

bring it on.
kidding, but i have thought of it.

[beac]

2. Wonder if one of those little kitchen torches they make for

caramelizing creme brulee and such would work? The thought of dragging a big tank of propane behind me while I'm wafting fire around = .

[dmosh42]

3. Plus, it doesn't work...

I tried a torch that I use for other things, and it only sears the tops, but the roots remain intact, and re-grow.

[beac]

4. Dangerous and temporary--

not an ideal combination.

[Curmudgeoness]

5. Good lord, I can just see a neighbor

falling for this one. Fun for the guy who loves "power tools".

Natural and effective, why don't you use vinegar? Or boiling water? Now THAT is natural! (But not nearly as much fun.)

[beac]

6. But, just IMAGINE the other possibilities...

you could roast your red peppers right on the vine... bake your beans in the pod...and, POOF, instant dried herbs!

[kurtzapril4]

9. Vinegar and boiling water

will only top-kill. They won't kill the roots. I wish they did work, though!

[Curmudgeoness]

10. Oh well. I guess the top is all I care about killing.

I just don't want to see the weeds. If I really cared, I would pull/dig them out.

However, I am at that point where weeds are not bothering me so much anymore.

[Denninmi]

7. I bought a "Swedish Weed Torch" from Lee Valley Tools about 10 years ago.

First off, no, using propane (or propane accessories, as Hank Hill would say) in the garden is NOT green. Greenhouse gas is more like it.

Um, they are only moderately effective. Good for frying emerging seedling weeds. Not all that effective on deep rooted perennial weeds like dandelions, quack grass, dock, etc. You can cook the tops to the point they are black char, and the insulating effect of the soil will protect the root below, and in a week or two, the weed pops back up. And, it actually takes longer than you would think to kill a weed, most you have to hold the flame on for 30 seconds to a minute, except for the most tiny flimsy baby weeds. So, it's kind of a slow process.

The thing I've found it best for is to cook the weeds that grow between the expansion joints in my concrete driveways and sidewalks. I can hold it over the weed long enough (1 to 2 minutes) to generally kill the roots in the limited soil volume that accumulates in the expansion joint. At least it beats pulling them by hand.

[grand earth trine]

8. LOL--I couldn't see what it was.

I don't think so!

[HopeHoops]

11. Isn't that last frame the mace cop?

[beac]

12. Pepper-spray your weeds away!

(edited to be clear that I think that the pepper-spray cop is a criminal jackass and the students are lovely flowers and the farthest things from weeds. )