I have used one of those flame throwers for a few years but I am not totally convinced! It is gratifying to see the weeds wilt before your very eyes but I kind of think that if there are any seeds around that the burn puts them through a "forest fire condition" and just primes them for germination!!!! I don't really know but it sometimes feels like I am making new weeds! I think if you are really diligent and keep after all new seedling you might win the war. I have a huge area to do and the novelty has worn off! It was a lot of fun at first! Good luck!

They come in different sizes. If the area is too big for what you have maybe you need a bigger flamer. Subsequent germination and resprouting has to be dealt with by making frequent, repeat visits until the weeds have been killed off. Fresh invaders can be discouraged with mulching, although you probably can't continue with the torch after that.

The most frequent problem with weed control in general seems to be lack of following up. Flaming, spraying, tilling or hoeing, you always have to keep at it--unless you use a soil sterilant. And then you can't plant anything.

Hi bboy & zenzone
Well you are certainly right about the follow up on any weeding. The flamer I bought was probably the smallest available but it was the ONLY one offered. For the most part I only use it on the gravel drive area where mulching would have to consist of MORE gravel. It also seemed to me that you were not supposed to flame wet weeds, (I don't remember why) but it has been a long time since I have seen the instructions. Follow up is surely the key and I think for use along paths and pavers, they are great!

Maybe Steuber Distributing right there in Snohomish has bigger ones, with a nice wide bell shaped business end. Otherwise, there are sources online.

To me, it would just be a fun item to have and to show off to my friends, regardless of its actual effectiveness.

Well, I just have a little one, and you can either screw on a small tank or you can adapt it to a bigger boy to drag around or strap on. I did have fun playing with it on Saturday, but don't know how effective the treatment was, as we have had so much rain. As with any form of weeding, this would require revisits, naturally, but even if it only works on my paths, these are the hardest areas for me to weed anyotherwise than with boiling water or vinegar water.

My least favorite weed is oh-so-plentiful in these areas... this little nasty shooter weed that has maybe 1/2" long, slender spring-loaded seeds following the small white flowers. Sometimes you cannot even see the seeds until they launch. I don't wear glasses and it hurts to get one in the eye!!! A remarkable design feature that just falls short of my appreciation, I guess. Frying them is most satisfying (Grinch grin)... if it works.

I love the mental picture of you stalking that nasty weed and torching it! Especially with your name of Zenzone. Aren't you supposed to be calm and above all this??? lol

Zen gardens certainly don't have any weeds. Seems pretty consistent to me.

Something to remember with the big torches is that you don't actually have to set the weeds on fire, just wilt them good. The water in the plant boils, and the plants turn a bright green (like stir fry does with veggies). Of course if they are dry, they burn up pretty good. Always try to have a water supply handy, and be extra careful around fences, houses, and your propane source.

And yes, you do need to do this repeatedly as new weeds crop up.

I work in Seattle and always wonder what the Fire Department would have to say about an open flame. I find the torch a bit slow and not a miricle tool but a nice additional to the arsenal.

I have all the precautions firmly embedded in my mind. I hope my new li'l friend will help in open areas or as I said, the paths which are harder to weed than the garden beds.

Calm? Me? Sure... and more sure after a satifying little ZAP!

zenzone,

I work with my brother in the landscape business. We use a flame weeder as part of our routine maintenance. Its a great tool because your not disturbing the gravel. Bring soil to the surface. We have our set up on a backpack frame. Attached to the frame, 2 gallon propane bottle and a 2 gallon pump up spray tank. Spray tank is full of water. The spray tank wand is cable tied to the burner pipe. The triggers are side by side. When wearing the contraption it reminds me of Ghost Busters.

Eric

"Who You Gonna Call?" LOL Eric_wa.
I would like to have your Ghost Busters set up to battle Zenzone's same evil white flowering shot weed- the ones I thought were so cool when we moved here because of their ability to shoot those seeds so mightily.

Well now it's me fighting the mighty year round battle to control those little florets of foliage before they even get close to going to seed. ARgh.

Here is a link that might be useful: The enemy: Shotweed

This pops up mostly where there is a dearth of mulch.

Well, this subject got me inspired enough to get out the flamer and go to town on what seemed like acres of miniscule (SP) shotweed seedings! I think this apparatus is very appropriate for these little #$%(@^). We shall see.....
It was very satisfing at the time.

Snohomish is well within Zone 8. You don't have to limit yourself to Zone 7 plants. Another opportunity for increased satisfaction.

Here is a link that might be useful: Washington Zone Map

Hey, thanks for the info, Eric. I do challenge one statement in that shotweed link~ I've found that if you don't keep right up on this weed, it will (though less profusely) flower past spring~ or maybe the babies will~ and into summer here in z8 OR and I know it will do the same north of Seattle, too. But if you get ahead of it in early spring, the job is much easier for the rest of the growing season.

Yes, I think these weeds can bloom 365 days a year!!!I have found them less then one inch tall with blooms and seeds !!!
Hi bboy, I don't limit myself to zone 7 plants at all in fact I am in total zonal denial ( not quite as daring as Ian) in spite of our house being at 500 feet elevation actually north of Monroe but technically Snohomish. We will still have frost and snow while in town locations will be bare and warmer! Fortunately these times seem to be fewer and fewer! Location and drainage /key!!!! Cheers

Hey I'm not in zonal denial.... I fully expect a large proportion of my garden to freeze dead the next time we have another winter like 1990. Or better yet 1950. Starting to look like this will not be the year.

So bamboomary, how effectively does the flamethrower work on the shotweed? Do you just wilt them and move on, or do you have to pull up the foliage/roots too? I also have hundreds and I'd wager I could go out right now and find one with flowers.

Bboy I try to mulch with my own compost at least annually, but I'd guess that there are plenty of seeds in the compost that don't get killed off. Do you think I could smother weeds with a winter mulch of compost and kill them in my garden beds?

Another thing that would make me run out and suit up with a flame thrower would be if someone told me they killed buttercup weeds- a constant menace long established here.

Sunset 4 + Sunset 5 = USDA 8, to a large extent. In the metropolitan area USDA 7 corresponds to the west slope of the Cascades (Sunset 1A), from the crest to the foothills. The Sunset map has 1A starting just east of Gold Bar.

Any plant consistently deprived of foliage will starve out eventually. Nothing grows faster than people can move, the common problem is lack of followup, not the characteristics of the plants. Bulldoze, spray, flame, fork, hoe...you have to get out there and do it before the weeds will be controlled. Tethering goats in an area to be cleared works well because they are out there eating the stuff all day long.

Well composted organic material sounds perfect for a vigorous growth of shotweed. To suppress it I would use wood chips instead.

Shotweed is a salad plant, you can always eat it if there is a good supply.

Hi pouchella, I think the flamer works pretty darn good on the shotweeds but bboy is right, you HAVE to follow up. I have a few areas that I have almost totally cleared out the shotweed by really keeping at it! It has taken a few years and I still can't let up. I have also controlled blackberries and salmon berries just by keeping them cut down. It is all just part of gardening. BTW I wouldn't waste the propane on buttercups, change the pH and or dig them out or learn to like little yellow flowers! UGH!

THAT'S it! I need GOATS! lol

I love my cheapie torch that hooks up to my propane tank. It's a bit of a pain to lug (no backpack) but when I'm done roasting weeds I just pop it back on the BBQ grill and hang up the hose.

Torching weeds is like watching the Wicked Witch of the West melt. I pretend I can hear them sreeeeeaming. Bwa ha ha ha!

I have a small one and I used it a couple of weeks ago on shotweed and others with good results. I'm considering getting a larger one for winter use, though, since it takes longer on each weed with the small one because of all the moisture. The small one is good for getting in between plants where a large flamer couldn't go without doing damage.

I was out FOLLOWING UP today and think I like the smaller flamer as well. I would have torched a few things today with a bigger flame in my efforts to get under certain plants. It was tempting to torch a few smaller ornamental grasses, that tidys them up in a hurry LOL....

Bernzomatic makes a nice little self-starting propane torch (TS4000T is the model number I've seen). This way you can carry one of those small cylinders of propane and keep the flame out until you encounter a weed. A quick click, and fooom! It only stays on as long as you hold the trigger.

This is good for the tight areas where a bigger torch would kick off enough heat to harm good plants.

I could have used that FOOOM the other day when I went and hand pulled about 300 shot weeds, some beyond flower and nearing the "I'm going to get ugly on you" stage-ready to seed.

Where would one find a Bernzomatic?

I set fire to my Miscanthus every year about this time. Finding a dry enough day is the only problem. ;-) Of course I don't have it placed where it can do collateral damage to anything. The farmers who grow grass seed for lawns in eastern Washington routinely burn their fields for increased seed production the following season. So burning must favor more seed plumes even though Miscanthus doesn't self seed here. At least it has been my experience. Miscanthus 'gigantea' goes off like a bonfire! Can you tell I'm a 'pyro' at heart?

Poochella, this is the one I have, although mine is called Primus. It's cane shaped and the propane bottle screws into the end of the handle.
I spent several hours torching a new batch of weed seedlings yesterday, so I hope that it will cut down on my spring weeding, because I can't use the flamer much once the leaves and straw dry out. I'll go back in the woods today or tomorrow to torch all the herb robert that has spread in there. It's so wet that none of the debri will catch on fire and continue burning, so I can get a lot done. I also don't have to worry about getting any trilliums yet.

Here is a link that might be useful: Flamer

Ratherb, that would be perfect for use here-save my back too. Thanks for the link. We've got propane tanklets like those for a lantern that gets rare use. I'll definitely check out that model.

What is herb robert? Surely not as obnoxious as shotweed? I'll google it....

Hey there Poochella, that is the flamer I have and it is great. I do get a stiff neck after a while from staring down at the weeds for so long but I really like mine and the box stores will frequently have sales on the canisters of fuel. Herb Robert weed is on the Washington noxious weed list. It looks like a wild geranium and has an unpleasant smell when you to weed it out. BTW, that was a pretty good price on the flamer. I know I paid more!!! Have fun!

I get stiff using it too, but it's better than doing it by hand later.
Herb robert doesn't shoot seeds like shotweed, but in my yard it is just as invasive. It's a pretty plant with lacy, delicate leave, but I think it must have a 99.9% germination rate. I'll pull up mature plants only to find several young seedling underneath them and it seems to never end. If we have a wet spring, I'll be able to stay ahead of them, but if it dries out I'll have to put up the flamer.
If you do a search on Primus flamer, it should show exactly which one I have. I can't tell if the one in the link I gave is it or not, but I think it's different since it's not referred to as the Primus. They should all work fine I'd think.
I did a lot more weeding today, so I'm glad I thought to get it out sooner this year.

Oh Herb Robert! We are on very familiar terms and call that red-tinged, lacy-leaved devil "Stinky Bob" because of the smell. I'd just never heard it called Herb Robert before. Perhaps not as widespread here as shotweed, but easily located in the woods and brushy areas.

I have got to get a flamethrower- it's on my list of things to do.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1068456}}

I stopped by Harbor Freight. Picked up a propane flamer for $13. Looks like a walking cane. I toasted all the weeds in the cracks of my driveway and sidewalk.

There were a few spots where I actually burned out the weeds, but in most areas, one pass with the flame and the little buggers turned bright green. I think another quick pass once every week or two will kill everything off. Dead.

I did find out too late that the little probe that goes into the propane cylinder was not screwed in tightly when the flamer was assembled. It came out when I unscrewed the cylinder, and let some propane escape until I plucked it out of the valve.

This weekend, I'm planning to singe many weeds on the face of the retaining wall that holds up my front yard. I think I'll just try to ol' Bernz-O-Matic with a flame spreader.

Flame on.

Wow, we better keep a low profile in fire season!