I used ours a few times on a brick patio. It took care of the young weeds and briefly took care of the slippery moss/algae but it only took down the tops of the wild bermuda. The bermuda runs under the brick so it came back up in no time.
Saw someone using the torch to burn the leaves out of his tumbled stone wall.

As long as you understand what it is intended for, these tools are terrific! They steam the tops of the weeds, and will not kill the root system of perennial plants. Annuals can be controlled quite nicely with a weed torch, and they make the temperary 'disappearance' of other weeds almost fun.

Should not be used around pine straw, or bark mulch (unless you are very careful).

Thanks

I intend to use it in my vegetable garden, which is quite weedy this time of the year, and around my compost pile which stays weedy all the time it seems.

I didn't want to use Roundup in either location.

I'll bet one will be a great help when it comes time to light the big brush pile that I've accumulated, if we ever get any rain.

R

I'm thinking even with things like Bermuda, which put runners under the brick, Dottie, if you were to slowly move that torch back and forth over those bricks long enough to heat the entire bricks down to the base to a few hundred degrees you MIGHT kill the roots, too.

Of course that's something you may want to first try in an inconspicuous area, just in case it results in either a burned look to the bricks, them cracking, mortar cracking or other undesireable outcomes...

I'll eventually get one of those, when I catch them on sale again... look like too much fun to NOT have one at some point, lol.

Ouch Dottie! I feel for you and your patio. I would have the same problem probably if I were to put one down. Never miss a chance to bemoan the existence of Wild Bermuda. The lastest blister on my hand(even with wearing gloves) definitely feels your pain.

Shari

so now there's actually a propane garden gizmo for weeding. imagine that. for years, the dh has weeded sidewalk cracks this way, and i'd chalked it up to the antics of a retired fireman.

he uses a regular ol' propane torch.

marsha

JeffAHayes....

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=91037

They are currently $10 off price shown.

R

The 'fun factor' should not be under estimated! It's a gggrrreeeeaaat way to get the menfolk (and boy folk) out there...sort of akin to hitting lawn mushrooms with golf clubs, if you know what I mean. Shhhhhh, is my husband listening?

same process,Marsha, it just has a longer pipe from the propane canister so it eliminates the stooping and it has a shoulder strap.
Now, that should cost you $25.00 or more MORE than a standard propane torch.(giggle)

I can't help it, but this whole process has me in stitches. Just the thought of a gardener wielding a propane torch seems somehow quite out of its element. I figure my husband is dangerous and compulsive enough with Roundup and the TV remote, so I'm not even going to mention this new superhero device to him.

claire in sanford

I have one of those small kitchen torches to do creme brulee. Think I'll test drive it out on the sporadic driveway weeds! Maybe I'll even wear an apron like I'm Donna Reed!

(methinks we all have dangerous minds after a long, hot, sticky summer)

-Nan

Nan, I'm planning on dressing like the Beave's mom for the plant swap...look for me in my shirtwaist dress, pearls and heels. I'll be carrying a basket with just-picked hybrid tea roses.

Stepford wife, ya right!... claire in sanford

nan
i had to HIDE my creme brulee torch from the
resident "pyro" :)

marsha

As depicted by this statue below, women have been using the garden torch throughout history! We are old hands at this method of weed destruction. Unite ladies, grab those torches. In fact, one of the most infamous weeds was previously named *because* of our talent at destroying it: Chick-weed!

{{gwi:584895}}

I use mine primarily as a fire starter now, as I found the weeds come right back from the roots after being torched. I have recently seen--in various mail order catalogs--sort of a "spot stick" device (looks something like a walking stick) that supposedly applies herbicide to one weed at a time without danger to surrounding plants. I wonder if that might solve the problem.

sounds like a useful gizmo, this spot stick.

I realize I'm a bit late on this topic, but couldn't help chiming in.. I picked up one of these at my local Harbor Freight store and all of them seem to have POL connectors on them where they plug into a Propane tank. Now, that's all fine and dandy if we go back in time about 3-5 years which is when it was mandated to change out all Propane tanks from using POL style connections and start using ACME/Qcc style connectors. I can't even fill any old propane tanks anymore.. This just seems rather silly to me.. I bought this darned flame thrower and can't even use it since I've got no tanks I can use with it. I even checked out what other mfgr's have to offer and they all seem to have models with the old style connection.. Am I missing something here, other than it would seem like a way to have the mfgr's get an extra $$ from each person for adapters..?

I spent most of the afternoon today trying a different approach with weed control...

I went around the yard with my pruning shears and every small tree seedling or poison ivy vine or whatever I didn't want that wouldn't pull up easily (wore part of the skin off the middle finger on my right hand yanking too hard on some of them) got clipped a few inches above the ground, then immediately "painted."

I had the cover to my bottle of 42% concentrate glyphosate with a little poured in the bottom and one of those 1" sponge paint brushes in it, well soaked. After cutting each plant, I simply liberally dabbed the bare "trunk" with that sponge, then went on to the next one... must have done well over 100 plants that way... No danger of overspray or anything that way... direct application to only what you want, and I can guarantee you it WON'T come back.

I also cut down my almost-full-grown mimosa yesterday (trunk was about 8" thick) and took a paper towel I'd been using the same way with some other plants in the back yard (a smaller mimosa and a few unwanted tulip poplar volunteers) and draped it over the stump... and since it wasn't still as damp as I'd have liked, I poured a bit more in the cap and just poured that across the top of the paper towel on my diagonal stump cut, so it could soak in and slowly soak down the towel.

I've used this method before, but never with this many plants at once.

Works well, no risk of starting a fire, and unlike the torch thing, I can guarantee you this will KILL THE ROOT.

Happy Weedkilling!
Jeff