Pros and Cons of Using a Weed Torch

So the weeds have been nearly unmanageable so I decided as a last ditch effort before I just pay a company to scalp the yard to remove these poison resistant weeds I decided to buy a flame thrower aka. Weed Torch.  I only had enough time to run a quick test of a few smaller weeds in the yard but it was too windy and there was a storm moving in.

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I was all set to torch hundreds of weeds this weekend, but alas the rain has moved in and it is unlikely I will get to it until things dry up again.  I will say this weed torch which hooks up to a gas propane tank (the same kind you use for gas BBQ Grills) has a lot of power and puts out a lot of flame.  I was a little intimidated first turning it on and lighting it and it can produce up to a 1″ jet of flame that is about 6″ in diameter.  It burns smaller weeds to ash in less than 3 seconds and takes slightly longer for bigger weeds.

Pros and Cons of a Weed Torch

Pros

Burns weeds removing all traces but ash which blows away easy, this is better than having dried out dead weeds after spraying weed poison.

Less labor than shoveling, you stand their, aim and torch away.  There is no manual shoveling and spending 15 minutes torching weeds will not tire out your back and arms like trying to dig them out with a shovel.

Immediate removal, poisons can be unreliable and you spray and wait for weeds to eventually die (or not) the weed torch you watch them burn up instantly before your eyes, weed exits, then weed is ash.

Cons

Roots still exist underground and weeds can come back and regrow.

Time consuming, it can take more time to torch weeds than to shovel but it is easier on your back.

Fire hazard, this works best if you have landscaping rock you can’t weed torch where there is any wood or near structure of house without risk of fire.

You have to be cognizant of the fire at all times and making sure you don’t flame your own foot, and it can be a little noisy.

What do you think?

Have you ever used a Weed Torch to remove weeds by burning them to the ground, do you pretend you are using a flamethower when doing it?

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