Hi, I have quite a large area in my back garden covered in gravel that has been there for a few years now. Weeds have started seeding in the gravel and it is a pain to hoe them out and then pick them up, my back aches when I do it. I have tried weed killer which is effective up to a point. A friend to whom I complained said I should buy a weed burner,which is powered by butane gas. They are on sale on Ebay for about £20. I have never seen one , let alone used one. I just wondered if anyone on WikiWirral has had any experience of one of these appliances and could let me know how efficient and cost effective it would be to use.

I am aware of the health benefits of repeated bending to pick up the weeds but am willing to forgo them for the time being if I can find an easier method of getting rid of my weeds.
Could this be the answer?

We bought a butane weed burner a few years ago to clear weeds from our patio, and it was a total disappointment.

It was cumbersome to use, but the main problem was that it didn't really clear the weeds. It scorched the top of the weeds to a crisp if you kept it aimed for long enough. But you were left with an unsightly blackened bit of foliage and the roots remained in the ground, presumably meaning the weed could grow again.

We ditched the burner and eventually found the perfect solution was a high-pressure water washer, which blasts the whole weed out, root and all, especially if you adjust the nozzle to a fine, concentrated spray.

If children/pets don't have access to the area neat bleach is an excellent/cheap fix

Otherwise a saturated solution of vinegar/salt - another cheap fix

I use a wand type weed burner, not much good for large areas.

Its hard getting the balance of how much you burn a plant, if you over-cook it then it will regrow, if you under-cook it will survive. The optimum is a heavy singe which dehydrates the plant and damages it enough to leave it wide open to infection which kills it.

I highly recommend "path clear" soluble crystals/powder for larger areas, I usually put it in a spray bottle. Sometimes needs a minor re-application after a a few weeks but works well and is very cost effective.

Thank you guys for your input. It would seem from the experience of Yoller and Diggingdeeper that the butane gas burner is not as effective a weed remover as I had hoped it would be so I think the answer is to use a weed killer. I'm not sure whether to go for the cheap alternatives recommended by Buddy or the pathclear whih is quite reasonably priced on Ebay. Thanks again for your suggestions. not the answer

Use table salt on the weeds it will kill them and the root system so they will never grow back

Agree with what has been said. The butane/ propane canister type "flame wands" are Ok for small weeds here & there or for along the edges of borders, but they lack the power to cope with anything substantial. I have one of these for light garden use. However, I find that as it runs the fuel loss from the canister lowers the canister temperature ---- and that can slow the gas flow. This gas is a butane/ propane mix to reduce this problem, but it is still apparent especially when there is less gas left in the canister.

I have a kerosene fuelled flame gun (now a bit knackered) from my days as an allotment owner. Used correctly that can be used to clear and then keep clear quite large areas of ground


[youtube][https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Br1ZPJ8oQxY[/youtube]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Br1ZPJ8oQxY

As stated, the idea is NOT to try to eradicate fresh weeds but is to scorch them badly so that they dry out. THEN go over them again with the flame device after a day or so and they will be cleared.

Snod

Boiling Water works a treat and is environmentally friendly.

K

Thanks again folks for taking an interest in my weed problem. The video about the kerosene flame gun was really interesting and looked rather dangerous, I think that was a bit too much for my garden. This resulted in over half an hour of random video watching of various weed destruction recipes and demos. The thing I did glean from this is that a pressurised spray bottle makes for easier application of whatever concoction I decide to use - I think the vinegar and salt one is the easiest and cheapest to try. Once again many thanks for taking an interest and for all your suggestions.

I was a paraffin gun man myself as I had a huge garden, patio, path etc. It worked a treat for me, sounded like a jet engine, well ok a little one. Point is, it worked. EU regs stop powerful weedkiller solutions now so it's difficult.