I really need some advice. My dad lives with us and he's been tinkering in the garden area. This year we have bur butter cup covering the whole garden (about 300x 600 feet) and everywhere else I look.
He bought a blow torch to kill them off with and has decided it is too much trouble. He wants to mix gas and oil, spray it on the weeds and burn them that way. ISN'T THAT TOXIC???? Not to mention dangerous. I can't think it is healthy to plant vegetables where gas and oil have been sprayed even if it has been burned.
My main question is ... when I blow torch those horrible burs, how torched do they have to be to die? Can I just toast them over or do I have to turn them to ash.
I torched for 2-1/2 hours yesterday and I am so sore. But I just want to keep the Dad at bay with the gas-oil idea. I have to go to work monday and I know he'll try it unless I have some real proof that it isn't a good idea.
Please write with any help or ideas.
Bur butter cup is EVERYWHERE! Help, please,
Hi I'm new to DG I think I have the same nasty burs, I have heard if you put more lime in the soil it will help make them go away. I have not tried it yet. But I do know if mowing the them down they will go away. with out the greenery which with no nutriment's no roots. Hope this helps but don't let him gas it
Thanks! I will check into the lime. I really should do a soil test. And as soon as the rain stops I am getting out the mower!
rustyswoman: Is the blow torch specifically designed to kill weeds? Otherwise I would not use it. I tried that. The tank blew up on me and I nearly burned down my 100 year old house and wound up in the hospital. For the first time in my life I found out what morphine is like! No wonder people get addicted to it. You forget half of your arm is burned off.
When you use the weed torch, the plant will look limp. Its dead. Does not work for deep rooted plants though, and if you get into something flammable--like ivy growing up a tree it can get out of control. It is really for edging along a path or gravel walk. If youve had rain, and there is nothing else planted in that spot, I would get a sheet of plastic. Black or clear. Both will work. Be sure to seal the edges by shoveling dirt on them. In two weeks you will have sterile solarized soil, perfectly conditioned. Ready to plant.
If you haven't had rain, water first. Before laying down the plastic. Good luck!
This message was edited Apr 29, 2007 11:02 AM
gloria125,
Hey, I really appreciate your help and advice. I didn't buy the torch, but I do believe Zamzows sold it to my dad knowing what he would use it for. I am sorry to hear that yours burned you. I sure hope you are healing quickly. I will be very careful, much more than I was before!
I also wondered about the plastic.
My dad (and I am not going to listen to him anymore) said the plastic was too expensive and really wouldn't work. He said they would just grow under the plastic. But as hot as it gets out here, I thought it would bake them.
I will go get the plastic. Will Home Depot have that do you think?
Thanks again
The fire and burns I got were a few years ago all healed now. I still remember the morphine, though!
I just did a search of Dave's about solarization. Double layers of clear plastic. Before you water very well, or apply after a soaking rain. Water the area even if it has rained. Seal the edges very well with dirth and bricks. He description I read, from Horseshoe, said it may take six weeks. I think you are actually steaming the soil.
My experience is using plastic at archeological sites. We wanted the soil to be conditioned for digging, and to maintain precise profiles for recording what was there. (Mapping).
I am planning to do this on my wisteria that has gone wild here. Not sure if it will work on a woody vining plant with underground runners, but it should work well on a relatively surface growing perennial.
This message was edited Apr 29, 2007 12:28 PM
Wonderful! I am excited to try this. I have 4 acres and not alot of time!
I am glad to hear you are healed up. I get singed with the oven and I whine, I can't imagine the pain that you went through.
Thanks!!
Im looking forward to trying it on the wisteria also. I just went out to layout an area, and find a sprinkler to water it overnight. Ive got a lot of left over plastic from installing a greenhouse, so that will be a good use for it.
Here's hoping for less weeds and more garden!
Good Luck!
I did this a few years back after I sold my horse, I laid a rather large sheet of black plastic down where I wanted my garden to be was will fertilized by the horse. Then I kept plying my grass clippings on it. I left it there for about 2 years had no time to spare at that time. What I ended up with was a very nice cleared area and compost to boot. Then I read a book a friend gave me to read about lasagna
gardening then the work started. The plastic does work wonders
Tilly
Sounds a lot more enjoyable than tilling and digging.