weed wand

hiya folks erm i was wondering if i was to use a weed wand on that beautifull couch grass would it kill it or will it just burn the tops and not have an effect on the roots advice plaese as im having a do with how to get rid of it as it really hasnt been the weather to dig just lately

 

Chickychic, all the Weedwand will do is burn off the topgrowth, it will do nothing to the roots. One of the first thing you have to learn as a gardener is patience. You can leave the digging for when it dries out a bit. I was digging a bed, which contains couch, at a clients this morning and it was hard going. I would have preferred to have left it for a couple of weeks, but I have to pay the bills. :rolleyes:

 

David's advice is bang on Chickychic. Don't waste time and effort. I doubt if you'll be wanting to plant anything for a couple of months so you've plenty of time to wait for a dry spell and then have a good dig and pick out the worst of it. You'll be very lucky if you get it all out first time, but if you've loosened the soil it is then fairly easy to dig out new shoots with a hand fork and/or zap them with a few applications of systemic weed killer.

 

thanks for the replies yes i suppose i will just have to wait for a dry spell (it will probably be some time in december for a day)never was very good at waiting i just want to get it sorted as it looks a mess and new bits of the stuff is starting to grow

 

Yep , sound advice from David chickychic,i had one of them once over & not worth a wotsit.
It's dig deep to get them out,spent many hours, days & weeks getting strong rooted weeds out when i came here.

 

I wouldn't completely knock flame guns as they do have their uses. I've got a Sheen X300 (1 gallon tank and 2000 degree F flame) and use it on our gravel paths and drive as well as veg and flower beds before planting or sowing. Apart from its use for zapping annual weeds it's also pretty good for incinerating any weed seeds that are lying on or near the surface of the soil. Only drawback is that it makes a noise like a jet fighter and gets pretty heavy after 15 minutes. On gravel you have to walk backwards to avoid melting stones into the soles of your boots!

 

I wouldn't write them off either it's the only thing that's been effective against horses tails that have been growing up between my boundry and a public footpath much better than hand weeding or weed killer, a flame weeder is quicker. They are particularly suitable for weeding awkward areas, such as steps and for killing weeds between paving slabs. Flame weeders also have the advantage of killing the weed seed near to the surface of the soil. Most equipment has a wand or lance and this reduces the need to bend when weeding. Depending upon the situation, most areas will require 4-5 treatments per year for effective control.

 

Sorry Dave & Walnut,i thought it were the gas canister type being referred to.Yep i got one of the paraffin ones for that job,it's the dreaded Bishop weed i had to try & get out when making new flower beds.

 

Im afraid Ive never found weed wands efective. Ive used tractor mounted ones operating of the sort of lpg tank that feeds domestic houses right down to the small canister ones and the old parsene compresion parafin ones.

Without fail the job could have been done more efectivly either spraying with roundup or by weeding or preferably both.

I look after one property with around 3 acres of gravel drives and parking and find the easyest way is to walk around once a month with the knapsack and spot treat.

Dont ask me about the dead hydranga that caught alight once either!