Hello,

The allotment chairman suggested I use a paraffin burner to clear the
allotment. What is one of those? I saw a couple of other allotment
people carrying parasene weed wands; do you think he meant this and I
misheard him? How good are they? I thought they had poor reviews on
this group? What do you do with them, just scorch the weeds and dig
them up a week later?

Thanks.

On Mon, 11 Feb 2008 10:03:15 GMT, Fred wrote:

The allotment chairman suggested I use a paraffin burner to clear the
allotment. What is one of those? I saw a couple of other allotment
people carrying parasene weed wands; do you think he meant this and I
misheard him?

A weed wand might be a bit small, though I've only seen gas ones of them
rather than parrafin. Bit like a walking stick with a gas cannister at the
handle end a flame the other. I wouldn't want to tackle an area the size
of an allotment with one but a bigger beasty is another matter.

How good are they? I thought they had poor reviews on this group? What
do you do with them, just scorch the weeds and dig them up a week later?

They are very effective, you just need to play the flame over the top
growth, no need to create visible damage or burning. The next day it will
be very apparent that the growth has been scorched enough not to be of any
use to the plant any more. B-)

Dig up/in depending on the weed. Some may beed repeated treatments but a
small gas weed wand keeps out french drains fairly clear of Dandelions
used once or twice/year.

--
Cheers
Dave.

In article ,
Fred writes:
|
| The allotment chairman suggested I use a paraffin burner to clear the
| allotment. What is one of those? I saw a couple of other allotment
| people carrying parasene weed wands; do you think he meant this and I
| misheard him? How good are they? I thought they had poor reviews on
| this group? What do you do with them, just scorch the weeds and dig
| them up a week later?

In general, they are just a waste of time. You use them just as you
say, and they don't do anything except burn off the tops. Spraying
with very dilute glyphosate and waiting until it has taken effect
works better.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Nick Maclaren says...

In article ,
Fred writes:
|
| The allotment chairman suggested I use a paraffin burner to clear the
| allotment. What is one of those? I saw a couple of other allotment
| people carrying parasene weed wands; do you think he meant this and I
| misheard him? How good are they? I thought they had poor reviews on
| this group? What do you do with them, just scorch the weeds and dig
| them up a week later?

In general, they are just a waste of time. You use them just as you
say, and they don't do anything except burn off the tops. Spraying
with very dilute glyphosate and waiting until it has taken effect
works better.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.


Ditto what Nick says. Paraffin burners are just for
entertainment value. Trouble is the weeds get the last
laugh.

It seems there are lots of gardening associated products
for sale with negligible benefit. I suppose while people
keep buying them manufacturers will keep making them.
--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted.

On Mon, 11 Feb 2008 13:18:00 +0100, David in Normandy wrote:

Ditto what Nick says. Paraffin burners are just for entertainment value.
Trouble is the weeds get the last laugh.

I beg to differ but they aren't a "one hit wonder" like glyphosphate
sometimes is. We really don't know the sate of the OPs allotment, is it
edge to edge robust weeds (dandelion, thistle, bramble etc) or just over
grown with self seeded veggies and grass?

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Mon, 11 Feb 2008 16:02:06 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Liquorice"
wrote:

I beg to differ but they aren't a "one hit wonder" like glyphosphate
sometimes is. We really don't know the sate of the OPs allotment, is it
edge to edge robust weeds (dandelion, thistle, bramble etc) or just over
grown with self seeded veggies and grass?

Hi. Sorry for the delay. You were asking about the state of my (OP)
allotment.

Well it's mainly a mixture of grass and brambles. I've tried to cut
the grass with a scythe-thing that someone let me borrow for the
weekend; I was going to borrow their brush cutter but it wouldn't
start

The brambles have been chopped away too and I have tried to dig out
their roots but some are quite deep so I have been unable to remove
them completely. What's the best way to get rid of brambles?

There may have been some raspberries in the middle of the jungle but
if so, they got chopped too. Perhaps it's just as well to start with a
clean slate; I wouldn't know what age or variety they were.

"Fred" wrote in message
...
Hello,

The allotment chairman suggested I use a paraffin burner to clear the
allotment. What is one of those? I saw a couple of other allotment
people carrying parasene weed wands; do you think he meant this and I
misheard him? How good are they? I thought they had poor reviews on
this group? What do you do with them, just scorch the weeds and dig
them up a week later?

I found them to be a complete waste of time, all they did was to kill off
the leaves and leave the roots to grow on.

Don't waste your money.

Either dig the plot over or use a weedkiller.



Thanks.

On Wed, 20 Feb 2008 11:40:13 GMT, Fred wrote:

What's the best way to get rid of brambles?

Repeated cutting back will do for them, eventually. Repeated glyphosphate
will also kill them. Note the repeated, they are tough beggers. I may be
wrong but trying to dig out might be a bad move as each little bit of root
left will grow back as a new plant...

I like Blackberries so I'd keep a plant ina corner some where but it would
need watching to keep under control.

--
Cheers
Dave.

Dave Liquorice says...
On Wed, 20 Feb 2008 11:40:13 GMT, Fred wrote:

What's the best way to get rid of brambles?

Repeated cutting back will do for them, eventually. Repeated glyphosphate
will also kill them. Note the repeated, they are tough beggers. I may be
wrong but trying to dig out might be a bad move as each little bit of root
left will grow back as a new plant...

I like Blackberries so I'd keep a plant ina corner some where but it would
need watching to keep under control.



Best to get a specific bramble / brushwood weedkiller. I
repeatedly used glyphosate on mine originally and it just
made them look poorly for a few weeks with yellowing leaves
and malformed growth, then they just carried on growing
again. I then discovered a bramble specific weedkiller and
it killed them off nicely, including some in another area
that hadn't already been "weakened" by glyphosate.

Depending on how much of a jungle the OP has got, digging
them up by the roots can be an option, but as I discovered
they tend to layer themselves and spread that way, so
unless you get every bit they come back to haunt you.
--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted.