Althouse: Weed Searing.

May 6, 2012

Weed Searing.

It's Meade versus weed in this searing story of a man and his blowtorch:

29 comments:

chickelit said...: Meade smokes weed...lol; 5/6/12, 10:05 PM
MadisonMan said...: They make those with long nozzles so you don't have to bend over. It's on my list of things to get to make life easier.; 5/6/12, 10:07 PM
edutcher said...: Ann shows an understandable reluctance to get too close to the open flame. Not that she doesn't trust her husband, but how often has he done this?

And when she asks where he learned to do it, Meade should have said something creative like, "Okinawa".

And will you put up a post, Madame, when you have finished rubbing that poor man's back (mine hurts just watching)?

PS Tell us you really don't call him, "Meade", around the house.; 5/6/12, 10:12 PM
traditionalguy said...: I never knew that you could make Creme Brulee out of dandelions. More lore from the Meadster.

Meade must be getting the yard gromed for Mother's Day next Sunday.; 5/6/12, 10:16 PM
MadisonMan said...: Wouldn't weed burning be more effective on a day when an inch of rain did not fall? That is, on a day unlike today?; 5/6/12, 10:18 PM
caplight45 said...: How about a flame thrower?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dmE-emrrAs; 5/6/12, 10:18 PM
A. Shmendrik said...: Broad-leaf holocaust!

Thanks for the tip, it earns a tip of the Hatlo Hat!; 5/6/12, 10:19 PM
Steve Austin said...: How effective is this really? I'd like Meade to compare and contrast via RoundUp.

Read more about this online and one website insists that the weeds learn to adapt and come back stronger.; 5/6/12, 10:24 PM
chickelit said...: Way to go all meadieval on the weeds.; 5/6/12, 10:26 PM
Meade said...: Madman, you got an inch? We only got 3/4 over here. Perfect day to sear weeds - not too windy and everything wet meant safe and controlled. I agree - I'd get a long nozzled burner if I had a lot to do. Mine was cheap though. Just like me.; 5/6/12, 10:26 PM
chickelit said...: How effective is this really? I'd like Meade to compare and contrast via RoundUp.

Roundup is non selective. A better comparison might be to a broadleaf herbicide like 2,4-D; 5/6/12, 10:29 PM
caplight45 said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/6/12, 10:32 PM
Meade said...: Roundup is good when it's hot and dry. Weed control is mostly about timing. Get em while theyre young, don't let them go to seed.; 5/6/12, 10:34 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: I would look out the windows of Camp Drake Elementary and marvel at the tedious care given each tree provided its own straw mat wrapped around the trunk at about head-level and tied with the same jute material. It was very pretty and precise in that alien Japanese way. The gardener told me those were not decoration, and they were not straw jackets to protect the trees from cold. They attracted insects to nest and then they would be burned.; 5/6/12, 10:36 PM
MadisonMan said...: Meade, I rounded up :); 5/6/12, 10:56 PM
Darrell said...: A real man uses one of these 500,000 Btu/hr propane torches that run off a 20lb tank. Of course you get them at Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Hobart-770507-Hotstick-Weed-burner/dp/B002AKIRI0

http://www.amazon.com/Ridge-Rock-Propane-Burner-Torch/dp/B001NDK8C8; 5/6/12, 11:02 PM
David said...: Just don't burn the poison ivy.; 5/6/12, 11:52 PM
MadisonMan said...: @David, burning poison ivy is no problem -- unless you inhale the smoke.; 5/7/12, 12:05 AM
Jason (the commenter) said...: Leave it to Meade to turn gardening into a activity with a large carbon footprint!; 5/7/12, 5:32 AM
edutcher said...: Shmendrik, your tip of the hat made my day.; 5/7/12, 6:10 AM
Rusty said...: Ok.
What is the science behind this? Are you boiling the moisture in the plant cells to prevent photo-whatever?
it doesn't make sense unless there is a reason for it.

BTW
Propane bottles hate to be inverted. That's why they go out.; 5/7/12, 6:35 AM
Col. Milquetoast said...: not a new idea (here's an ad from the late 1940s as I recall), but nowadays protocol doesn't necessarily require one to wear a tie while doing it.; 5/7/12, 8:02 AM
Triangle Man said...: @Jason

I think if you do the math you would find that the carbon footprint is negligible. The only smaller footprint would be no weed control at all.; 5/7/12, 8:48 AM
Anonymous said...: What about weed pricking?; 5/7/12, 8:56 AM
Anonymous said...: I'm going to have to try that.

I see that a comment or two has been deleted. It's a sad commentary that there are people who need to have their comments deleted on a post about gardening.; 5/7/12, 9:01 AM
Leah said...: Can you please shoot another video next week so we can see that it really worked?; 5/7/12, 11:17 AM
David said...: " MadisonMan said...
@David, burning poison ivy is no problem -- unless you inhale the smoke."

Or someone else does.

That's my point.; 5/7/12, 11:26 AM
Michael The Magnificent said...: Leah said... Can you please shoot another video next week so we can see that it really worked?

I'll second that request.

I don't see flame being any more selective than Roundup, which is something I rarely use against weeds in my lawn for that very reason. And when I do, I'm painting it onto the weed with a small foam brush because it has survived being sprayed with SpeedZone, Drive XLR8 and Ortho Max.; 5/7/12, 4:15 PM
Meade said...: Glyphosate is non-selective in that it kills pretty much everything that has a green leaf (if you get enough of it on enough green leaves). The flame is about as selective as a hoe. Or your fingers.

I'll try to get her to post an "after" video for you next week. Or sooner.; 5/7/12, 5:12 PM