Sutton Vlog #7 - Tips and Tricks for Flame Weeding (Red Dragon)

Tips and tricks for flame weeding. In this video I go through all the tips and tricks I have learned about flame weeding and why you should flame weed too. Stick with me to the end where I discuss other uses for your flame weeder. We keep bees and that means we try not to use any chemicals in our yard. Even if we didn't keep bees, I am always looking for ways to cut down chemicals in my life. I bought a Red Dragon flame weeder and have not looked back. Besides doing a great job of killing weeds it is also really cool. Make sure to subscribe! Leave comments below.

[bkanegson]

Been weeding this way for years, on gravel driveways and especially between pavers. On one occasion, a small fire sprang up over an hour after I had quit, put away the gear, and gone inside. Only noticed when I looked out the window and quickly put it out. Enough smoke generated that the fire department came. No damage, but it could have been far worse. (EG, if I had left the property.) So not only do I have a hose at the ready at all times while weeding this way, but I also finish the session with a good soak of every area I've cleared and the perimeter around that. Otherwise, a tiny loose ember can start a fire long after you've quit. Voice of experience.

[davismace]

This was the exact information I was looking for. Thank you for such a wonderful tutorial on how to flame weed. It's the best video I've seen explaining the how to of flame weeding.

[TrehanCreekOutdoors]

I love my Harbor Freight propane torch! These things are essential on a homestead so if you don't own one, get one. You will be glad you did.

For weeding, keep in mind that the heat is a "top kill" process that won't necessarily take out all kinds of weeds. Many plants will die and not come back if top killed by fire. But plants with extensive and deep root systems will likely recover and grow right back. Like any tool, it is useful for certain things but is not a universal cure all for every kind of unwanted plant you want to remove.

These things are a beast! You will enjoy working with one of these due to the insane power it has. Need to start a brush pile fire? Just hit the brush pile for a minute or two with your propane torch. No need for pouring diesel fuel all over the brush pile.

Want to cull unwanted hardwood saplings and small trees in your woodlot? Just ring around the tree trunk about 1 foot up from the roots with the torch to char down to the inner layer just beneath the bark layer. Most species of hardwood trees will die. Evergreen trees however are not easily killed with this method so don't waste time and money trying to kill them with the torch.

Need to burn old paint off metal items? A propane torch makes fast work of that process, although some scraping and final clean up will be needed most of the time.

Sanitizing surfaces? A propane torch can do wonders for sanitizing dog kennels, horse stalls, chicken coops, etc. Torching off the floors and other areas of these animal pens will help keep the area free of unwanted germs, insect eggs, etc.

Fire treating wood? Yep! Works for that too. Melting tar? Easy! Burning residue off your BBQ grill? Sure, why not? You will discover all sorts of ways to put a propane torch to use.

Great video. Thanks for sharing.

[steveconnelly]

One of the best reviews I’ve seen simple and clear with a bit of humour Thanks.

[williamledgewood]

$7 or $8 for a tank of propane, is cheap. For those of us that used to use Roundup, that was about $40 for a gallon which you had to mix, too. This will definitely get the roots, too. So much safer for the environment, bees and other insects, pets, wildlife, etc.

[DJ-jxrp]

Thank You for the safety valve tip! It made a world of difference.

[lesleymakris]

Thanks so much for all the helpful info. Tried mine out for the first time yesterday and realized I need to know more about what I'm doing! Luckily, no harm done and now I feel safer and more confident. Thanks again.

[Jezzabh]

Thanks so much for sharing your experience and tips.

[sunflowersnbluebirds]

Thank you so much for teaching us how to safely use this! I’ve got aggressive weeds in my rock driveway. This will work better than roundup, which is like swatting my weeds. Bless you!

[kimberlysmith]

Good job, Sutton. Very clear, fast moving, and informative. In the future, I'd like to see you in my three acre weedpatch of a lawn demonstrating how to kill "air potatoes" and other vines smothering everything (including 100 year old oaks) here in Florida. It's heartbreaking and not being addressed in any way by our government entities. I want to save our beautiful parks and preserves!

[df]

Boots, good shoes, and a hose nearby - I am looking into doing this, a few other vids mentioned having a water source nearby (nobody mentions boots - Darwin award), just in case. You mentioned 'wait until after a good soaking'. You added other tips I need. I think I will be making the 'jump'. Nice to know it will blow through a whole tank in an hour, I would hate to start and run out of fuel to complete the job. Thanks.

[sandrarichardson]

Lots of good info here...in the video and comments. Just ordered the Lincoln Electric Torch. Hope it is as nice as yours. I chose it because of the 10' hose. Plus I believe it is manufactured in Poland. Thanks for taking time to put this together for us and Jesus bless.

[mommyharris]

Thanks Sutton for making this explanatory video on this flame weed gun. I came across this on my gardening group and found this very interesting. I also live in the woods of Fla and hate using pesticides, but am sick of pulling weeds on over an acre of property! Ugh! it’s backbreaking work! We definitely need to help the environment and need more people to get on board even though it will cost us a few tanks of propane (Even with these rising prices 🙈of course!) It’s great to find alternative uses for it as well.

[embracethesumf]

Excellent video. Came here to answer 1 specific question, got the answer and more.

[attocoulomb]

Another use for my flamer is removing oil spots from my concrete paver driveway. No amount of brake cleaner, detergent, etc. would keep an oil spot from coming back to the surface, but with the flamer I had near total success. Still a good idea to scrub off all you can first. Also, I have read that you should make sure than concrete is totally dry (no rain for many days) before flaming, because the moisture in the concrete can become steam and expand, causing cracking.

[Robert_Brand]

Great video I had no idea about the BTUs and I bought mine kind of in a rush from Lowe’s and my BTUs is so low. It’s useless on weeds. Great tips. Thank you for the video.

[billybell]

I like to have a spotter helping look where I'm not. Easy to get tunnel vision when using the torch. Never used it for weeds yet. Looks like a great way to do it. Thanks

[augenmaugen]

This is one of the best vids on weed burning.

[brittw]

Thanks for the tips! Just got my first flame weeder. Can’t wait to start using it—after the next rain, of course!

[ml]

Just bought mine. Thank, just did about 10 feet x 3 feet and i was burning it coal black. Good thing i found this video... at 35$ refill in Canada, yeah because of covid right, i would of been broke soon. LOL. Thanks :) man after listening to this video, I'm appointing my dolly permanently to this torch. Wow, 64, where in hell was I all these years... thanks :) good video :) Just a little advice, we have a farming cornfield, like 100 acres, from a neighbor farmer surrounding 2 sides of our 5 acres. We will avoid burning when he will harvest his corn due to votality of corn powder present in the air... here is a cut and paste: Grain dust is highly combustible and can burn or explode if enough becomes airborne or accumulates on a surface and finds an ignition source (such as hot bearing, overheated motor, misaligned conveyor belt, welding, cutting, and brazing).