[cadalot]

Please forgive me if this is a really stupid question,(Although I always the only stupid question is one that isn’t asked) I’m An allotment newbie who has taken over an overgrown plot (not uncommon it would appear) however I really want to get cracking and the weather and very wet clay soil and dark nights are not in my favour. I’m cutting back the weeds and discovering all manner of debris, but once I have cut all the weeds, brambles short and cleared the site – I was thinking of hiring a flame weed burner to cremate the lot and cover it with tarps to hold it all back until I can start turning it over and extracting the weeds.

Is the burning the vegetation stubble a good idea or not?

Pros Cons Advice please……;0)

[Rampant_Weasel]

not now because the annual weeds have already spread their seed for next year and the perenial ones still have their roots down. dig and spray is the only way.or just dig if u want to be organic.

[8doubles]

A flame wand may kill a few of the easier weeds but those would likely die if you dug them in.

Flame wands do not affect the roots of tougher weeds so they just grow back again.

As RW said flame wands are ok for burning seed heads but that is about it.

Not really worth the cost of the gas/parrafin.

[fatcat1955]

Just had a talk at our gardening club by the guy who designed and planted up the olympic site. He burns all the areas that are cut down especially the wildflower meadow's and said it stop's next year's weed's. As other people have said, you pay's your money and takes your choice. My own thought...... it will not do any harm.

[gremlin]

Watch out for hibernating hedgehogs if you're waving a flame thrower around 

I would use black plastic sheeting rather than gas.  But uncover the soil asap in spring to let it dry out.  Far from warming the soil up, all plastic tarps seem to do for me is to trap the water in the soil, and keep if wet and cold for longer.

Better still, get a heavy duty strimmer and strim it down two or three times over the winter - if we have a mild winter and the weeds keep on growing.

[SG6]

If what you want is to get everything back down to ground level or as close as possible in the shortest time then yes get one and do it.

At this time of year with little growing using glyphosphate will not do a great deal, at least not that quick.

What it will not do is kill roots off and any seed that is much below the surface.

At this time of year there very little else that you can do if there are not enough day light hours to enable you to dig it all over.

[cadalot]

Thank you all for your feedback, I was down on my plot at the crack of dawn and have been hacking my way into the weeds and brambles, and I’ve had a Robin, Fox and the Largest toad I have ever seen for company, so not wanting to cremate any hedge hogs and reading all your comments I think I will just do what I can until it all gets too sticky to play with then cover it over.