Naptime DIY: killing weeds with the BernzOmatic Lawn and Garden Torch

We’ve tried a variety of methods to kill our weeds. Brand name stuff, vinegar, salt-you name it. “Why not try fire”, a friend of ours suggested. The BernzOmatic Lawn and Garden Handheld Torch Head is just that. Using propane, it supposedly burns weeds to the core. But does it really- and more importantly, is it safe?

I must admit, the thought of burning weeds at the core sounds cool. There are some weeds, especially the purple and yellow flowered weeds that I just want dead. They’re spiky, deceivingly pretty and poke like nobody’s business when you accidently touch them. But the thought of fire near the house, when not in grill form, brought out my inner Smokey Bear.

First off, the set up for the BernzOmatic Lawn and Garden Torch is very simple. The exterior packaging has three steps. The interior packaging is slightly more comprehensive and has eight steps, some of which are repetitive. One of the more detailed steps was to put soapy water along the propane seal once you screw it on. If it bubbles, there’s a leak, if there are no bubbles then you are clear to eradicate some weeds.

Once I had the tank screwed on I turned the nozzle half way. This creates a ‘whoosh’ sound that is perfectly normal.  After that sound, just press the igniter and you’ll have a strong flame shooting out about 3”.  Pass the flame over troublesome weed spots or those purple/yellow poky devils and let the flame burn the plant until its black. It was comfortable to hold, light weight and turning on the propane was very simple.

Wait, an open flame along the ground, isn’t that dangerous? Well, it is a flame and it certainly burns things to a crisp, but just use caution. If you have excess dried grass clippings then blow them away from the area you’ll be working in. Keep the garden hose at the ready, just in case you feel like you’ll accidentally trip, leave the torch on and burn down the city except for Mrs. Brown’s cow.

We used the torch on a series of weeds around the house and did not feel unsafe at any time.  Granted, we were also very careful and paid close attention to keeping the open flame down and over the weeds at all times. We also made sure to turn the propane off in order to stop the flame when we were done. Oh-the tip to the device, where the flame shoots out will also be very HOT after you use the tool. I feel silly having to drive these things home-they’re common sense, aren’t they?

The BernzOmatic Lawn and Garden Torch did a very fast number on the weeds. These are the weeds that vinegar/salt/soap weren’t able to kill and this burned them to a crisp in seconds. What I don’t know yet is how long these weeds stay dead. However, if it’s based on the footage I’ve seen from forest fires, these weeds are gone, dead and not coming back.