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Agronomic Row Crops
Hot Tips for Flame Weeding
If flaming is a new technology for you, learn all you can about its principles,
hardware and management from farmers, manufacturer reps, local LP-gas technicians
and hands-on demonstrations. Competence, confidence and regular maintenance
checks are the basis for safe operation of LP-gas tools. Keep these suggestions
in mind as you select your equipment and set up your field for flame weeding.
1. Choose hardware to fit your weeding needs. The rate of
fuel consumption per acre is influenced by burner capacity (measured in BTUs
per hour), air temperature, gas pressure, plant surface moisture and the size
of weeds being targeted. Compared with dry seedling weeds, wetter weeds and
bigger weeds are harder to kill. You can deliver more heat with a slower tractor
speed (giving a longer flame exposure), more gas pressure (giving a more intense
exposure), or a combination of both.
Flame-weeding specialists or burner manufacturers can help you select the
burner type, regulator setting, tank size and overall set-up that fits your
combination of weeds, crops, soil condition and field size. Always use “motor
fuel” rated tanks (approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation) for
tractor mounting.
Fuel use can vary from 3 to 14 gallons per acre, depending on the intensity
of the flaming and how extensive the coverage (a narrow band along the rows,
or broadcast coverage of the entire swath).
2. Add cultivators with caution. Burners positioned behind
cultivator shanks may enhance the benefit of cultivation, but probably will
decrease the kill rate that flaming alone would have achieved. The moving
soil and dust tend to deflect heat from the weed leaves. Running the burners
out in front of the cultivator sweeps can also reduce the flaming kill rate.
Weeds wilted by the flame that would dry out on the surface may recover if
they are buried and protected by loose, moist soil.
3. Prevent flame deflection. Soil contour next to the row
must be smooth and on a fairly consistent angle to assure optimum weed kill
and minimum plant damage. Protruding clods or uneven terrain may shield small
weeds or deflect flame into the plant canopy.
4. Lightness adds flexibility. Some farmers mount flamer
parts on old cultivator toolbars—an inexpensive option, but often much heavier
than needed. Mounting the burners and the tank on a simple pipe frame with
runners makes a lighter unit that can be used in wetter soil conditions or
with a smaller tractor.
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