New HOAF Weed Burners from Kersten

Prior to the 1960's when chemicals became prevalent weed burners were widely used. Now chemicals are coming under pressure weed burning is making a resurgence. And the technology has moved on a bit, using infra-red radiation and hot air. This speeds up the process and makes it safer to use.

Weed Burning is extremely versatile as it can be used in a wide variety of weathers. Rain will not damage the success of hot air in killing the plant as water helps conduct the heat. A breeze will not cause an effect similar to drift of a chemical as there are no particles to drift. The heat will come into contact with the whole plant, not just the leaves; breaking down the cells quickly.

We put the Hoaf Thermhit15 to the test over a 6 day period.

On Day 1 you can see the area that had been treated began to wilt, pressing the plant between your fingers would leave bruising. This is how you can tell the application has been successful. The cells of the weed have been broken down by the heat.

On day 3 we see that the majority of the plant is brown and dead. The advice for perennial weeds is to treat further as the burning will not kill the roots. However, enough disruption to the tops and the roots will give up. Annual plants may be killed with one or two applications.

We treated what was left of the plant with another dose of heat.

We returned in another 3 days. On the ground were just a few dead stems. After another burn and a quick sweep with a broom the surface was left clean.

Demonstrations can be arranged all year round. All our machines are sold and backed up by our dealer network. Call 0118 9869 253 or visit www.kerstenuk.com for more information.