On 07/06/2013 18:46, Mentalguy2k8 wrote:

"Martin Brown" wrote in message
...

On 07/06/2013 15:04, Mentalguy2k8 wrote:
Also, I've got a huge pile of the stuff I cut off, will it eventually
dry enough to be put in a bonfire without generating huge amounts of
smoke?

Yes. If it stays sunny like this in about 2-3 weeks. But basically you
have made work for yourself. You could have sprayed the lot cut
firebreaks around the edges and then torched it in situ which is what
I generally do for reclaiming unkempt bramble/nettle/bindweed/horsetail.

When it is tinder dry it will burn fast and hot with almost no smoke. Be
aware that fast can be very fast for bramble and raspberry canes if you
are any good are building a bonfire.

Oh bugger. What's your method of "torching", and how big a firebreak
would a wooden fence need? Thanks for the advice by the way, very helpful.

Depends how much dead stuff there is but I'd suggest about 6' all around
and wet the fences with a hosepipe first to be on the safe side. I have
mostly done this on largish pieces of badly maintained land so it might
not be such a good idea in a smallish garden. One newspaper and a match
is all you need to get it going.

And have a spade and a couple of buckets of water to hand. Make sure the
fire will go away from you and don't ever get downwind of it or
positioned where you could be trapped. Fire is *VERY* unforgiving.

I have ended up with crispy hedge and black fence posts before now, but
it takes a lot to ignite 6x6 posts and 4x2 stock proof fences. I also
have a partially melted plastic bucket... be careful.

The advantage of the chemical kill followed by a burn is that you also
see off the first generation of seedlings and any early resprouters.
After that you can chemically spot weed anything green that reappears on
your scorched earth. I actually favour minimum inputs growing.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown