permaculture

[Rob Kelly <marshall_mush@yahoo.com>]

Just last night I was talking with a friend who
was curious about  "fire weeders" -- propane
powered contraptions that you use to burn out any
weed seed.  (You wheel along like a vacuum and
everything under the hood gets torched.) 

I wondered whether such heat also killed
beneficials in the soil, or whether those deeper
in the soil quickly repopulated the top layer
that was burned.  

Now that I think of burning as a tried and true
technique, I wonder again whether these fire
weeders, propane consumption aside, are a pretty
good idea.

Thoughts on the topic, anyone?

Thanks,

Rob