I tried to burn my weeds instead of killing them with chemicals but it went BADLY wrong – take this as a warning
A GARDENER has issued a warning after his trees went up like they were “covered in petrol” as weeds were being removed.
Daz Gordon and his wife “try to minimise using chemicals” around the garden, so opt to burn weeds out with a handheld gas burner.
However, danger struck Sunday night when his wife was burning weeds a metre away from a conifer hedgerow and it suddenly went up in flames.
Daz recalled: “By the time we got the hose on it, it was big.
“Lighting all the dry dead growth in the middle of the hedge and spreading way too fast to tackle with one hosepipe.
“The fire was igniting its way along the whole hedgerow faster than we could put it out.
“If either of the sides had lit, it would have posed a danger to ours and our neighbours house.”
According to Daz, the fire was accelerated by the dry inside of the conifers with the flames burning 15ft high from the inside of the trees.
The gardener took to Facebook to warn others how the fire almost spread to a “60ft long row of 20ft high conifers”.
Two neighbours joined in with their hoses, helping Daz and his wife regain control as they waited for the fire service to arrive.
He continued: “We only got the better of it when we all soaked the bushes 2ft ahead of the flames on each side to stop it from catching alight further on – to break the chain reaction.
“Very scary how fast it took hold, but also a valuable lesson for us all.
“Luckily nobody was hurt, but thought I’d post this to hopefully make others aware of just how easily it can happen.
“I’ve hidden all matches and lighters away from my wife, luckily we can joke about it now.”
Daz hailed his neighbours as a “Godsend” as people flocked to the comments of his post in Veg Gardening UK.
One reader said: “So scary, glad you got it in check and everyone was safe.
“It happens so quickly, it’s unbelievable.”
Another penned: “Thanks for the information.
“We use those burners too because I don’t want weed killer to kill any bees.
“We will be extra careful in future .”