MY garden is unruly, overgrown, neglected, and if I didn’t unconditionally love it and its potential, I’d say ugly.
Within the untouched mossy grass, are hundreds of dandelions and weeds. So when Lidl announced its latest Middle Aisle drop included a new range of weeding tools, I was desperate to try them.
Fabulous’ Rebecca Miller tries Lidl’s de-weeding range[/caption]
She says a £7 buy got rid of grass from her patio slabs in seconds[/caption]
Little did I know I would be quickly stamping out a small fire I had made after using the weed burner too closely – not entirely my fault as the instructions involved lots of trial and error.
Parkside Electric Weed Burner – £14.99
I’m a firm believer in not using weed killers or chemicals in the garden unless necessary.
The electric weed burner “destroys weeds with heat and no harmful chemicals” – sounds good to me!
It works by forcing a jet of hot air that destroys the cell structure of weeds and acts directly on the roots.
The leaves of the plant initially remain green (unless you scorched them to a crisp like I did), but after several days, the weeds will have dried up and are no longer viable.
The burner requires 10 minutes to set up – you need a small screwdriver to put a few parts together, and time to read, re-read and read again the manual because the instructions are clear as mud.
Health and safety is required – you need a pair of safety goggles and gloves, and I recommend sturdy closed-toe shoes.
Whilst you’re at it, you’ll also need an extension cable to plug it in, and the lead could’ve been made a little longer for my liking.
It’s easy to use: hold down the button and place it above the weed you want to kill.
As for how long you “scorch” the weed… it doesn’t explicitly say in the manual.
“The visible part of the plant can also be scorched for a longer exposure time during treatment”, it reads. “Be aware that it is not necessary to burn the plants. Simple heating is sufficient to dry out the weeds and thus kill them.”
It does say “when used for the first time, some smoke may escape. The smoke is caused by binders which are removed from the insulating film of the heater by the heat during first use”.
The weed I “scorched” which the instructions says you don’t need to do – just a light blast with the hot air[/caption]
There isn’t any direct information on accidentally starting fires with it – but learn from my mistake: don’t use the tool too close to the weed, and resist the urge to leave it on there too long and cremate it entirely.
In fact, the only bit of guidance relating to distance of use, came on a scrappy bit of card inside the box showing a diagram of a woman (in a skirt) using the burner 3cm away…
The weed burner can also be used as a barbecue lighter, strip paint and varnish and remove glue.
Score: 4/5 – does the job, needs better instructions.
Parkside Weed Puller – £6.99
Every retailer seems to be selling this godsend of a gadget, aka the dandelion puller.
My lawn has been neglected for decades before we moved in last November, so my dandelions really put this puller to the test.
And it failed.
Well, kind of.
Said to be “ideal for your garden or allotment”, it “quickly removes weeds whilst being kind to your back”.
Described as “simple” and “effortless”, it has a strong steel claw with three spikes which go 7cm deep into the ground, hooks around the root of the weed and holds onto it for dear life whilst you swivel and lever it out.
Position the claw over the dandelion (left), then push down and twist the handle at the top (right)[/caption]
The weed puller broke (left), but it did manage to grip the entire dandelion root ball and pull it out (right)[/caption]
It comes with a three-year warranty, which sounds good, but if you break it on first use like I did, you might get fed up of returning it to store for a replacement.
First couple of attempts and it only managed to rip the dandelion apart.
By the third go, either my dandelions were too almighty for this measly puller or I was too heavy-footed, because as I went to push the claw into the ground, the foot step to the side snapped away from the main pole.
Score: 2/5 – needs to be more robust for passionate (aggressive) gardeners.
Parkside Patio Weed Brush – £6.99
Weeds or grass between patio slabs is incredibly annoying, and it’s a battle gardeners face every month of the year.
Lidl’s patio weed brush comes with two interchangeable heads so you can get the right angle.
The weed brush was really good – but if you have posh patio slabs it can be too abrasive[/caption]
Other gardening tools in the Middle of Lidl this week
- Garden Hand Tool – £1.99
- Garden Kneeling Pad – Green/Black – £1.99
- Universal Secateurs – £3.99
- 30L Gardening Bucket – Blue/Green/Black – £3.99
- Gardening Gloves – 2 pairs – Yellow/Green – £3.99
- Paintbrush 10 piece set – Red/Black/Green – £4.99
- Men’s Garden Clogs – Men’s/Ladies’ – £5.99
- Broom – £6.99
- Rake – £6.99
- Extendable Hedge Shears – £9.99
- Garden Spade – £14.99
- Garden Fork – £14.99
- Collapsible Water Butt – £24.99
- Electric Chainsaw – £59.99
- Pressure Washer – £119.00
Ideally the handle would be extendable as it was a little short for my 5’7 frame.
But the brush heads were mighty at scraping away the grass roots between slabs. It did struggle to get the roots out on bigger, more bulbous weeds.
It also removed a lot of the mud – so if you’ve got a posh patio which was professionally laid with sand or cement between your slabs, then this might not be the tool for you as it does leave a gap the size of the Grand Canyon.
Whilst the slabs on my path were probably laid before I was born, I had no problem really brushing and scraping to get rid of the stubborn weeds. But it did leave some scratch marks behind as the brush bristles are metal.
Score: 4/5 – would like an extendable handle
