Use safe and effective weed control and stop herbicides today. Call Chem-Free Weed Control at 541.630.5095 or request a call to schedule an appointment with a technician.
Here are some commonly asked questions that you might be wondering as well. If you still don't find an answer to your questions, please don't hesitate to contact us here.
› Is there an ideal time to treat weeds with our process?
Yes, the best time to treat weeds with our process is soon after germination. This will give you the most bang for your buck and a thorough kill, however you can treat at any time of the life cycle but the speed of application will vary.
› Does it Control Future Weeds?
With our process, you can commence vegetation management earlier in spring, at first germination. The heat and water destroy young weeds on contact. There is a noticeable control of the seed bank. Seeds will be denatured and die, or be germinated and sprout to be killed this year – not next.
› Does it Kill the Root System?
Our process does ultimately affect the weed roots. Destroying the above-ground portion of the plant forces the weed to use the store of energy in its roots to regenerate the above-ground portion of the plant. The root zone diminishes until the plant has enough leaf growth to photosynthesize and regrow leaf, stem and roots.
› Why is Our Process Better?
Propane flame and non-saturated steam is less efficient at transferring destructive heat into the vegetation. Although hot water will do the job it is MUCH slower and uses a lot more energy.
› Will the pressure of the water destroy soil structure or leave a mess on adjacent surfaces?
No. Our process of steam and boiling water is delivered at only 15 psi. It thoroughly coats the vegetation and does not disturb your mulch or compact your soil.
› Who is using our services?
Local governments, municipalities and home owners as well as a variety of organic farmers, varying from vineyards, orchards to hemp fields and other specialist organic producers.
› Does it work on all weeds?
We have not found any soft wooded annual or perennial weed that is resistant to a good dose of our steam and boiling water, however there are many variable factors to consider when we help you design your weed management strategy. For example, are the weeds annuals or perennials, what stage in the growth cycle is the weed, do they have deep rhizomes, bulbs or corms? Treated at the right time annuals can be eradicated after one treatment and perennials such as, Bermuda grass (couch) Kikuyu, Dandelions require a programmed approach.
› Does it affect drip irrigation?
Repeated applications have proved that our process does not affect any type of irrigation system.
› Does it affect black plastic and other weed membranes?
Repeated applications have proved that our process does not affect black plastic or any other weed control membranes.
› Are earth worms and other soil organisms affected?
To terminate most plant pathogens and beneficial microbes the soil temperature must be “raised and held at between 140 – 175ºF for 30 minutes.” Our process provides rapid penetration and transfer of heat to any vegetation in which the applicator heads pass over. It is non-selective on any organism. The benefit of our process using steam and boiling water is that it does not penetrate more than about a ¼ inch into the soil. We get great control on the weed species, with little effect and no permanent damage on the roots of perennial plant material, trees, vines etc.. During our process we have encountered little effect and no permanent damage to the important soil organisms. Because we target only the top ¼” of the soil directly under the application head, and only heat that area for a couple of minutes.
Earth worms tend to be found lower down in the soil profile, and unless the soil structure at the target area is extremely wet, our observation is that the destroyed weeds quickly become detritus providing food for a rapid re-population of soil organisms which helps builds a humus layer in your soil.
› How do the costs of this service compare to conventional herbicide applications?
When you add up the 8 actual costs of using herbicides there is no comparison between the two. When It comes to the money costs there are a few factors to consider. If your looking for commercial or agricultural costs we would need to know the crop in which we are working around, the unwanted weed/crop targeted. We will need to consider the irrigation source, and the amount of targeted weed is considered acceptable. When it comes to residential we will need to consider the target weed species, the sqft of the project, and the program that fits best your needs.
› Why hire Chem-Free Weed Control over other organic methods of weed control?
Being in the industry for years, we have come across information promoting organic weed control ranging from the simple use of hot water to the use of vinegar and everything in between. Hot water is ok at post control of certain weeds but rarely kills weeds with a taproot. Vinegar can be used as a non-selective herbicide that works by destroying the cells of the weed it comes in contact with. The problem with vinegar is it rarely kills the root. Please note vinegar is not as safe as people portray it to be. Household vinegar contains about 5 percent acetic acid. Acetic acid is why vinegar works as a non-selective herbicide. But, did you know that if an organic vinegar based herbicide has a greater percentage then 8% vinegar it must be registered with the EPA and labeled with an "active ingredient". The reason our process works far superior than other organic methods is easy. We kill weeds with 100% water. As we treat the areas we are starting the germination cycle of the weed seeds within the top ¼ inch of soil. This is essentially organic pre-emergent weed control, Again with only water. And, we haven’t come across any soft wooded annual or perennial weed that is resistant to our methods.