WEAPONS of the WEED WAR.

Byline: Lewis Taylor The Register-Guard

This spring, instead of reaching for the Roundup, many weed warriors will be unsheathing their Weed Hounds, firing up their Weed Dragons and unrolling the weed cloth.

It's all part of a movement away from chemicals toward Earth-friendly alternatives. The popularity of such methods is reflected in the fact that there are now more weeding gadgets available than most gardeners can shake a dandelion fork at.

"Gadgets work for some people and don't work for others," says Ross Penhallegon, an Oregon State University Lane County Extension horticulture agent. "Most of the time an old hoe is all you really need to very quickly accomplish what needs to be done."

Troll through Web sites such as Lee Valley Tools and scan the aisles of retailers such as Down to Earth and Jerry's, and you'll find dozens of long-handled diggers, short-handled grubbers and propane-powered "flame weeders" that reduce chickweeds to piles of wilted leaves before you can say, "Spring's here."

Some of the devices are designed to help people avoid bending over to pick up weeds and others claim to hasten the weeding process. These gadgets may be Earth friendly, but their names are anything but nice. They are called the Weed Dragon, the Dandelion Digger, the Weed Twister and the Infra-Weeder-Dandy-Destroyer.

And, from the people who brought you the Poop Hound, there's the ever-popular Weed Hound, a long-handled device that uses steel tines to grab hold of dandelions by the root and pull them to the surface.

"I think that's one of the most popular (weeding tools)," says Chris Columbus, garden merchant at Jerry's in Springfield. "Another similar one made by Yard Butler is the Rocket Weeder and the Fiskars' product is the UpRoot."

Columbus says he's seen a gradual increase in interest in garden gadgets as well as in organic weed killers. Jerry's has expanded its selection of Earth-friendly products that use alternative ingredients such as clove oil or corn gluten meal to destroy annual weeds such as chickweed or flixweed.

Even the Eugene Parks and Recreation Department is getting on the green weeding bandwagon. This spring, the city is wheeling out a test program that will make five neighborhood parks completely pesticide and herbicide free. Maintenance crews will use a variety of techniques to control weeds including using hot foam and clove oil.

If you haven't gone green in your efforts to battle weeds, it's a good time to start, says Megan Kemple, public education coordinator for the Eugene-based Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides. She recommends accepting the fact that there will be a few weeds in your yard, no matter how hard you try to eliminate them, and suggests using a variety of weeding methods.

"We can think about tolerating a few weeds in our lawn or garden, we can pull weeds by hand and we can rely on other pesticide-free techniques," she says.

One of Kemple's favorite tools for battling weeds is a weed flamer called the Weed Dragon. The tool, which sizzles above-ground weed leaves and stems, eventually starves the root systems when used repeatedly. Because the propane device cooks all plants in its path, it is best for getting at weeds that grow in sidewalk cracks and gravel.

"It's pretty safe, the flame is adjustable and you just have to make sure that you don't use it on days when the surrounding mulch or plant life is dry," says garden writer Sarah Robertson, another weed flamer convert.

One common complaint about Earth-friendly weeding techniques is that they aren't effective at fighting pernicious weeds such as Canada thistle, quackgrass or morning glory, which can burrow 20 feet into the earth and has seeds that can remain active for up to 50 years. But Robertson assures that Roundup is no quick fix for perennials, either.

"Back in the day, when we were young and foolish and were still using those chemicals, we actually tried using some of those products (on pernicious weeds) and it never got rid of them completely," Robertson says. "You just have to learn what your tolerance level is and just go for that, or you'll just become a crazy person."

Persistence is the key when it comes to eliminating perennials, says Penhallegon, the OSU/Lane County horticulture agent. Cutting back the weed every time you see leaves will eventually starve the root system of its energy. He cautions against rototilling in areas occupied by such weeds since disturbing the root systems causes the plants to multiply.

Penhallegon says by devoting about one hour a week during summer months to weeding, it would be possible to keep a 100-by-100-foot area weed free. And, he says, designing the right kind of garden is another way to minimize weeds. He recommends planting in rows, leaving areas between plantings that can be mowed or mulched.

Mulch is one of the best Earth-friendly weeding techniques and the best first line against weeds, period, says Duane Hatch, host of the "Hatch Patch" garden show on KPNW radio. In the fall, he applies a layer of decorative UltraKote mulch or, when he's looking to save a little money, he uses garden compost made from recycled yard debris.

"If you get a half-an-inch to an inch over the soil surface, most of the winter weeds are not going to germinate," he says.

When it comes to gadgets, Hatch says he likes the gliding push hoe, a device with a horizontal blade that gets under the surface and slices off the roots of the weeds. For winter blue grass and other common Northwest annual weeds, just slicing the roots is usually all that's needed for eradication, he says.

It's a different story when going after dandelions, Hatch says. He prefers hand trowels to gadgets such as the Weed Hound, because, he says, it doesn't always remove the entire root.

"If you break off the root, you get three dandelions instead of one," he says.

Although mulching can drastically reduce the number of weeds, Hatch says it won't get them all. His weed fighting strategy involves aggressive weeding during the spring to prevent the weeds from seeding and spreading.

"Weeds are not born knee high so the idea is, as soon as they poke their heads out, zip them off," he says. "Show no mercy to young, developing weeds."

HERBICIDE-FREE WEEDING

For more information on weeding tools and eradicating weeds without the use of herbicides, go to the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides Web site (www.pesticide .org)

WEEDING GADGETS

There are countless weeding gadgets to choose from. Here are but a few:

Weed Hound: This 32-inch-long step tool forces six prongs through holes in a metal plate. The tines grab the weed and a plunger releases it. (www .hound-dog.com, 800- 694-6863)

Weed Popper: This 40-inch-long tool uses a foot lever to force tines into the ground and pop out the weed. (www .faultless.com/ gardening_products .html, 800-821-5565)

Dandelion Weeder: This basic weed puller has a 36-inch-long handle and can dig deep to get at the root system of weeds. (www.ames.com/ rightTool/weedingTools .html, 800-833-3068)

Eco Weeder: This machine uses radiant heat to kill dandelions. (www.chemfree -weedcontrol.com, 604-534-9326)

Weed Dragon: This tool uses a propane flame to kill weeds and is especially useful for getting at dandelions growing in sidewalk cracks. (www .FlameEngineering.com, 800-255-2469)

OTHER REMEDIES

Tools aren't the only nonchemical way to combat weeds. Here are a few additional Earth-friendly remedies:

Corn gluten meal: Can prevent dandelion seeds from sprouting but won't harm plants that are already growing.

Vinegar: Effectively kills dandelions. Spray directly onto weeds for three seconds. Will also kill grass.

Boiling water: Can be poured directly onto the weed. Kills any vegetation it touches.

- Source: Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides