I AM A DANDELION ASSASSIN!

R

red_mct

Cathlete
Seriously, I don't know if it's just the amount of rain we've had or the fact that I've never seriously done anything to my lawn beyond cutting it, but this year I have so many dandelions that I am at my wit's end. I just spent two hours outside digging the freaking things up. My only saving grace is they appear to be clustered in a few areas and with their lovely bright yellow tops (not), they're at least easy to find.

I know some of you are incredibly motivated gardeners, so I must ask, is it enough to dig them out? Do I spray with something? Fill with some kind of soil? (If so, what kind?) I am fairly certain I got all of the root, but now I have holes everywhere, and I have visions of awakening to that plant from the Little Shop of Horrors in the front lawn.

And how do you ladies take care of your lawns? Do you fertilize? Plant grass seeds regularly? Spray with something? Hire a sexy, out-of-work gardener???

Any advice greatly appreciated. Or feel free to come over and practice what you preach. :)

Marie
 
Hi Marie, I have to ask, what's wrong with dandelions, they're bold as brass, yellow and happy and they don't hurt your feet when you step on them. I would under no circumstances ever spray an herbicide on my lawn! We're exposed to enough nasty chemicals as it is! I want my Kids and myself to play badminton, catch or just sit or roll on the lawn without fear of chemicals. I seriously think dandelions are beautiful and am very suspicious of lawns without any. I know that most people don't feel this way but chemicals are waaay more offensive than dandelions. If I want to get rid of some there is a tool available for pulling tap roots. I put soil and grass seed in the hole that is left behind but if any of the root is left that bold and brassy dandelion will grow and eventually pop it's little yellow head out of the soil to say :p ! They don't flower all summer so they won't be as prevalent in a month or so....Good Luck:)

Take Care
Laurie:)
 
I'm with you, Laurie. There's too much emphasis on having a "perfect" lawn. Around here, everyone has a lawn service, and I cringe when I think of the stuff they're spraying all over just to have the perfect lawn. Diversity is not a bad thing! It doesn't have to be all grass. As long as it's green and living, enjoy it and don't be a stress puppy about it. (Now, if I can just get my DH to come over to my way of thinking!)
 
You can buy a sheep to graze on your grass, but I'm not sure they're guaranteed to eat the dandelions...

:p
 
My vote is for hiring the sexy-out of work gardener...hehehe.

In all honesty, DH fertilizes, plants grass seed and does spray the weeds when necessary (although he does say he thinks the weeds are laughing at him when the spray doesn't appear to be working as well as it should). It does appear to get tedious at times....but we seem to have more trouble with ugly crab grass than dandelions.

I stay in the house and supervise. :+

Robin:)
ETA: My job is very very important.:D
 
Perhaps your state has a cooperative extension where you can find out what environmentally friendly ways there are to remove dandelions and other unwanted lawn misfits---I bet they have some tricks up their sleeve. Personally, I prefer whimsical little dany-lions over chemicals in my lawn but hey, somebody has got to keep agricultural chemists employed.
 
I also prefer dandelions to chemicals.
Think of them as wildflowers instead of weeds.
I think they look quite nice when they are in bloom. And they are edible (leaves, flowers and roots).
 
Hmm, interesting. I wasn't asking for assistance in chemically unbalancing the entire neighborhood ecosystem, just in achieving a lawn that is not half covered with puffy white things that require me to mow the thing twice a week or spending entire evenings digging the things out.

Marie
 
Marie,

I surrendered my lawn to a cute lawn man. There are tons of lawn care companies out there and it's not all that expensive. You can also find some that use more environmentally friendly methods. I have to treat my lawn becasuse the entire neighborhood does. If I lived in a country setting where I didn't have to consider what the whole neighborhood does, then I'd probably let it go.

I use a local company and they have several lawn programs to choose from. They do a nice job and I don't have to worry about it.

ETA that when I was a kid, my mom used to go out into the yard with her handy dandy kitchen knife and cut the dandelions out, then clean and serve them in a salad. They weren't bad as I recall...they were kind of bitter.

Michele
 
I vote for the cute lawn guy. If you decide to hire one, call me when he's coming over and I'll visit:) Maybe it'll be hot out and he'll have to take his shirt off.}(

Oh, yeah, and I have dandelions and I pretty much leave my lawn the disaster that it is, even though it stresses me no end.
 
Dandelions are often a sign of low soil fertility, as well as compacted soil. They grow in places where not much else will grow, and in the wild they can be a good thing - they have very long, deep-reaching tap roots that pull up nutrients that other root systems can't reach, and their tap roots also help to loosen up the soil.

That said, regular fertilizing might help. I suppose you could also till up your entire yard to loosen the soil, but I don't imagine you'd want to do that....

My parents have dandelion problems, and Mom has had some success with a brand of lawn fertilizer that specifically says it will kill dandelions. I can't remember what the brand is.
 
The best non-herbaside thing I can think of is to airate your yard every fall. Dandelions like compact soil, so this will loosen up some of the soil and you will have less dandelions.
You can rent an airater at your local harware store.

Kathy
 
>The best non-herbaside thing I can think of is to airate your
>yard every fall. Dandelions like compact soil, so this will
>loosen up some of the soil and you will have less dandelions.
>You can rent an airater at your local harware store.

Www.gardensalive.com also sells some spiked aerators you slip on your shoes like golf cleats, and you walk around your yard to aerate. I'm not sure if the spikes are long enough for the aeration that is necessary.
 
I agree that core aeration is thing to do. We have it done twice a year because we have very dense, clay soil. The spiked shoes do not work because you really have to pull out plugs about an inch long for it to be effective.

Michele
 
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