How To Get Rid Of Dandelions + Best Dandelion Killers
Every year, those cheery-looking yellow flowers emerge on your lawn with their innocent smiling faces looking up at you and demanding food. But dont let dandelions fool you!
It wont take long for the bright golden flowers to push out your grass and other plants by sapping water and nutrients away from your beloved shrubs. A little while later, the yellow flowers mature into white puffballs, and once theyre released to the wind, the fluffy seeds will bring yet more dandelions to your lawn.
For most of us, dandelions have become a vicious circle of frustration, but all hope is not lost. In this article, I will explain how to get rid of dandelions once and for all, so you can protect your garden from these invasive weeds-dressed-as-flowers.
Tips For Preventing Dandelions
The best way to prevent dandelions or any other weed, for that matter is to have a thick and healthy lawn. Dandelions require sunlight and heat in order to flower so crowding them out with grass and mowing that grass as tall as as your particular type allows will inhibit their development and appearance in the yard.
Dandelions can grow in nearly all soil types but they favor well-fertilized ones that contain lots of nitrogen and potassium. However, because desirable grasses also favor these conditions, leaving your lawn unfertilized is not an effective means of preventing them doing so will ultimately lead to thin, weak, and unhealthy lawn that is far more susceptible to weeds. Dandelions do take a particular liking to soils that are low in calcium. If a soil test indicates that your yard has less than optimal amounts of calcium, adding some will certainly help prevent dandelion growth.
Pre-emergent herbicides can also be helpful in preventing dandelions. Dithiopyr, perhaps better known by its brand name, Dimension, is the best option and the only common pre-emergent explicitly labeled to prevent them.
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Kill Any Root Left Behind
If any portion, no matter how small, of the taproot is left living in the soil, the weeds are guaranteed a second act in that spot on your lawn. So you must make sure to kill any piece of the root that may be left in the ground.
Use a selective post-emergent herbicide, organic or chemical, and carefully apply it to any pieces of the root you find in the hole.
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How To Avoid Dandelions In Your Yard
There are a few things you can do to ensure your lawn stays free from dandelions after you have cleared out what was there.
Corn gluten meal can stop seeds from germinating and therefore prevent dandelions from growing. Spreading corn gluten meal over your lawn in the spring, before seedlings germinate, will help stop them taking hold.
Another thing you can do is keep your lawn well fertilized and cared for. The denser and healthier your grass, the less likely dandelions will thrive.
Dont be tempted to mow your lawn within an inch of its life. Keep it about two inches long. This will help prevent dandelion seeds from reaching the soil where they can sprout and take root.
A little left of center is keeping a rabbit.
Rabbits love to nibble on dandelions because they find them very tasty. They can eat both leaves and flowers, which are actually very healthy and nutritious for these furry pets.
Provided they arent treated with any herbicides, these weeds are good for them.
How To Control Weeds
When it seems as though you have more weeds than grass in your yard, you can still get the lawn you want by tackling your weed problem head-on. To fertilize your lawn and control existing broadleaf weeds at the same time, use Scotts® Turf Builder® Triple Action or Scotts® Turf Builder® Southern Triple Action . Both formulas save you time and effort by killing stubborn weeds like dandelion and clover while feeding and strengthening your lawn. In addition, Southern Triple Action prevents and kills fire ants for up to 6 months, while Triple Action puts a stop to new weeds like crabgrass. If its not time to fertilize your lawn, you can still control weeds with a straight weed control product like Scotts® Weed Control for Lawns. Be sure to always read the instructions before applying any product.
Of course, if your lawn only has a few weeds here and there, you can try hand-pulling them. Annual weeds, like crabgrass and chickweed, tend to have shallow roots and are usually easily controlled with hand-pulling. On the other hand, perennial weeds, like dandelion and thistle, have deep, extensive roots and are harder to control by hand-pulling because if even a small piece of root is left in the ground, the weed will grow back. Its easiest to hand-pull weeds when they are young and your soil is moist.
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When To Apply Natural Herbicides
When using the boiling water technique, you can apply at any time. If youre mixing with salt or vinegar, apply when there isnt rain in the forecast for 48 hours to ensure the mixture wont be diluted or run off.
After any application, you should start seeing the dandelions wilt in a few days. If you dont, reapply every few days until the dandelions are dead. If you dont want to risk killing grass, pull dandelions up by the roots with your hand before they turn into puffballs of seeds to limit the spread of seeds.
For more weed prevention and control tips, contact Cardinal Lawns to discuss whats currently taking over your lawn and how to get it back to green.
How To Get Rid Of Dandelions In Lawn Naturally
If youre just seeing a few scattered around the place here and there then its quite possible to pull them by hand.
So there are many different tools out there as far as manually removing these dandelions that you can check out if thats something youre interested in and then you can definitely try that.
One thing that I will notice with pulling them manually is sometimes its hard to remove all of that actual root system.
They can go pretty deep into the ground.
So if you dont get rid of everything then you may have thought that the plant was gone, but it may come back again.
I know though for some of you manually pulling them would be a perfect option.
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Kill Dandelions In The Lawn
Control Dandelions in the Lawn Even the best cared for lawns will have an occasional dandelion. They are difficult to completely eliminate, and the entire plant of the dandelion needs to be removed or they can grow right back. To rid your lawn of dandelions, use a product such as Scotts® Weed B Gon® MAX. Apply it to the dandelions to kill them without harming the lawn.
Strengthen The Grass With Balanced Fertilizing And Aeration
Establishing a healthy lawn is a crucial step for getting rid of weeds
The growth of weeds can signal a lack of nutrients in your lawn. For example, lesser trefoil and clover will thrive in poorer conditions, whereas grass will become weak. So, if you want less weeds, then itâs a good idea to give your lawn some TLC. Remove as many weeds as possible first, and then apply a healthy dose of a suitable lawn fertilizer, following the instructions on the packet. The best time to do this is generally in late spring, and then again in autumn.
However, for the best results, aerate your lawn a day or so before you fertilize it. Aerating the soil will ensure that the nutrients can make their way deep down into the roots of the grass, increasing uptake. Some people choose to overseed their lawn after aerating too, which helps to establish dense, lush growth.
Aerating is simple just wiggle a garden fork back and forth in the ground in straight lines up and down your plot, or use a specific aerator tool. This process also helps to break up compact soil and improve drainage, which again, is good for lawn health .
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How To Get Rid Of Weeds
Learn how to kill weeds in your lawn without killing your grass.
Most lawn weeds are opportunists that take root wherever they can find the space and catch a few rays of sunlight. If you already have a weed problem on your hands but arent sure what types are popping up on your lawn, read about some of the most common types of weeds.
For those of you who are ready to fight the good fight, heres a step-by-step guide that will help you get rid of weeds when they start growing on your lawn.
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How To Get Rid Of Dandelions Naturally
Pulling out the weeds and blowing on the seeds isnt going to help you get rid of the dandelions in your yard. In fact, this will make the problem worse by spreading the seeds around. Killing these weeds doesnt have to mean attacking them with harmful chemicals. However, even organic means of weed killers can negatively affect other grass and plants it comes in contact with. Here are some more natural methods to try:
Water. Weeds take water away from your other plants and grass, but what it needs to thrive can also cause its demise if hot enough. Pour boiling water over the dandelion leaves to burn them. Youll see the plant yellow and curl quickly, but the hot water can also burn the roots. Damaged roots wont get the proper nutrients, so the dandelion will die.
Salt. When salt gets into the soil, it can stay there for years, preventing anything from growing thereincluding grass. Thats why the best place for this treatment is anywhere you dont want anything to grow, such as cracks in your driveway or under a deck. Mix one cup of salt with one cup of boiling water and pour it over the dandelions.
Vinegar. Pouring vinegar over the dandelions changes the acidity in the soil for long enough to kill the weeds. For a quicker killing process, mix pickling vinegar with boiling water in equal parts for your dandelion killer.
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Natural Methods On How To Get Rid Of Dandelions In Your Lawn
Believe it or not, there exist easy and natural methods to get rid of resilient dandelions from your garden forever. Take a look at the tips provided here. They will help eliminate stubborn dandelions without killing your grass.
Believe it or not, there exist easy and natural methods to get rid of resilient dandelions from your garden forever. Take a look at the tips provided here. They will help eliminate stubborn dandelions without killing your grass.
Use A Weed Burner Torch
Via bernzomatic.com
These torches will release your inner firestarter. They are small flamethrowers that can burn away the top of the plant.
This may leave your lawn looking like its been attacked by someone on a rampage with a blowtorch . Also, be careful not to burn down your yard.
This video shows you some of the ways to get rid of dandelions naturally.
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Natural Ways To Kill Weeds In Grass
So, you just finally got rid of all the persistent weeds that had been gumming up the roots in your garden beds. Everything is looking perfect and things are growing nicely. Theres just one problem: your lawn seems a bit overgrown in places. Not only overgrown, overrun. The weeds are back and theyve found a place that you cant reach without risking your entire lawn⦠or so they think.
There are a ton of highly-toxic or even carcinogenic weed killers on the market that will absolutely get rid of your weeds and leave your grass intact, but were willing to bet youd rather not resort to such measures. Especially if you or your kids have any plans to walk barefoot through that grass at any point in the spring or summer. So whats the alternative? How do we get rid of the weeds on our lawn naturally without killing the grass? Well, well tell you how.
Lack Of Nutrients In The Lawn Soil
Lawn grass needs more nutrients than lawn weeds. As a result, the lawn grass is weakened and voids are created in the lawn carpet for the weeds to sprout. Gradually, the weeds take over and drive out the lawn grass.
Clover is a type of plant that thrives despite nutrient-poor soil. It can be a sign of nutrient deficiency. This plant spreads especially quickly when other plant species are weakened by insufficient nutrients.
Against nutrient deficiency can help, for example, lawn fertilizer.
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Pull Dandelions With A Weed Puller
Using special dandelion pullers is a natural, selective method that can be quicker than hand-pulling and easier on your back.
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Use when soil is damp, so taproots come up easily.
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Position the serrated claws of the dandelion puller over the head of the flower and step down onto the foot platform to drive the tool into the ground. Pull back, letting the claws close around the plant and its taproot. Then pull it out of the ground.
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Dandelion pullers generally leave a much smaller hole in the ground than hand pulling, so use extra care if you decide to pour herbicide or vinegar into the hole.
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No need to fill the small hole with soil. The surrounding turfgrass will soon cover the area.
What Can I Do With A Narrow Side Of My Lawn
What do you do with a sloped side yard?
What can I do with a narrow garden?
What do you do with the grass that won’t grow on the side yard?
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Are Dandelions Poisonous To Humans Or Cats
The quick answer is NO. In fact, Raw dandelions are edible. We can eat it as a vegetable. It contains a very good amount of vitamin A, vitamin C, and calcium.
Moreover, It also contains Oxalates. The high amount of Oxalates can harm the human body. So It is okay to use a small quantity of dandelions in a salad.
How To Kill Dandelions With Herbicide
There are two basic types of herbicide that can be used on dandelions. The first is a selective broadleaf herbicide. A broadleaf herbicide will only kill broadleaf weeds, such as dandelions. A broadleaf herbicide is good for killing dandelions in lawns, as the herbicide will kill the dandelions and not the grass.
The other kind of effective dandelion herbicide is a non-selective herbicide. Non-selective means that the herbicide will kill any plant that it comes in contact with. Non-selective herbicide is effective for spot dandelion removal, such as killing dandelions in flower beds and in walkways.
When using any herbicide for dandelion control, it will work best to apply the herbicide before the dandelion has developed flowers. Once dandelion flowers have emerged, the dandelion is far more resistant to herbicides and the herbicide, broadleaf or non-selective, will not be as effective.
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How To Get Rid Of Dandelions In Your Yard
Ridding your yard of dandelions can be extremely difficult. Heres why: Their taproots reach 10 inches into the soil, and their seeds are carried by the wind to their next location.
Another challenge: Dandelions are perennials, meaning they come back on their own every year.
To remove dandelions you just have to get to the root of the problem literally. If even a small portion of a dandelion root is left behind, the plant will return.
There are several ways to permanently purge your yard of dandelions, including using a broadleaf herbicide, laying a weed-resistant grass type, or digging up the roots with a dandelion puller.
The best time of year to begin your dandelion removal is fall, as thats when the plants carry nutrients to their roots for winter storage.
Applying Chemical Treatments To Kill Dandelions
Broadleaf herbicides do a great job of terminating dandelion populations. Spray the plants with the weed killer of your choice during the fall months, and the toxins will travel, along with the nutrients, down to the roots.
Theres a chance you may have to mist on a second application before the weed is completely killed. If its already spring, no worries. Early spring is the second-best time to get rid of dandelion plants.
Use the same pre-emergent solution youd use to get rid of crabgrass, such as Roundup, to kill these lawn weeds before their seeds germinate.
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