Some gardeners look at dandelions as a tasty treat they can use to spruce up their salad. Others regard it as a terrible pest and something they do not want to lay eyes on ever again. The problem most of us have to deal with is finding the best way to eradicate them.
You may recall the time when you were much younger and the mere sight of dandelions filled your heart with joy. As an adult who is trying to set up a lovely garden, it is an entirely different story. You will do all you possibly can to eradicate them from your lawn or any other area.
Herbicides that are chemically based such as Roundup have some known benefits, but the mere fact that it's made up of glyphosate makes it detrimental to bees. This is not a good sign as 50% of our food sources originate from bees.
Follow along as we discover safer and more effective ways to get rid of those pesky dandelions so they do not invade your yard. Before we cover that, it is important to learn more about your enemy, in this case, dandelion.
Why It is Necessary to Remove Dandelions from Your Yard
Dandelions have deep taproots that are extremely difficult to pull out. They are also referred to as perennial weeds that take root in borders, various hard surfaces like driveways, and lawns. The problem is once these plants find their way into your garden it is very hard to get rid of them as they penetrate and make their way into your beautiful grass and change the face of your surface forever.
What Makes Dandelions So Hard to Remove for Good?
No wonder gardeners and everyone who appreciates a beautiful looking yard is bent on getting their hands on the best dandelion killers without harming bees or causing harm to other friendly creatures.
For one, the dandelion is known to have a long taproot that goes deep into the ground. While it may at first seem like an easy task to simply dig or pull up a dandelion, the taproot is the part that stays behind so it may regenerate into a new plant.
Surely, you can still remember how much fun you and the neighbourhood children had in picking the round ball of fluffy white seed from the surrounding dandelion. It was with amazement that you witnessed how these floated away into the sky like little parachutes.
However, did you know that each plant has the ability to produce from 54 to 172 seeds in total at any given time? Mind-boggling, isn’t it?
This is just one of the many reasons why it's so hard to get rid of dandelion.
Are You At Risk of Killing Other Plants When You Kill Dandelions?
Another problem you may have to contend with is whether or not the dandelion killer you use will eliminate other plants too. Luckily, there is a way around this so your favourite plants remain and you can get rid of the unwanted dandelion.
It has to do with non-selective and selective herbicide. If you wish to get rid of dandelion only, then you would do well to opt for selective herbicide as it possesses a substance that will remove weeds like these without harming any other plants in the process.
The non-selective herbicide is recommended for when you want to get rid of all plants. This is particularly beneficial when you want to clear your driveway of all greenery.
How You Can Remove Unwanted Dandelion in a Natural Way?
Most of us tend to opt for the easy way out when it comes to removing weed and pesky plants such as dandelion by using chemical based plant killers.
But, wouldn’t you rather get rid of dandelion without resorting to herbicides like Roundup so you can sleep soundly, knowing your plants, pets and children are safe?
Tried and Tested Ways to Get Rid of Dandelion
Dandelions are a broadleaf weed, meaning you need a specially formulated herbicide to kill it off. It is simply no good to just mow them down with a weedeater and think it is the end of them. They need to be killed at root level.
If your timing is right and you pull out the entire plant with roots and all, then you’ve just found one of the best ways to eradicate them. To pull it off, you need to wait until it’s early fall or spring. The reason for this is that during fall, the matured plants won’t have a rats chance to store enough nutrients to enable it to survive during winter.
During early spring, new seedlings will have a hard time to penetrate your yard and will die off before spring arrives. It is best you pull them out when the soil is still wet to improve your chances of digging them out root and all.
There are some less desirable ways to remove dandelion from your yard area. One of these involves the use of vinegar. You see, while the vinegar will do a good job of killing the leaves and flowers, it will not have the same effect on the roots as these will simply grow back again.
Using Boiling Water to Pour Over Dandelions
This would involve a bit of work as you need to repeat the process of pouring boiling water over your dandelions for a period of two to three days to get the plant to shrivel up and die. However, you may spill some of the water onto other plants and kill them too.
More Effective Ways to Remove Dandelion in Your Yard
There are a couple of things you can do to rid your lawn or other areas from dandelions.
Have you heard of corn gluten meal? Apparently, they will stop the seeds from germinating and prevent dandelion growth altogether. All you need to do is spread it over your lawn area during spring.
Another really cool tip is to keep a tortoise or rabbit as they love chewing weeds. So, it is a win-win situation and your children will love having them around.
Besides, nibbling on dandelions is very good for them as it proves to be nutritious and healthy for your pets. Just be sure you do not treat your plants with herbicides should you choose to keep pets like these in your yard.
Weed Killers That Do a Good Job of Killing Dandelion Safely
While herbicides such as Roundup may do an excellent job of ridding your yard of dandelions, it comes at a price. For one, you need to ensure your pets and children do not touch it. Not to mention the fact that nasty chemicals will be left in the ground.
That is not to say that there are no other weed killers that are specially formulated to kill dandelion as a broadleaf plant. Products like these can safely be used on most lawns without having to worry about harmful side effects. It sure is powerful enough to eliminate broadleaf plants.
On the flip side, natural solutions still prove to be best if you wish to be considered to bees, your pets and children. They may take longer than the best herbicides would, but in the end, it is far better for the environment and for you.
If you are someone that sees red at the mere sight of dandelions, then we suggest you have a closer look at the best dandelion killers on the market right now.
