Dandelions can be quite pesky and they spread rapidly across the lawn thereby ruining the aesthetics and the overall look of the lawn.
Dandelions are essentially a massive species of flowering plants that belong to the Asteraceae family and their species are popularly known as dandelions.
Above the ground, the seeds of the dandelions are known to ride currents of wind and they drop there seeds onto lawns.
This helps in the spreading and the propagation of the dandelions species in the lawn and elsewhere.
Below the ground, the weed lays a tap root which is about 10 inches and if you pull the tap root then it might cause problems as the brittle, thick roots are easily split and the fraction that is left behind is able to regenerate.
Dandelions expand rapidly and occupy all areas of your lawn quickly. There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to getting rid of the dandelions from the lawn.
There are a variety of different methods, processes, techniques, and ways in which you can get rid of the dandelions from the lawn.
Before you use any specific method or technique to get rid of the dandelions from your lawn it is important to understand the full impact of that method, what it means for your soil, lawn, other areas of your yard like flowerbeds also what are the tools that you might need for the process so that you can be well prepared in tackling the problem at hand.
It is important to have full knowledge before going ahead with any specific process. You must look at the different methods or ways in which you can remove the dandelions and then compare those methods so that you can analyze the pros and cons of each of those methods and eventually go with the one that is best suited for your lawn and the area you live in.
Different ways of getting rid of the dandelions from the lawn
There are multiple ways in which you can remove the dandelions from the lawn.
Some of these primary or fundamental methods include physical removal of the plants, eliminating the dandelions organically and usage of the chemical killers amongst others.
There are a number of steps to be followed for each of these techniques of dandelion removal. Let us have a look at some of these methods, their details, processes and how the end goal can be achieved with maximum efficiency and minimum fuss.
Organic removal of dandelions
The organic removal of the dandelions from the lawn is an effective method of ensuring that you get rid of the dandelions.
The steps that you must implement for this method are as follows: To begin with, you can pour over boiling water over plants so that you can kill them effectively.
Heat the medium-sized pot water until it reaches the boiling point.
Be very careful when carrying the boloing hot water in the pot towards the garden or the lawn.
Then you must slowly pour boiling water across the dandelion.
Ensure that you are able to access the stem as well as head of the plant thereby allowing water to seep within the soil so that the boiling water reaches the root system.
You must repeat the process for a minimum of two times every day continuing until the plant has died or totally withered.
Then you can eliminate the stem followed by the discarding of the plant.
When you are carrying out this process, it is important to be careful as you might burn or injure yourself with the hot boiling water.
White vinegar to remove dandelions
You can also spray plants with water as well as vinegar so that you can kill them effectively.
Using white vinegar that has an acidic level of about 20 to 25% and the fill the bottle of the spray halfway through with the vinegar.
Once you have done that the rest of the bottle must be filled with normal water.
Then you must proceed to shake this bottle to mix the solution properly.
Thereafter you spray each of the dandelions and continue the process of spraying daily till the plant is dead. After that, you can eliminate the stem by hand.
You must combine the boiling water with vinegar along with the physical removal to ensure complete eradication.
One of the simplest methods to ensure that the dandelion is completely removed is combining vinegar, water, and physical removal.
You must spray the plant daily with the mentioned solution so that it weakens and kills off the plant completely.
After that, you can use the spade or the tool for plant removal so that you can physically eliminate the plant and the root system.
You also have to ensure that the root’s smaller pieces that might have been left behind should not grow back so fill the hole with the boiling water that you have prepared.
Here it is important to note that while it is a comprehensive plan for the removal of dandelions, it might destroy the plants that are nearby and also cause the soil to die.
This means that you won’t be capable of growing anything on that particular patch of the soil of the lawn so be careful when using this method.
The usage of chemical killers to remove dandelions
In this method, you can specifically use selected herbicides so that you target the dandelions specifically.
You can find a herbicide which is dandelion specific from most garden centers.
Once you purchase this herbicide you must make sure that you read the label to find out the instructions from the manufacturers so that the application of the herbicide can be effective, safe and efficient.
The instructions for the usage of different herbicides are likely to be different and it is important to have knowledge about that before you use it on plants or dandelions in particular.
These chemicals or herbicides usually take a few days to start working by killing unnecessary plants like the dandelions.
One important consideration to note here is that selective herbicides are specifically made for one particular species whereas non-selective herbicides that are available in the market are used to kill most of the major categories of weeds.
The selective herbicide is usually considered to be less effective or efficient in comparison to the non-selective herbicide. However, if you want to grow other plants and looking for vegetation in the lawn then the option of non-selective herbicide can be dangerous since it has the potential of affecting other plants in the flowerbed too.
If you are looking to target or kill other forms of weeds too in your lawn then you can choose the non-selective herbicide for this exercise. Obviously, you must read all the instructions that are provided by the manufacturer before using it.
For non-selective herbicides just applying it 2 to 3 times is sufficient to kill off the weeds completely. The non-selective herbicides have the potential of damaging other flowers or plants in the lawn as well which is something you need to keep in mind before using it.
You can use the weed killer which is pre-emergent after you have removed the plants or during the spring.
The pre-emergent weed killer is responsible for preventing seed germination which is already within the topsoil.
When you use the pre-emergent form of treatment it prevents any form of dandelion seeds or roots from developing or growing into bigger mature plants.
The pre-emergent treatment is available for sale at various stores on the market.
If you are purchasing the pre-emergent treatment then some of the things that you must look out for include is it safe to use around the other plants or grass that you will be in the area.
Dandelion preventative measures
Besides all these methods for the removal of the dandelions in the lawn, you can also go for the preventative measures to ensure that the dandelions never grow or spread in the first place.
One of the ways in which you can control the spread of dandelions is by ensuring proper lawn care at consistent and regular intervals of time.
If you manage your grass and lawn properly it will eliminate the need for dandelion removal since the lawn itself will compete against the growth and spread of weeds including the dandelion in your lawn.
The process of grass clipping on the lawn will prevent the seeds of weeds from germinating.
Besides this, you must also mow the grass high leaving it a size of 2 or 3 inches so that the grass can protect the turf by making sure that the weeds are deprived of the necessary light which they need for their growth.