Dandelions

[woolybanana]

Can the Brain's Trust advise on the elimination or substantial reduction of dandelions in a lawn, svp? Use of mechanical and flame devices is not practical.

Norman did offer to eat them but wanted a six pack Chablis for every squaree metre removed; that would break the budget and, besides, I think he would leave the roots in so he could come back for more.

[Cendrillon]

Programme on BBC2 last Friday night which featured a young Dutch couple using dandelion heads (clocks) as part of a very expensive contemporary chandelier. Before you get the strimmer our you should contact them WB, you might be sitting on a fortune!!!

[Pierre ZFP]

You've sort of answered you own question.

The only practical option left is weedkiller and a systemic one at that

There was a farmer on the Radio 4 farming program who said that the concentration in those little squirty bottles was about 100 times stronger than he is allowed to spray on his fields so you could try getting the concentrate and diluting it a bit more that the instructions say then use a pressure sprayer for sort weeding.

[woolybanana]

Thanks, guys, but is there a poison specific to dandelions?

[andyh4]

Take a thin hand trowel and dig out as much of the roots of each dandelion as you can. Some you may only come away with a centimetre of root others you might get almost all of the roots out - but likely the tip will still be deep in the ground and ready to resprout.

You will also have a hole in the ground where the root came out. Pour around half a teaspoon of salt into the hole and onto the remaining root. The salt will cause the open wound on the root to push water out from the root and will start to desiccate any remaining root.

You will not necessarily kill off every plant on first application, but with persistence you will kill them off.

Much kinder to the environment than using selective weed-killers.

[woolybanana]

Fair comment, Andy, but over 1300 sq ms there must be thousands and thousands. Your method, which is the most environmentally friendly, though putting salt on the land is a worry, would take a lifetime and I ain't got that long.

[Patf]

Wooly - your question must  have been asked by millions of gardeners over the years, and the answer is .......    [I].....42.

Seriously, regular mowing might weaken their growth, but I doubt it. It works with brambles.

[pip24]

Yes, Ive used Andys method but instead of a trowel I use a long carving knife and try to cut the plant as low into the ground as possible and then salt down the hole.

The product to use to clear a larger area is in the U.K. called Verdone. I dont know if its sold over here or not. Ive used it and had good results. It also clears most plantains including the one that looks like a frail dandelion.

[mint]

I tried Andy's method but it didn't get rid of the dandelions but it did do my back considerable harm.

Now I've decided that dandelions look just fine and they and I co-exist in eco-friendly heaven[:D]

[Loiseau]

Er, "...just fine" and dandy, perhaps, mint?!

In fact, thus being France, why do you not pick the younger leaves and pop them in a salad, WB? Cheaper than rocket, and similar taste.

Angela

[Gardengirl]

I have a special tool bought many years ago to remove them, usually lifts the whole root too, but with that amount of land it wouldn't be practical. I more or less gave up using it when my back became worse.

What I have done in more recent years is to remove every head and bud I can see; when in England I go round every day and pull them off, put them in my general waste bin - I don't compost them, don't want to spread them around. It doesn't really take long when I do it daily and it means I can avoid having clocks spreading around.

Mowing those on the lawns keeps the actual plants under control, but in my borders etc a little hoeing helps.

Luckily we are always here at dandelion time, as we return for a couple of weeks for a family celebration in May.

I have fewer dandelions by far than I used to have and we have quite a big garden - although some had the cheek to grow in a border they've never been seen in during the 30+ years we've lived here!

Good luck, Wooly!