Bright yellow dandelions are pretty and their seedheads are fun to blow into the air, but there’s no place for them in a well-tended garden.
Dandelions’ name comes from the French “dent de lion”—tooth of the lion. And if you look at their leaves, they are indeed in jagged rows, just like a lion’s teeth.
The key to controlling them in your garden is absolutely to prevent them from going to seed. Otherwise, thousands of dandelion seeds will be scattered across your yard. If you can accomplish this, most of your dandelion control will consist of digging them up from time to time.
Controlling Dandelions in Beds and Borders
In most flower beds and other planting areas, the best way to control dandelions is to dig them out. The trick is to get the top two inches of the long, narrow taproot—or else they’ll come right back.
You can use one of the specialty dandelion weeders, but an old dinner knife works perfectly fine, too.
Mulch helps minimize dandelions and other weeds as well. It smothers tiny dandelons that are starting to grow and it prevents seeds from easily getting embedded into the soil so they can start germinating.
Controlling Dandelions in Lawns
As with most weeds, dandelions in lawns are best controlled by keeping the grass mowed. It keeps the grass healthy and enables it to better squeeze out weeds. And it nicely chops off the heads of taller dandelions that are about to go to seed.
As with beds and borders, you can also just dig them up.
If you choose to use chemicals in your lawn, any type of “broadleaf” weed killer designed for lawns will reduce them. These types of herbicides work on weeds with, well, broad leaves, including dandelions, and don’t harm the long, slender grass blades. Most lawn services do regular broadleaf herbicide applications. Or you can buy a spray bottle of it at your local garden center.
Controlling Dandelions in Lawns
Most lawns that use a lawn service don’t have extensive dandelions. That’s because lawn services apply a “broad-leaf” weed killer at the optimum time in summer. This appropriately named weed killer destroys the broad-leafed plants such as dandelions and leaves the thin-leafed plants—like your grass. They also apply a pre-emergent herbicide (a weed killer that prevents seeds from ever germinating) on the lawn as well.
If you don’t use a lawn service, you have the option of going to your local garden center and checking out the various chemicals that you can spread on your lawn that tout themselves as “broad-leafed herbicides.” Otherwise, simply look for something made for lawns that specifies controlling dandelions.
Non-Selective Herbicides, such as RoundUp
A non-synethic weed control option is always preferred, but there may be situations where a synthetic garden chemical–used sparingly and carefully–might be an option. In gravel, brick, and stone paths, driveways, sidewalks and other areas where you don’t want weeds to grow, you might consider a “non-selective” herbicide. Non-selective means it doesn’t select which plants it will kill and which ones it won’t. Any plant it touches will be damaged or killed. RoundUp is the most well-known brand.
An herbicide that kills everything obviously isn’t something to use in your flower bed or lawn, but it is an option in areas with lots of pavement or hard surfaces, especially those where it’s hard to get down into cracks and crannies.
As with any synthetic garden chemical, read the package directions carefully and follow to the letter. Wash your hands thoroughly after using, as well as any other skin that comes in contact with it.
Other Links Of Interest:
Should I Let My Lawn Go Dormant?
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