Defeat the dandelion plague

One of the most common blights on a beautiful green lawn is dandelions, and one of the chief lawn struggles is getting them gone and keeping it that way.

The annoying little yellow flower generally pops up as the weather starts to get warmer. Most commonly, dandelions will infest the edges of lawns and the cracks in concrete. This is because it is easier for their taproot to get down into the soil in these places as opposed to it trying to break through the root structure of the lawn.

A common misconception about dandelions is that if you don’t have them in the summer you won’t have them in the spring. This is not true! Little dandelion seeds lie in wait in the late summer and fall, and will emerge the following spring.

But the real question today is how to defeat them once they do emerge.

Dandelions can be very difficult to control, in part because they can reproduce without pollinating. Once the dandelion head turns white and spherical, the seeds will fly and grow wherever the wind takes them, leaving genetically identical flowers all over your yard. This can be frustrating because even if you have managed to eradicate them from your lawn, if your neighbor or your neighbor’s neighbor has them, they can still end up back in your yard.

Because of this, just treating the dandelions in your yard once probably won’t cut it. You must be vigilant in your treatments. However, in addition to multiple treatments on your own lawn, you need to encourage your neighbors to do the same to ensure your lawn stays free of yellow.

Aside from treatments such as lawn weed and feed products, weed killers, professional lawn care specialists, etc., you can use other tools to fight this menace.

One of the best methods is a beautiful lawn. Instead of pulling and treating these weeds, you can choke them out with a thick, luscious lawn. Mow your lawn at a high setting on your mower, feed the lawn regularly, and the thickness of healthy grass will keep weeds like dandelions from establishing in the first place.

But to be fair, we can’t end on a “dandelions are completely evil” note; not when they have a few redeeming qualities. For example, they have culinary and medicinal uses as well. Dandelions have been used in China, Europe and even North America to treat infections, and are still sold pharmaceutically in Canada as a diuretic. In addition, dandelion leaves can be eaten both raw and cooked, and can be used in soups, salads, sautéed and even in wine. The flavor of dandelions has been described as similar to that of mustard greens.

They’re still mostly a nuisance and an eyesore, though. Eradicate this blight for good!