For some reason, my lawn has been taken over by dandelions this year. I have tried spraying weed killer (Ortho: the type that you hook with the water hose and spray with water), but that doesn't seem to help.
Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
-sm
snipped-for-privacy@domain.invalid wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@domain.invalid:
If the chemical warfare doesn't pan out for you and you're up for hours of backbreaking labor, you could try pulling them out manually. Personally I like to just rip off the flowers if the plant is small. If it doesn't die of shame, it will try shooting up more flowers at which point you can dig out the tap root. You may even be able to count this as lawn aeration on your income tax return. I wouldn't compost the debris after yordeling them with whatever herbicide you've been using, but if you stick all your dandelion pulls in a bucket with some water, it makes for some serious kind of stanky.
I found Scotts turf plus 2 does a good job on them.
Now ground ivy is a whole OTHER serious problem....
Use weed-b-gon
I used a Scotts product yesterday. I know it will take care of the dandelions and it says on the bag that it will kill ground ivy. We shall see.
Marilyn
I finally called a lawn service two weeks ago. My lawn full of dandelions was completely devoid of the yellow flowers and seed heads two days after they sprayed it, and a week later there was no sign of the weed at all.
The lawn service aerated my lawn three days ago and after a good watering, the grass is greener and fuller than I have ever seen it.
They will return in another two weeks to treat for crabgrass.
Unless ALL your near-by neighbors con troll the dandelions and crabgrass in their yards, your chances of controlling them in your lawn by just pulling them, especially in a larger yard, are next to nil.
You can use less toxic pre-emergent herbicides to prevent weeds from starting. Along with good cultural practices that promote a dense, healthy turf, this should keep your nighbors' weeds from getting established in your yard, all but eliminating the need to use post-emergents or physical removal.
Hi Vox, Can you recommend one?
Thanks, Brigitte
i think the best way to get rid of them is to decide you want them to grow! I have several herbal formulas that require Dandilion leaves, roots or blooms so i have been harvesting them quite regularly as i really don't have a lot. i even harvest my neighbors. They really are a healthy food/tea or potherb. i am afraid i will decimate my crop! LOL..not really LOL.. serious business when run out of them! Lee h
Most of the "step one" turf builders have a pre-emergent herbicide. Look for labels that say they "prevent" weeds. I believe that Scott's turf builder with Halts is a pre-emergent. It inhibits seeds from germinating (like Preen). It won't kill existing weeds, so you will have to deal with the ones that are already there. After that, you can prevent 99% of them with the pre-emergent treatment and spot treat the couple that pop up here and there.
I've had the best luck killing creeping charlie by fluffing it up with a steel rake before I mow, so the lawnmower gets it. I also pull some of it by hand. Chemicals don't seem to bother it much. I haven't tried Trimec yet because I haven't had to. Raking and mowing works surprisingly well.
-Bob
Hound, Do you know what chemical the lawn service sprayed in your lawn to get rid of dandelions?
For me, this is turning out to be a serious problem. I am afraid that these things will end up killing all the grass.
Thanks.
-sm
They use 2,4-d or something chemically very similar to it. I can smell the stuff when the lawn services do my neighbors' lawns. And it doesn't kill grass from the overspray like Round-up does.
I use 2,4-d in a spray bottle and squirt each dandelion or thistle with it. The goal is to use a little 2,4-d as I can get by with and still get the job done. Granules or a hose-on sprayer put down way too much poison in my opinion. Usually one application in the spring is all I need for a year; the grass can compete after that.
If you really have a lot of dandelions to do, use a pump-up sprayer. But be careful what you use that sprayer for once you've put weed killer in it.
Bob
I'm not Hound, but Weed-Be-Gone works well on dandelions. It needs to be used before the weather gets too hot, above 85 F, I think. It won't harm your grass but will harm other broad leafed plants. I usually use it in the fall, but it works in the spring too.
Regards,
Hal
Hound snipped-for-privacy@comcast.net wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:
This is especially true if you are feeble or have more cents than sense.
You are far more likely to have dandelion germination from flower heads that fallen in situ due to herbicide action or your own mowing than cast adrift on the wind from a neighbor.
It's not a problem as long as you continue to pay the lawn company for emergent control OR if you remove the flowers in the first place. If you don't want to pay a lawn company, it seems to me that it would be about the same amount of work pulling a root with a dandelion fork as it would be going around hand spraying. YTFMLMV.
It has nothing to do with being feeble or having more cents than sense.
It about wasting valuable time fighting a loosing battle.
The lawn company is not stupid, they put down a herbicide for the dandelions along with a pre emergent to prevent the falling dandelion seeds from germinating.
Hound snipped-for-privacy@comcast.net wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:
If you let someone tell you what you are or are not capable of, you've already lost.
The point is: once you lay off the pre-emergent, the dormant seeds (which were likely not blown in from your neighbor) will germinate and you're back to calling the lawn care company.
This is what I have experienced. We moved into a 7 year old house 8 years ago. The previous owners had no interest in gardening and the entire landscape was neglected. The lawn had a lot of weeds and crabgrass along with bare spots. We moved in on March 1st, and I started with a turfbuilder with a pre-emergent herbicide immediately. I followed this with the usual post-emergent treatment. Insects and fungus weren't a problem so I skipped the turfbuilders with insect control. For a few years I overseeded and top dressed the lawn. Since the lawn has filled in nicely and the weeds and crabgrass are gone, I stopped the pre-emergent and post-emergent treatments. A weed will appear now and then, but they are easily controlled with spot treatments. I don't think that discontinuing the application of herbicides on a healthy lawn will necessarily result in an infestation of weeds. As for the lawn care company - I can't imagine using one. I guess I'm just too thrifty to pay someone for something that I can do with so little effort.
That OK by me, I know their number.
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