Identifying Dandelions
The dandelion, taraxacum officinale, by any other name is still readily recognized by children and adult alike. Their yellow heads have been popping up in lawns in the area over the last week. Their golden-yellow flower heads are on a tubed stalk that turn into whitish yellow seeds. The seeds are 3/16” long, elongated that easily break off and travel via wind and water. The milky juice that is present in the tubes of dandelion is another clear indicator of dandelion. Its leaves can vary – some are heavily lobed, and some are lobe less. Leaves are light green to dark green. Extremely thick and long taproot. Read more on how to manage dandelions all-naturally.
Conditions that Favor Dandelions
Dandelion tolerates a massive range of conditions due to its ability to spread and deep taproot. It’s a telltale sign of a lack of available calcium in the soil and low soil fertility. Thrives in compacted sites, you’ll often see it with plantain. Found in athletic fields, homeowner lawns, park, and pretty much any
Mitigating Dandelions Without Chemicals
Through my efforts to correct the calcium imbalance in my own lawn over the years I have seen number and health of my dandelions go down significantly. No longer am I able to grow those truly honker specimens. You know the ones I mean with their strong broad rosettes and multiple flowers. Now I get small weak rosettes with a single spindly flower. But please keep in mind that this is after several years of treating my lawn with high calcium lime as indicated by soil tests. It is going to take several years for the calcium levels to increase at levels 6 – 7 inches deep. We have also employed a low/no phosphorous approach to fertilization, thus discouraging dandelions from germinating from seed.
Pulling dandelions with one of the myriad of tools that are available in the marketplace that get the tap root is an effective way to remove the flowering plant from the lawn. Just pulling off the top will allow it to come back within the season. Bagging the flowers can help mitigate the spread of seeds but dandelions are very good at adapting to height of cut. These approaches, in tandem with improving soil conditions will provide you with the best results.
Benefits of Dandelions
While you are working to eliminate dandelions from your lawn by changing the underlying soil conditions, it may be helpful to realize that dandelions do provide many benefits. The dandelion will transport calcium and other minerals to the surface through its deep tap root, which can reach depths of several feet, though six to eighteen inches is more common. Dandelions also provide early season pollen for bees and other beneficial insects, are edible cooked or raw and fun for children to play with.
As always, contact PJC Organic for more info on how to manage dandelions all-naturally, as well as other weeds and pests.
