Ridding a lawn of dandelions

[naomi24]

My mother-in-law's lawn is full of dandelions. We've tried Weed & Feed, but it's proved hopeless. Can anyone recommend something that will work?

[tenrec]

I found that keeping the grass a little longer helped with this problem. I used to dig the dandelions up if I could.

[tenrec]

Keep pulling the heads off too.

[naomi24]

Hi tenrec, If we dug these up, she'd have no lawn left. It's full of them.

[Anngel123]

One year's weeds, seven years' seeds. Not what you want to hear I am sure. Unfortunately, you only need one of the little blighters to seed and you have had it for the next few year. Personally, I dig them up with a sharp knife. Although they come back eventually.....

[tonyav]

naomi, In the past i have dug them out, I used an old screwdriver. Push the blade down and lever the Dandelion with the root up and out. It worked for me, and they did not reappear.

[Frank97]

I'm surrounded by fields full of them yet my lawn has none, I use Verdone lawn weedkiller once a year, usually around this time if it will just stop raining.

[cathfromsaron]

why not re-seed with handfuls of strong grass seed and keep it a bit longer for a while?

and yes, pull their heads off!

[pdust]

heres how i deal with dandelions.... not sure your mum in law would do it though naomi.... i just get some big boots on...charge the strimmer up then pretend they are zombies and im bruce whatshisface and strim the living daylights outta em...... great fun lol tbh i dont think the weed killers work ive tried a few and they still keep springing back up....

[naomi24]

She's not been in the house long - the dandelions are inherited. The lawn is so full of them, I suppose the only way then is to dig them up and re-seed the whole area?

[nungate]

If it's as bad as you say, I'd dig it up, turn over the soil and prepare it and lay new turf - however if your MiL is living in an area where you have a hosepipe ban it might be best to just dig it up and keep treating it when the weeds reappear and either sow lawn seed or turf it at a later date

[pdq1]

We put lawn weedkiller down and hey presto the weeds died within a few weeks. Unfortunately we have bald patches on the lawn where nothing grows.

[mojay]

I found this but it might not be the answer you're looking for :-

Is there an organic way to get rid of the dandelions in my lawn? I've tried getting them out by hand, but the roots break and there are so many of them! Boiling water has some effect on the ones in the paths, but I can't do that on the lawn.

The only way to get rid of dandelions is to hand-weed them out (pouring salt on the roots destroys the soil around the plant; vinegar also works, but kills everything else around it). So you may as well eat them. The roots, particularly if they are fat, are fantastic scrubbed and boiled; the young leaves are great raw with lardons or smoked fish and a little fried onion. The flowers are great dipped in batter, cooked in butter and eaten as miniature pancakes.

I consider the unopened flowerbud one of spring's greatest delicacies. Choose a plant with a flowerbud forming and just a slither of root attached; remove the leaves, fry gently in olive oil and perhaps dress with a little vinaigrette. Yes, it is fiddly, but think of it this way – your lawn has now become your supper.

[maggiebee]

I use a sharp knife to cut the stem as low as I can then pour salt down the hole. My dad swore by this method and it seems to work. Bit time consuming if you have a lot but worth it.

[tonyav]

Yep, Iv'e heard of that one maggie.

[Polly1958]

naomi I have always used Verdone,it's brilliant.The concentrated one is the best not the spray.15m to 5 litres of water and when the dandelions are in full leaf,ie before mowing,wet them thoroughly and in a couple of days you can see them shrivel up and they don't come back.

[smurfchops]

It is laborious but pulling the heads off usually works long term - pull them off as soon as you see them, and put them in a plastic bag, before they flower if possible, and definitely before they go into those woolly balls - those are the seed balls. When I see dandelions growing in the street I have to top myself pulling the heads off !!

[Clanad]

If it's available in the U.K., this will deffinitely finish off the dandelions. If it's as bad as you describe, you may have to retreat it in say 3 weeks to a month.
The best time to spray them is in the heat of day when they're really taking in the nutrients. Won't harm the grass, by the way...

[naomi24]

Clanad!! Please don't leave me in suspense! Spray them with what?

[Clanad]

Hmmm... best laid plans and all that...

http://www.scotts.com...e-wbg-Dandln-20120201

[naomi24]

Thanks Clanad, and all. Your advice is much appreciated.