Lets talk about Lawncare

Does anyone else remember as a kid with your friends picking those white "flowers" growing in the front yard and blow on the blooms and watch them fly around in the air.  Little did we know what we were doing to the neighbors' lawns!!!! 

Dandelions are often an eye sore for most homeowners and once they get started are difficult to stop.  Some season they seem worse than others, this is one of the "worse seasons".  We wanted to take a moment to help everyone understand some benefits of dandelions, and what can be done to control them. 

First thing to understand about the dandelion is that they are prolific seed producers. A single one can produce over 5000 seeds per year. They also can travel up to 5 miles away. This certainly explains why we see them everywhere.  Dandelions are not all bad, they do have several medicinal usages since ancient times in tonics, teas, wine and even salads. However, if you're not a fan...here are some suggestions to keep them at a minimum. 

According to Dr. Walz at the University of Georgia “They're perennial broadleaf weeds that can live for years. and if you do nothing, you'll definitely have more dandelions next year because their numerous seeds are dispersed by the wind.” 

Below is some other suggestions and information to help mitigate the dandelions. 

• Don't mow too short. That allows weeds to pop up in low, thin, scalped areas where you may see a lot of other problems in your lawn.  Each type of grass has an ideal mowing height; if you're not sure what kind of grass you have, check with your local university extension co-op service, or lawncare professional to help you ID what's growing in your yard.

• Water correctly. Irrigate the lawn so that it is hydrated as deeply in the soil as possible and infrequently to encourage deep roots, which are better able to withstand environmental stressors like heat and drought. Also, finish watering by 10 a.m. to minimize evaporation.

• Reseed or in your lawn at the proper time of year for the type of grass you have. Depending on your local climate, you may need to do this in the warm season vs. the cool season.

 If it's early in the season and the weeds are small, or if you see only a few dandelions here and there, you can pull them by hand, Waltz says. They have a sturdy tap root, and you need to get every single bit of it. If you leave a fragment behind, it can regrow.   A dandelion's tap root ranges from 6–18 inches long, and the bigger the plant, the bigger (and deeper!) the root. As you're learning how to get rid of dandelions, it's best to use a weeding fork or any tool that's designed to pop the dandelion right out without making a huge hole in the ground.  

You can also opt for an herbicide and that is where we come in.  Herbicides are very effective on killing the dandelion.  Patience is key.  Once you spray this product on the problem area, the dandelions will absorb the chemical so the plants and their roots will be killed. Dr. Walz suggest You'll usually see twisting and curling of the plant within 24 hours but be patient: The entire plant should be dead within a week or so. For older and hardier dandelion patches, you may have to spray a second application about a month later. 

Things that do not work on dandelions and why...

 No matter what you've seen or heard about the miraculous powers of vinegar, it's not an effective method to get rid of dandelions. For starters, vinegar works through a contact method, meaning it only affects the plant tissue it touches but does not move systemically through the plant, Waltz says.

After spraying a dandelion with a DIY vinegar mixture, the plant’s leaves may curl and wilt, but the vinegar won't penetrate the soil and roots. This means most weeds will be back up in 10–14 days. 

We hope that this little bit of information will be helpful for you when dealing with this reoccurring weed.