What can I do to kill dandylions?

[Annpan]

I can see them just starting to pop up in my (so called) lawn... I'd rather not have them there... not least because the neighbours tut at me. I actually think they are really pretty and useful - anyway I still don't want the all over my lawn.

They are quite noticeable, as they are all surrounded with a small bare patch where they killed all the grass last year...
Is there anything good to try on them?

Here is what I was thinking...

Use an apple corer to pull up the plug from the centre of each plant... then, with the use of a funnel, pour some boiling water down the hole.

Is this a daft thing to do? or might it work?

Any thoughts?

[Clara]

I saw a special tool for getting them up from the Garden Organic catalogue - not too disimilar from a corkscrew.

Whether you use your own or a bought tool, I think it is imperative to get at them early and definitely before they set seed

[snapdragon]

pull um up / dig um up

or use your apple corer

[Shirley]

make wine with the flowers.... and coffee-ish with the roots?

Take lots of photos of them cos they look really pretty..... :D That's what I do anyway. Planning to try the wine and the coffee this year.

[marshlander]

Isn't salt sprinkled on the centre of the plant supposed to kill it? - never tried it.

Make fritters with the buds and flowers - delish

[ina]

And the young leaves can go into a salad... But that still doesn't get rid of the plants. Digging up is the only method I know of - but you have to dig deep.

[mrsflibble]

dig dig dig. do it when it's wet, try and save the root, stick in a plastic bag and post to mrs flibble lol!!!

but seriously, your corer sounds good... but I'm not sure even boiling water can kill such a prolific weed!
you might have to resort to a weed killer of some form.

[Annpan]

Thanks everybody

I'll give the apple corer a try... I can't see any othe way of digging them up without having enorous holes all over my'lawn'. I don't plan on buying an expensive tool, or using any weed-killer.

Shirlz, I have lots of photos of them, from last year.

If I get them in other parts of the garden I will try to make some wine... I have my Dad's old recipies about somewhere, and really ought tho make use of them.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

I'm rather fond of dandilions. After a certain amount of experimentation I've discovered that they make the yolks of eggs of chickens fed on them particularly yellow due to their high content of certain carotenes. So, personally, I'd favour the apple corer approach followed by the flinging them at the hens approach.

[Nikki]

You need to get the very last bits of root, and offshoots, out or it'll simply grow back.

However, I see the dandelion as a wild vegetable, rather than a weed. Used for; coffee, tea, wine, salad greens, healthy infusions, many vegetable recipes, dye, and flower essence (brings joy).

Try taking some garlic sauteed dandelions to your neighbours, you just might get them to envy you instead. lol

[Annpan]

Nah... Neighbours are more ... do you want to borrow our weed-killer back-pack... they were horrified when I started a compost heap the day we moved in

Also... I am allergic to Garlic


I will be keeping some dandylions at the back of the garden (it's huge) so I can still experiment with cooking them. And I will feed them to my chickens (if I ever get any)

I don't have a personal vendetta against dandylions Just don't want them among the nice grassy bit...

[maggienetball]

Pee on them!

Well my dog does and they die a really violent death!!!

[Jackie]

I wonder what your dog drinks.

Whereever my dogs pee plants seem to just grow even better.

Use an apple corer to pull up the plug from the centre of each plant... then, with the use of a funnel, pour some boiling water down the hole.

Don't use that boiling water please. You could destroy your lawn and small insects, worms or whatever lives there in the earth. Just cut these plants out with a suitable knife. If it grows back, you cut it out again. As simple as that.

[Annpan]

I wonder what your dog drinks.

Whereever my dogs pee plants seem to just grow even better.

Has been discused here before, some time ago - it seemed to have something to do with gender, female urine kills, male urine feeds

Use an apple corer to pull up the plug from the centre of each plant... then, with the use of a funnel, pour some boiling water down the hole.

Don't use that boiling water please. You could destroy your lawn and small insects, worms or whatever lives there in the earth. Just cut these plants out with a suitable knife. If it grows back, you cut it out again. As simple as that.

OK - I mean no harm to our tiny beastie friends

[maggienetball]

strange that male/female thing. My dogs a boy and his pee kills grass weeds and anything he cocks his leg against (bark not trees). My bitches that I had before also killed everything too
Ages ago, I went on a composting course and the guy that ran it was some kind of scientist. When people said you should pee on a compost heap to activate it, he said that only men should pee on it as women's urine doesn't contain the right ingredient.
Good job it's only men really cos I think most women would fall off the heap trying to contribute!!
Don't know if it's true though. Maybe someone else does.[/quote]