Dandelions are surely the most unsightly of all the lawn weeds and in recent years there number appear to be getting totally out of hand. They generally start flowering in mid April and by the beginning of May they are at their peak. Lawns can be completely swamped in their big bold foliage and yellow flower heads. Often we find ourselves out with the lawn mower cutting back nothing but dandelion stalks while the grass sits untouched beneath
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- Help With Dandelions
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- dandelions
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- Dandelion Seed heads
To effectively control dandelions there are a number of things that we can do. A lawn weed killer, using lawn herbicides such as hytrol or dicophar are the most effective ways to cull their numbers. Timing is important when using dicophar; the weather must be right and the plants must be actively growing. Read the label of your lawn weed killer to ensure accurate dilution and application rates. This chemical is truly brilliant when used on lawns. The active ingredient all lawn weed killers are selective so won’t harm your lawn but will kill a range of weeds including:
- Clover
- Creeping Buttercup
- Plantain
- Groundsell
- Chickweed
- Spiderweed
- Silverweed
- Docks
- Cleavers
- & Dandelions
To ensure best results from lawn weed killer you should do the following:
- Dilute in water at a rate of 1 part Dicophar 100 parts water
- Apply diluted mix to lawn using a knapsack sprayer applying 10L per 100M2
- Apply in fine weather during the months of April to August
- Apply 3 to 4 times over the growing season
- Ensure weather is dry and not windy
- On extremely weedy lawns you can reseed once weeds die back
- Don’t cut lawn until 48 hrs after each application
If you don’t want to use chemicals and you feel lawn weed killer is not for you, then here are some other tips on how to reduce dandelion numbers on your lawn.
- Don’t let flowers develop, Remove flower buds early by picking off with your hand or by mowing your grass
- When mowing be sure to use your collection box. Don’t mulch cutting as this can spread both dandelion seeds and dandelion growing points
- Weed out individual plants. This can be done with a dandelion weeder or a garden spade. Dandelions have long deep tap roots so if you intend on weeding them out you will need to dig deep and remove the entire root
- Don’t put dandelions on your compost heap. These perennial weeds have to ability to regenerate from the smallest of parts of their roots and shoots. Allow plant to rot down before composting