What do you do about dandelions in your yard? / LJWorld.com

Asked at The Merc, 901 Iowa on May 12, 2009

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“I do broadleaf fertilizer before the year starts and then I dig them out as the year goes on.”

— Andrew Lebar, unemployed, Lawrence

“I let my husband deal with it.”

— Meredith Beightel, registered CSA, Lawrence

“We don’t have a yard, so we don’t have dandelions.”

— Teresa Heustis, pastry chef, Glendale, Calif.

“I dug them up with a dandelion digger.”

— Leo Bracciano, retired, Lawrence

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average 4 years, 7 months ago

I look at them, mow them with the rest of the yard, eat some early leaves with salad, and generally deal.

In my garden patch, I pull them or hoe them. In the yard? Bah.

Chris Ogle 4 years, 7 months ago

I eat em early... mow em late. xbus, temporarily retired

Dayle Hodges 4 years, 7 months ago

I smile and remember how my little girls used to bring them to me....sweet memories.

Gootsie 4 years, 7 months ago

We have none. Just beautiful green grass!

Hubby likes yard work - I don't. That's why it looks good!

Flap Doodle 4 years, 7 months ago

I let the polar bears eat them.

Chris Ogle 4 years, 7 months ago

autie--- fishing has been good... even in the rain (never claimed to be smart)

jonas_opines 4 years, 7 months ago

"Holy cow. The LJW has presented three opportunities today to reenact the absolute stupidest long winded argument ever on the esteemed LJW article threads."

That awards been given out already? Which thread was that? Got a link?

sgtwolverine 4 years, 7 months ago

Absolutely nothing. What's so bad about dandelions? And seriously: what's so important about a perfect green lawn?

My only problem with them is that because they grow so much faster than the grass, I need to mow more often when they're shooting up. I had a lot more this year (guess it was the wet September), so I finally broke down and sprayed just to try to keep them from spreading further. I needed to spray a couple of patches of chickweed, anyway. By the way, does anyone have a surefire method for getting rid of THAT? It seems like just when I get one area under control and reseeded, it pops up somewhere else, killing all of the grass in that spot. The spray only seems to work marginally well.

justice4all 4 years, 7 months ago

weed and feed. It works awesome.

gsxr600 4 years, 7 months ago

Not the Merc again.... maybe LJW could try broadening it's scope. Oh wait, that will never happen.

sgtwolverine 4 years, 7 months ago

There's a big difference between "lawns full of weeds" and "typical dandelion population." I don't treat my lawn, and yet the evil dandelions haven't overtaken it, nor have they damaged property values.

In conclusion, there's a big space between two extremes.

Chris Ogle 4 years, 7 months ago

Hey Sarge... wish I had your wisdom.

Leslie Swearingen 4 years, 7 months ago

You'll pry that dandelion out of my cold, dead hand!!

GardenMomma 4 years, 7 months ago

Wait until they go to seed and pick one, make a wish and blow all the seeds off in one breath.

sgtwolverine 4 years, 7 months ago

Pilgrim ... your paranoia about dandelions seems overwrought. I have not experienced dandelions so powerful and insidious as the ones you seem to be describing. Despite our relaxed policy towards dandelions, they haven't even come close to taking over. Also, since I live in a rural area where my neighbors' lawns can contact my lawn only by phone or email, I'm pretty sure their lawn-care habits don't make that big of a difference.

Seriously: they just aren't that big of a problem. I think you could worry less about them and more about something more consequential.