Eliminating Dandelion From Your Lawn – As the weather warms up and the grass begins to grow dandelions seem to pop up everywhere. The word dandelion is an English word that is derived from the French name ‘dent de lion’. This means lion tooth which could refer to the fact that dandelions have coarsely tooth leaves. Some feel this pesky flower got its name because it is deeply rooted in the ground. These plants are useful in different ways but people still consider it a weed that spoils the look of their beautiful landscape.
Eliminating dandelions can be difficult because they can grow in even adverse circumstances. The seeds that they produce do not remain dormant very long and quickly germinate.
They also do not need pollination to produce seeds because they can fertilize themselves. Dandelion seeds can survive six years in the soil and just one plant can release as many as fifteen thousand seeds at a time. When a seed sprouts, it will also create that many more seeds so you can see why it grows and spreads so quickly.
When getting rid of dandelions you must make sure that you exterminate them completely because they will regenerate. To get rid of them completely you need to kill the taproot also. There are both inorganic and organic ways to get rid of this weed. You can call your local lawn service for dandelion lawn treatment to get rid of them but you need to make sure that you kill the dandelion as soon as you see the seedlings.
Best Dandelion Killers
The best way to totally kill the dandelion is to pull it out of the ground, complete with the taproot, which can be two to three feet deep in the ground. This is the main root of the plant and though you do not see dandelions in the cold months the taproot is surviving underground and when spring arrives, you will see the dandelions. If you have a lot of dandelions in your yard this can be a monumental task but a commercial landscape management company can send a landscape technician to do it for you.
Make sure that you are mowing your lawn regularly to help inhibit dandelions from growing and keep your grass two and a half to three inches in length. Taller grass will keep the weeds from getting the sunlight and space they need to grow. In late winter, you should apply pre-emergent herbicide to prevent the dandelion seeds from germination. This herbicide will affect the growth of the grass to some extent but the grass will recover.