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Gardening

Lawn full of dandelions

(60 Posts)
Luckygirl3 Mon 09-Sept-24 12:31:29

How do people get rid of them? My "lawn" is now a dandelion patch really!

I am not keen on using harsh chemicals as I am surrounded by farmland, and I have a biodigester and do not want anything to interfere with that. I am not able to dig them all out - I am not fit enough and getting help with these things is very hard round here. Also having a lawn full of the resulting holes is hard to walk on!

Any ideas??? Anyone ever used one of those things that burn weeds?

Any ideas?

henetha Mon 09-Sept-24 23:29:43

Coloured

henetha Mon 09-Sept-24 23:29:29

It is amazing, Flappergirl. So many other flowers appeared too, little blue ones, some orange coured dandelions, etc. It was quite lovely.

henetha Mon 09-Sept-24 23:27:07

Me too. I loved the recent interview with him looking back over his life. grin

MissAdventure Mon 09-Sept-24 20:13:30

henetha

I'd better buy some incontinence pants then, Billy Connolly style. smile

The big yin!
I love Billy. smile

flappergirl Mon 09-Sept-24 20:10:36

henetha

My back garden 'lawn' has no grass, just dandelions and clover. I let it grow all summer for the bees etc. I might just leave it alone and let it help insects every summer.

That's what I do. Besides, the dandelions look absolutely stunning and the biodiversity is fascinating.

henetha Mon 09-Sept-24 18:59:55

That was to MissAdventure...

henetha Mon 09-Sept-24 18:59:20

I'd better buy some incontinence pants then, Billy Connolly style. smile

midgey Mon 09-Sept-24 18:40:19

Luckygirl perhaps you could buy a robot mower, they are getting cheaper…..or should I say less expensive!

MissAdventure Mon 09-Sept-24 18:39:04

Well, lots of wet beds next year, then. smile

henetha Mon 09-Sept-24 18:37:38

My back garden 'lawn' has no grass, just dandelions and clover. I let it grow all summer for the bees etc. I might just leave it alone and let it help insects every summer.

Allira Mon 09-Sept-24 18:31:46

AreWeThereYet

Once a year I use Feed and Weed on the lawn. It gets rid of most of the clover, moss, dandelions, daisies and everything in between but they usually come back the following Summer. Once they've flowered I leave them to it until the Autumn, when I Feed and Weed again.

I once came down my garden path to the front garden and had a shock to find Mr Next-Door-Neighbour spreadeagled on his lawn, face down. He's 75 and for a horrible minute I thought he'd keeled over and died. Then he turned his head to say hello and I realised he was digging out his dandelions.

😂😂😂

BlueBelle Mon 09-Sept-24 17:33:45

I know not everyone wants them on their perfect lawns but they really are a magnificent plant
Their roots aerate the ground ,they pull out calcium for other plants dandelions fertilisers the lawn !!!
They are medicinal for the liver
They were a much loved garden flower before people wanted perfect grass lawns
They are very nutritious all of them leaves flowers roots
The insects love them they are a great pollinator
They can put roots down 15 ft why they are so hard to get rid of

AreWeThereYet Mon 09-Sept-24 17:11:15

Once a year I use Feed and Weed on the lawn. It gets rid of most of the clover, moss, dandelions, daisies and everything in between but they usually come back the following Summer. Once they've flowered I leave them to it until the Autumn, when I Feed and Weed again.

I once came down my garden path to the front garden and had a shock to find Mr Next-Door-Neighbour spreadeagled on his lawn, face down. He's 75 and for a horrible minute I thought he'd keeled over and died. Then he turned his head to say hello and I realised he was digging out his dandelions.

Luckygirl3 Mon 09-Sept-24 14:56:11

I have taken the live and let live approach to the dandelions up till now, but the grass has more or less vanished now. I am not able to get anyone to mow regularly enough to curb their ardour so maybe I should continue to go with the flow.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Allira Mon 09-Sept-24 14:55:18

Dandelions are known as Pis-en-lit in France. The leaves are a diuretic.

Baggs Mon 09-Sept-24 14:53:22

Allira

Baggs

If life gives you dandelions, make dandelion wine 🍷

Is it a diuretic?

No idea, Allira. Mine wasn't very successful so MrB drank most of it. He didn't mention any such effect.

biglouis Mon 09-Sept-24 14:47:01

Get a couple of tortoises. They love dandilions and will soon eat them up, leaves and all.

Allira Mon 09-Sept-24 14:46:40

Baggs

If life gives you dandelions, make dandelion wine 🍷

Is it a diuretic?

Baggs Mon 09-Sept-24 14:39:47

If life gives you dandelions, make dandelion wine 🍷

Baggs Mon 09-Sept-24 14:39:09

Mow. Make sure you collect all the cuttings in your lawnmower bag and discard them at your local composting dump. It's all you can do.

Alternatively, just enjoy them! Seriously. Dandelions are beautiful flowers and insect-friendly. If they were rare everyone would want them. We have Cat's-ear as well as dandelions plus pignut, whorled caraway, wild angelica, knapweed, Herb Robert, Herb Bennet, Heath bedstraw, tormentil, various speedwells, hogweed, sorrel, lady's smock, lesser celandine, devil's-bit scabious and many, many more.

I thought it was all the rage to encourage wildflowers 🧐

Allira Mon 09-Sept-24 14:38:58

A few wild flowers in a lawn are lovely but total infestation with dandelions, no.

There are some fields near here which are just dandelion fields and, of course, the clocks blow everywhere.

Allira Mon 09-Sept-24 14:36:54

I tried the vinegar method on weeds between paving slabs.
They seemed to die off but then grew back.

We bought a dandelion remover from the garden centre which targets the dandelion, root as well, it is easy but requires a bit of effort to use. The resulting holes can be filled with compost mixed with a little grass seed.
Spear and Jackson, I think.

Can you find someone to do this for you?

MissAdventure Mon 09-Sept-24 14:36:02

Just call it re-wilding, and leave them to it.

MayBee70 Mon 09-Sept-24 14:07:16

My partner is going out to buy Resolver to put on the weeds on his patio. It’s ferrous sulphate so I don’t know how dangerous that is. I was going to just try hot water and vinegar. My lawn is full of weeds for the first time ever( so is my daughters). Not sure what I’m going to try.

Jaxjacky Mon 09-Sept-24 14:00:34

We just leave them, the daisies and clover for the bees and others to enjoy. There would be nothing left if we got rid of them anyway!!