Ignoring Your Calendar

[digitS']

. . . (as you say, it results in those sad "hanging-their-heads" blackened withered things) . . .

Thank you for that confirmation . . .

As for the rest of it Pat, I am certainly not willing to argue with you.

Collector, your yard may be collecting seed !

It seems to be a very good dandelion year. I can say that that often, I have completely removed all of them from my yard by this time. Or, DW has done so since that little dandelion killing tool seems to find its way into her hands so easily.

Not this year! They seem to have overtaken us!

Steve

 

[patandchickens]

How do you get rid of dandylions without any chems?

Pull them up in moderately-damp-soil weather, getting as much root as possible.

or

Use any of a variety of weeding implements to aid you in doing same.

or

Use fishtail weeder or bread knife (or etc) to cut the root as deep in the soil as you can reach, and remove.

and

be real nice to your turfgrass so it grows as densely and lushly as possible, and try to avoid doing things to open sparse/bare patches, to make it harder for new seedlings to establish and to help the grass outcompete what seedlings DO get in.

Also -- and this is my major tactic -- remind yourself that dandelions stay green pretty well during droughty weather, therefore the more dandelions in your lawn, the better it looks (at least from the road) during a hot dry August (Also true of many other lawn "weeds".)

Oh, and sheep really love dandelions. I am not convinced they make a permanent difference but certainly the dandelion flowers/leaves vanish within the first 24 hrs or so when I put the sheep on the lawn to graze. Admittedly not always an option.

Finally, my young yellow lab also loves dandelions -- he runs off with the ones I weed up by the root and eats them, and has started actually harvesting his own. Unfortunately, lacking opposable thumbs he tends to just chew the crown off so it is by no means permanent removal, but hey, it's SOMEthing. No, you cannot borrow him

Pat

 

[Collector]

This year we have a bumper crop of dandylion it seems. I walk around the yard and kick the flowers off every chance I get. But it seems they just keep coming more and more, Its like a war at this point and I am losing badly!!

ETA, I will try some of the techniques suggested here and see if I can turn the tide a little.

 

[thistlebloom]

You're right about it being a good year for dandelions Steve. In fact it's a comment I hear repeatedly from people. Mine have reached mammoth proportions, some of the biggest, sturdiest plants I think I've ever seen.

My lawn is currently a field of yellow, the exact color of one of my adirondack chairs, I like to accessorize my yard in coordinating colors!
. My grass is thick and lush but the dandelions are such prolific seeders that many of them are certain to germinate.
I admit to giving up the battle a few years ago and stopped trying to dig them out. Now I only pick them out of the perennial borders and veg beds. So, therefore I have a dandelion ranch .
I console myself with the truth that dandelions are good bee food, and they really are a pretty yellow...

Oh and as to the last frost idea, I don't think anybodys trained the ones around here... there is still a lot of snow on Mt. Spokane , which is kind of my local gauge, I still expect to see frost for a while, but I'm certainly not hoping for it.

Pat's dog should be a foundation sire for a new dandelion exterminating breed.
I trained our border collie cross to pick the heads off, but you have to point to each flower, not real efficient. He eats most of them, but sometimes politely turns his head and spits them out .

 

[momofdrew]

I have never heard of dogs eating Dandilions I think I will try feeding some to my dogs...

 

[Reinbeau]

It was an awesome year for dandelions, and if I spent every single minute of daylight on pulling dandelions from my 'lawn' I would 1) have no lawn, 2) have broken knees and a broken back and 3) would never be finished. I don't bother with them in the back yard, only out front. I pull them by hand.

They absolutely don't open as much on dark days, a few will, but overall, they stay closed. Expert observations here. On a glorious sunny day they'll all open.

I have never once seen a blossom blackened by frost. I think they do respond to day length, however, our day length corresponds with a lack of frost. Perhaps in more northern areas that isn't true, but for those of us in more temperate climates it seems to be true. This is from over 40 years of personal study - I study the cycles, I see myself what blooms when around here.

I do think you're onto something, Steve, but it's not just the lilacs, it's the overall 'feel' of the season for me. Some years I wait until Memorial Day to plant tomatoes, other years I know two weeks earlier it's safe, as it was this year. Experience with your own specific climate will teach you how to follow the cycles.