5 Ways to Deal with Dandelions in your Lawn

The Ontario Pesticide ban (which we passionately embrace) has one unfortunate side effect – the unstoppable spreading of Dandelions and other weeds. Back in the day, it was so easy to call any lawn-care company, and with a few quick and inexpensive applications, nature was altered and perfect lawns were easy to create and maintain. We acknowledge the significance of the issue, and the immensity of the challenge to get rid of the weeds, however, we refuse to give up and are dealing with the problem through several helpful methods. So here are 5 Ways to Deal with Dandelions on your Lawn.

For heavily infested lawns (where weeds overtook at least 40% of your lawn) we recommend re-Sodding. Click here for more info. The key to tackling the Dandelion problem is to accept the fact that it is an uphill battle, that requires time commitment (both on your and your gardener’s side) and greater investment in eradicating the problem at first and keeping it at bay thereafter.

We gathered 5 methods to deal with Dandelions on your Lawn, and we recommend using them all together before your weed situation gets worse.

Digging The Dandelions Out

The first step is to reduce the existing weed population. This is the most arduous task, as several hours may be required to pull the majority of the weeds out. There are quite a few helpful tools available at your local hardware store, to make the job easier, and maximize the root extraction (if you really want to get the root out, otherwise the weed will grow back). After the initial effort, spending a few minutes each day is a great idea – you will get the majority out eventually.

Killing the Weeds

Most ordinary kitchen vinegar is a wonderful weed killer – due to its acidic properties. It has no negative effect on the soil, it washes away with the first rain, and it burns the weeds. Unfortunately, it also partially kills the grass, so you must be careful using it – getting a little pump sprayer is a great idea.

Corn Gluten

Also known as Corn Starch, it is a famous seed suppressant. When it comes in contact with any type of seed, it sucks all its moisture away, virtually destroying the seed, and preventing it from germinating. Dandelions mainly expand by spreading their seeds all over the place. Applying Corn Gluten to the surface of your lawn will slow down the rapid expansion of Dandelions.

Overseeding

Overseeding your lawn helps it to become denser – a dense lawn has less room for weeds to grow. Please refer to our Overseeding article for more information. If your lawn was neglected for a while, and weeds completely overtook the space, you might want to consider re-Sodding your lawn. Sodding delivers instant results and might cost less than overseeding.

Watering

Your grass originates in watery areas and is able to sustain water saturation much better than Dandelions. Applying 5mm of water twice a week will saturate your lawn to the point where Dandelions cannot survive. Please consider the amount of water you will need to use, and approach this advice carefully – we heard about this idea while hiking in the country, and did not have a chance to scientifically test this idea. Dealing with Dandelions is a time-consuming task, and requires a greater financial investment than before. Having said that, it is possible to solve this problem, and once you cure your lawn, it will be much easier to keep it so.