In the beginning of the season, dandelions are yellow and close at night. With such a bright color, they’re a sore spot in your lawn and even in the cracks on your sidewalk. As the season progresses, the flower heads mature into spherical seed heads called blowballs or clocks, which is when the weed gets that iconic, wispy look that’s very tempting for kids and adults alike to wish upon. It’s important to get rid of dandelions because they are perennial and will come back year after year. Learn how you can get these weeds off your lawn and keep them from coming back.

How to Get Rid of Dandelions

Dandelions are tough to treat because they can spread via seed or through root. If you pull the weed up, you need to get out the entire root system because any fraction of the taproot that remains will regenerate. To weed by manually, use these steps:

• Water the grass first to wet the soil
• Make an incision into the soil using a garden spade. (There are even tools created specifically for dandelion removal!)
• Wiggle the tool to loosen the taproot and give the weed a gentle tug to see if the roots are loosened.
• If the root comes up easily, pull the weed all the way out. If you still get a little pull-back, make your incision wider.

Herbicides can also be used to kill dandelions. While choosing the manual option is the safest for your grass, dandelions are resilient and multiply easily, taking a chemical approach gives you more reliable results. It’s especially important to use herbicides if it has matured because you might accidentally help the spread.

How to Prevent Them from Coming Back

Dandelions are tough because you don’t just have to worry about your own lawn! If your neighbor has dandelions, you will likely get them, too, because this durable plant spreads through seed and taproot. Like all weeds, having a healthy lawn is one of the best ways to prevent dandelions on your lawn. Get your grass in dandelion-fighting shape by:

• Watering well
• Reseeding patchy spots
• Aerating your Soil
• Checking your lawn’s pH level

Get Rid of Dandelions with Help from Shades of Green Lawn & Landscape

We are your neighborhood lawn care company here to make Indiana more beautiful. Our services are rooted in science and artistry, and we come up with an individual plan just for your lawn. Call us today at 765-771-9998 to learn more about our weed control services.