How to Weed Dandilions

A weed is a plant that grows where it doesn't belong. While these self-seeding weeds attract bees, are tasty in salads, and can be made into tea or wine, some people do not like these common flowers growing in the lawn. Even though the dandelion is a prolific plant, removing it without chemicals is easy. Mowing only removes the top flower, but in order to truly rid the gardne of this plant, the roots must go. Dandelions are distinguishable by the small yellow flower they produce that later evolves into a milky seed pod. However, identifying them without the flower parts is easy by looking at its leaves. Look for a rosette or a small cluster of ragged looking leaves that come from a single root (or tap root). Staying on top of weeding will reduce the need for chemical sprays and reduce the number of weeds that need pulling.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Gardening gloves
• Dandelion weeder or trowel

Once you know what it is....

1. Pull leaves upwards from the ground to see the main tap root.

2. Push straight down through the dirt directly next to the dandelion with the dandelion weeder or tip of a trowel.

3. Slant the tool towards the center of the plant about three to five inches down.

4. Pull the tool and root crown directly up. A long root should come up with the plant. If the crown of the plant tears off, retry.

5. Press the ground down with your foot to cover the indentation where the weed was.

Tips & Warnings

• A thick lawn keeps out weeds! Reseed the lawn after weeding to fill in the spaces that were pulled.
• Wear gloves to keep away garden blisters.
• Do not compost any part of the dandelion.
• Throw out the flowers and seed pod. Even if the flowers are pulled out of the ground, they will still turn into a seed pod.