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Questions tagged [dandelions]

Common name for plants in the Taraxacum genus.

Dandelion is the common name for perennials known scientifically as Taraxacum officinale.

In full bloom, its appearance sports a yellow head of petals that later turn into white tufts of seed (pictured below). The tuft primarily consists of 'parachutes', each of which are attached to an individual seed (which are clustered at the center of the seed head).

dandelion in seeding mode

In folklore

The seed dispersal stage of its life has been referenced in folklore as a conduit for making wishes. If the person making a wish can blow out all of the seed off the head in on breath, it will come true.

Photo: oops, somebody blew it by Zanastardust, Flickr

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How do I remove dandelions without damaging my lawn?

My lawn is infested with dandelions. Although they're benign, the flowers are fun to play with and the plant has several useful properties, it sure is an eyesore and I'd like to get rid of it. How can I eradicate this weed without damaging my…
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How do I remove dandelions and bull thistle from my lawn?

My backyard is completely (seriously, completely) infested with weeds -- bull thistles (or spear thistles) and dandelions (the common yellow-flower weed), to be specific. Bull Thistle (source: Wikimedia commons) Dandelion How do I get rid of these…
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Dandelions taking over the lawn

My lawn was overrun with dandelions so I've used some Ortho Weed-B-Gon Max and that seems to be killing the dandelions very well. The problem is now my lawn is very sparse with grass. There just wasn't much grass there after killing the dandelions.…
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Will dead-headed dandelions flowers germinate in lawn?

When fighting dandelions in a lawn, I know it is common practice to dead-head the yellow flowers before they morph into the pappus stage with the feathery seeds, but will the seeds in the yellow flowers germinate if left in the lawn? A neighbor told…
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What can I plant in dandelion graves?

As part of my other question, I started uprooting dandelions. How successful, exactly, in removing the root, I'm not sure. Assuming that I am not always extracting 100% of the root, what can I put in the dug-up "grave" to prevent or stunt future…
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What type of dandelion is this?

Years ago, hiking in the Malibu CA region, I saw this very unusual inflorescence that looked like a dandelion but isn't like any that I've ever seen before or since. The yellow flowers in the corner of the picture might give a hint as to what plant…
heropup
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Is it safe to eat dandelions previously treated with a selective iron herbicide?

Three years ago, I started trying to reduce the number of dandelions in my lawn with a household selective herbicide named Scotts® EcoSense® Weed B Gon® (MSDS and retailer product page). The manufacturer's web site says: Weed B Gon controls…
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How do I fix an area of grass that was ruined using a vinegar/salt treatment of dandelions?

Following some advice from the web, I boiled vinegar and salt and applied it to some dandelions in our lawn. I probably should have used less of it though - I poured 2-3 tablespoons on the dandelions. Now the grass has yellowed around each dandelion…
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How can I verify the total extraction of dandelion roots?

I've started unearthing those dandelions (why do I bother? What exactly do they do to my lawn). The root is notoriously long and brittle. How do I know if I got the whole thing out? It always looks broken to me on the bottom. Even if I dig further,…
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Can I kill dandelions and bull thistle with darkness?

Dandelions and bull thistle own my backyard. It's their turf now. (I'm a game developer, not a gardener.) I've tried a couple of things to kill them. I think I've decided to go with some uprooting tool. Anyway, there are some particularly large…
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Will dandelion spray made with iron supplements work?

If I buy over-the-counter iron supplements at a drug store, mix with water and spray on dandelions, will it kill them? If so, how much iron do I need and is it more cost effective to make this yourself than buying iron-based weed killers.
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How do I fix dead white patches in my lawn?

I'm in the process of trying to repair this lawn and I'm looking for advice on how best to go about it. As you can see from the attached I have a lot of white patches, a problem with dandelions and I've also found the following grub whilst…
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Removing dandelion by cutting the root one inch below the ground level. Will this work?

Today I had the battle of my life with the dandelion on my front lawn. First a question about this: I removed every piece of it by using a long knife that I used to laterally insert as deep as I could so I could cut the root. Then I grabbed the…
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Re-sodding to solve weed problem without use of herbicides

Our lawn is overridden with weeds (mostly dandelions and clover). Part of the problem is we have not done much to maintain it over the years and also we don't use any herbicides. I wanted to tear up the current lawn and put in new sod. The…
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If I just leave dandelions and clover in my lawn, what problems may happen?

There is a lot of advice on the internet about getting rid of dandelions and clover from a lawn: chemical herbicides, manual digging, organic weed remedies. I live in Denver, Colorado, USDA zone 5. I'm curious about the end-state of my…
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