Emma Miller
The dandelion is a bright summer flower, which fascinates with its beauty. It is also an annoying and tenacious weed, causing a lot of trouble to vegetable gardeners and gardeners.
Why dandelions should be eliminated – tips
Due to the fact that dandelions are characterized by easy reproduction, they can quickly become a problem for your beds. The fact is that the “parachutes” that fly several meters away remain in the soil and this is where the development process of the plant begins. If there are too many of them, the beautiful flower will turn into a weed that will ruin the crop and drive it out of the bed.
By the way, for the same reason, it is so difficult to fight dandelions – even if you get rid of them completely on your plot, they are sure to come from the neighboring one. Dandelions have very long roots – up to 60 cm and, despite their fragility, they have an excellent ability to regenerate. That is, if you do not notice at least one stem during harvesting – you will soon see a new plant.
How to kill dandelions in lawns and beds
Before you start fighting weeds, you need to understand – it will not be possible to completely get rid of dandelions. Your job is to keep them from becoming overgrown by regularly and gradually reducing their numbers.
Use preventive measures:
- In the spring, dig deep into the soil, mulch beds, and seedbeds;
- weed the area;
- Plant areas without dandelions with grass;
- in autumn, dig up the soil again.
Such actions should be repeated regularly, no result will be obtained from a single event.
How to get rid of dandelions by folk means
There are only two types of combating such weeds – mechanical and chemical. We know that some housewives use “grandmotherly” means, such as boiling water, vinegar, salt, etc. In fact, these options are meaningless, because the fight against dandelions will not help, but can harm neighboring plants or pets.
That is why it is better to stick to proven methods.
Mechanical
Its essence is to manually remove weeds with the help of special tools. The method is called “mowing” and it should be done at least 1-2 times a week. Over time, the stems of dandelions will weaken and stop growing so actively.
The main thing is to remove from the place of mowing and destroy the cut flower stalks of dandelions, otherwise, they will give seeds and will have to do everything all over again.
Chemical
Herbicides are drugs that affect the above-ground part of the plant and its rhizome. They are necessary if it is no longer possible to cope with weeds by mechanical means.
IMPORTANT: choose post-emergent herbicides and treat weeds in the root-leaf phase (before the volatile seeds on the heads mature).
When buying herbicides, read the manufacturer’s information carefully – some products need to be applied spot-on to the leaves, while others can be sprayed on the plants. Also, look at the composition or consult with the salesperson in the store so that the selected product will not kill the cultivated plants and your crop.
