Dandelions

[mattybculp]

Hello all, well its that time of the year and the dandelions are out in full force. I have stopped and bought a 1 gallon jug of scotts weed killer, and it had ok results, but at 40 bucks for a gallon and having a sizeable lawn I'm not made of money.lol. so I read online and watched some youtube videos about people using a vinegar, dish soap, salt or citrus solution. Im just curious as to what you guys use and your results. I hate cutting my lawn and it looks great and the next morning I wake up saying "are you kidding me there back already." Is it true you can buy "industrial" (laugh) strength weed killer in quebec ? or is that a pipe dream. Thanks everyone!

[manitoubass2]

I fought this battle and lost in the short term, won in the long term. After trying basically everything i could find, i decided to try te long term approach. Seed seed and more seed. Especially in the fall. Thick healthy grass chokes out weeds. I have no more crab grass or dandelions

Edited May 23, 2014 by manitoubass2

[lew]

people using a vinegar, dish soap, salt .

 

That solution is what I use for the weeds in my gravel driveway Matt and it works well, although it doesn't stop new weeds from growing. Don't use it on your lawn though as it will also kill your grass.

[Mike Pike]

I fought this battle and lost in the short term, won in the long term. After trying basically everything i could find, i decided to try te long term approach. Seed seed and more seed. Especially in the fall. Thick healthy grass chokes out weeds. I have no more crab grass or dandelions

I too am doing this. Using weed n feed in spring and overseeding every so often. I've already noticed a difference this year as the usual weeds, indlucing dandylions, seem to be getting crowed out. But then again, I'll bet my lawn is way smaller than yours Lew.

[BillM]

The best bet against weeds/dandelions is healthy grass. Overseed like crazy, keep your grass nice and long and there you have it. Pulling weeds isn't a bad idea either.

[lew]

But then again, I'll bet my lawn is way smaller than yours Lew.

 

Yeah, I've got quite a bit of grass here and it would cost a small fortune to keep putting new seed down. I had a few bare spots to over seed yesterday and went to the local garden supply place and it was $12 for a couple pounds.

[crappieperchhunter]

I fought this battle and lost in the short term, won in the long term. After trying basically everything i could find, i decided to try te long term approach. Seed seed and more seed. Especially in the fall. Thick healthy grass chokes out weeds. I have no more crab grass or dandelions

So when you overseed do you just toss the seed over your lawn or do you add peat moss or soil when you seed? I tried over seeding a few springs ago by just tossing the seed over my lawn an it never did a thing.

[lew]

So when you overseed do you just toss the seed over your lawn or do you add peat moss or soil when you seed? I tried over seeding a few springs ago by just tossing the seed over my lawn an it never did a thing.

 

Covering the seed does a few things Steve, it keeps the birds away, protects the seed from the hot sun and also holds the moisture. I also like to put a shallow layer of top soil down 1st to give the seed something to hold onto.

[OhioFisherman]

They are not weeds! They are wildflowers!

 

 

[misfish]

I like mine drizzeled with Italian dressing. Yummy.

[BillM]

So when you overseed do you just toss the seed over your lawn or do you add peat moss or soil when you seed? I tried over seeding a few springs ago by just tossing the seed over my lawn an it never did a thing.

 

You gotta cover it with soil or it will either blow away or be gone after the birds are done with it.

[pairofgreenhorns]

Over seeding is great, but tall grass is the trick because it stops sunlight from getting to the soil to allow new weeds to grow. Every spring i spray the weeds with some stuff i get in the states (not legal in canada) cant think of the name off the top of my head but pm me if your interested and when i get home ill let you know, i leave the spray on the weeds for a cpl days then i i fertilize and grass seed (if there are bare spots i rake them first) and then water the whole yard immediately after. my parents live on an acre and they do this every year and their grass is a thing of beauty. I honestly think the biggest key is once you deal with the weeds to keep your grass long as mentioned already. hope this helps.

[mattybculp]

thanks folks, I guess I was deep down hoping for a "miracle fix". But I knew that probably wasn't going to be the case. It looks like I will be spending some money on grass seed and top soil.

[manitoubass2]

I never covered with soil or Pete moss, although that would be ideal. Just lots of seeding and water. Two years later out lawn is awesome:) nice big acre our back and it looks great. Birds around here are fed well and leave the seed alone. I used this method on our brand new powwow grounds to and it looks amazing. But i have to put up a deer fence or they will demolish the seed in no time

[mattybculp]

Thanks for the tip Lew! Foolishly I was going to go home and apply it to large sections of the grass, without even thinking duh, it might kill your grass if its going to kill the dandelions. thank god its Friday! and the lawnmower Lew is running like a top! thanks again!

[BillM]

Over seeding is great, but tall grass is the trick because it stops sunlight from getting to the soil to allow new weeds to grow. Every spring i spray the weeds with some stuff i get in the states (not legal in canada) cant think of the name off the top of my head but pm me if your interested and when i get home ill let you know, i leave the spray on the weeds for a cpl days then i i fertilize and grass seed (if there are bare spots i rake them first) and then water the whole yard immediately after. my parents live on an acre and they do this every year and their grass is a thing of beauty. I honestly think the biggest key is once you deal with the weeds to keep your grass long as mentioned already. hope this helps.

 

The stuff you can get the states is awesome (Although not all that great for the environment).. The next time I'm down there I'm bringing a trunk load full home

['Kota'sDad]

I use Ortho's Weed-B-Gon and it is very effective. Will not harm the grass but gets weeds other than dandelions, too. It costs me about $14/gallon, but I have no idea what it is up your way. As others mentioned, thick, tall grass is key. I mow high compared to most folks, but it discourages the weeds and looks quite lush.

 

Every day I go out to spray those two or three dandelions that have sprout their pretty posey, I ask myself if it's worth it since some of the neightbors have thos yellow carpets around their houses?!??!

[adempsey]

I keep overseeding but the results have not been impressive. It's most likely due to the amount of shade or not watering enough, but I wanted to try different grass seed this year. Any suggestions? I've used several types of Scotts and CIL. Was thinking about using Pickseed.

 

The banned herbicides likely contain three compounds - 2-4D, MCPA and likely Dicamba (product names - Trimec Turf Herbicide, Trimec Bentgrass Formula, Triplet Selective, Triplet Hi-D, Triplet SF, Three-Way Selective, Bentgrass Selective, Ortho Weed B Gon, Spectracide, Weed Stop, Bayer Advanced Weed Killer for Lawns). There are plenty of different combinations, including those with MCPP and Triclopyr as well.

 

I've been lucky with the dandelions myself, but creeping charlie is a whole other story. Over the past two years it's taken over half my lawn!!!!! Might have to just destroy it with a broad spectrum compound and reseed. Not sure what else to do about it.

[davey buoy]

Great thread I'm in the same boat.Heard similar Scotts weed and feed in the fall,just before winter snow ,another bag mixed with seed.Friends lawn is so thick in one year he blew his 3hp mower.Two cuts a week min already.Showed me picks,what a difference.Now he's thinking one bag and seed just before snowfall would of been more than enough.His new lawn cost him a frontwheel drive new Koeler 6 hp mower lol.He kinda screwed up in a good way lol.

Edited May 23, 2014 by davey buoy

[lew]

Two years ago I started getting alot of bare patches in a section of the backyard and after digging around I found it was grubs causing the problem. I dug out all the grass and a ton of grubs then when it warmed up enough early last spring I gave it a heavy dose of nematoads then let it sit for a couple weeks.

 

 

I levelled everything and layed down 1000 sq feet of new sod.

 

 

 

Last fall I sprayed another treatment of nematoads and then again last week.

 

The lawn came in really nice and this year is looking excellent and here you can see the new lawn adjacent to the older part of the lawn.

 

Lotsa work but well worth the effort.

 

 

Edited May 23, 2014 by lew

[gaspumper]

The stuff you can get the states is awesome (Although not all that great for the environment).. The next time I'm down there I'm bringing a trunk load full home

Just don't get caught at the border with it.

[BillM]

Just don't get caught at the border with it.

 

The border doesn't care. It's illegal to buy, not to possess. I've got buddies that bring it back all the time.

[JimC]

Awesome thread everyone ... thanks for the comments and tips. It's a battle isn't it ... especially here in Ontario, where Federally approved substances, that can be safely used if directions followed, or a professional does the deed, are banned. I've had good success by cutting the lawn regularly, but very high 4inches at least.

Still, last year the chinch bugs hit me, sucking the life out of the nice thick, green grass. lots of bare spots, and not very happy.

 

Well its been a long long cold winter, and a very wet spring, so not good for chinch bugs; however, the dandelions and thistles love it. we've only had the odd dandelion before this year, which we've dug out by hand, and if on the edge of the driveway also spray household vinegar in the hole that remains to ensure it doesn't regenerate in that spot. But his spring there's dozens every morning ... never ever had it like this. We're doing our best to NOT use the Ortho Weed-B-Gone, or similar substance... legal most places but not in the we-know-whats-best-for-you world of our decade OLD provincial government. I think a limited dandelion, creeping charlie, thistle, clover, etc etc CULL is long overdue. Tried everything else, so what the heck... might as well go for it, right!

 

oh, and while I'm on the subject ... and being a Fishing related forum mostly, howz about a decent CULL of those d*mmed, ugly, black walleye n perch vacuum cleaning Cormorants on Lake Nipissing. Long overdue, imho!

Edited May 24, 2014 by JimC

[John Bacon]

Just don't get caught at the border with it.

 

 

 

The border doesn't care. It's illegal to buy, not to possess. I've got buddies that bring it back all the time.

 

Plus, the ban is provincial and border is a federal responsibility. You are allowed to use them if you have an infestation; so they are not completely banned.

[moxie]

 

Yeah, I've got quite a bit of grass here and it would cost a small fortune to keep putting new seed down. I had a few bare spots to over seed yesterday and went to the local garden supply place and it was $12 for a couple pounds.

Yup. Very costly whereas the next time I'm in Quebec or Buffalo I'll just pick up enough jugs of Weed and Feed to last me this summer and the next. Not a big lot but at 52'x180' it is a real chore just keeping one step behind.