Danderlions

[SimpleSimon]

Afternoon,

What is the efficient way to deal with these as I have lots and lots and lots. Option 1, which is recommended obviously is to dig the whole thing out without snapping the tap root. Which is fine except it's almost impossible and even if you manage it probably takes about 10-15mins if its biggun. Mine go 2ft deep into the clay layer below my top soil.

Option 2 - use a fork or dandelion tool thing to quickly get as much out as possible. I get the vast majority of it out and can do probably 10 in time it takes me to dig one out properly. But of course they grow back and I have to dig them out again. Do they eventually stop?

Which is the better use of my time?

[veggiechicken]

Where are they? Lawn, veg plot?

Personally, I leave them for the bees but remove the seed heads before they blow everywhere,

[Jungle Jane]

I don’t worry much about dandelions,if they’re in my growing space I dig them a little bit but I never remove the whole root,doesn’t the root bring up nutrients from deep down or something,so I don’t mind them as long as they don’t turn to seed heads that blow all over the place,that could’ve happened where you are. I heard if you remove it just before it flowers it gets weaker/smaller.

[SimpleSimon]

To be honest the neighboring plot leaves about 15 thousand of them to go to seed every year so I am fighting a loosing battle anyway. They are all in a big new bed I'm digging.

[Mark Rand]

Harvest them, then stir-fry or steam them and eat them. Once they realise that they are a useful and productive food crop, they'll all mysteriously die...

[Jimny14]

I Co opt my two year old in to picking the nice yellow flowers in the lawn, she gets some before getting bored, the others I leave for bees, or the mower gets them if they're tall.

[Snadger]

Harvest them, then stir-fry or steam them and eat them. Once they realise that they are a useful and productive food crop, they'll all mysteriously die...

.....and in these strange times, the roots when dried make a very acceptable coffee substitute.
The leaves are also an organic mild wormer for chickens who seem to love them.

The flowers can be made into Dandelion wine as well.

[Muddy_Boots]

Dandelions HAVE to be removed root and all else they will just get bigger and the tap root gets longer. Like any weed with a long tap root just get out as much as you can without taking an age over one plant. When they snap off the re-growing plant is weakened having to use what's stored to start putting a head up again. Eventually it will give up and die permanently and not come back, even if one goes to seed it produces loads of seeds to spread further and if I was in your neighboring plot I would not be happy to say the least.

Take the plant and root and put into a bucket or suitable container to drown and create a disgusting smelly sludge you can use to feed your plants on the plot, liquid fertiliser like that is better than the solid stuff as it feeds the plants straight away.

That's my penny worth of advice any way.

[Snadger]

I just hoe them off, and keep hoeing them off until they give up the ghost.

[bikermike]

One of the no-dig claims that is very true is that tap root plants come out with just a hard pull from proper no-dig beds.

I leave them except in growing space.

Oddly, now I've decided to leave them alone, I've got none in my lawn...