Spring is the time when many gratefully welcome the return of sunny days. This also marks the return of a yellow flower, same sunny colour, different welcome, the dandelion.
Dandelions Everywhere
Dandelion, from French dent de lion, is a sun loving perennial and earned its name from its notched leaves resembling the teeth of a lion. Throughout Québec, you may feel dandelions are everywhere. Dandelions thrive in many a field, but on residential lawns as well—obviously!
Facts and Myths
Contrary to popular belief, dandelions are not a sign of an unhealthy lawn. Their presence is only a sign that the soil is fertile.
Things get serious when the lawn is covered with dandelions. Dandelions are very invasive and persistent. With a tap root growing as deep as 50 cm, this perennial easily withstands Québec’s harsh winters and reappears every spring. Dandelion seed production is overwhelming compared to grass seed production, giving the dandelion the upper hand as it deprives grass plants of nutrients essential to lawn growth.
Bitter Fight
Fighting off dandelions is most often fighting a losing battle. Common tactics such as trimming them, pulling them out or even digging around and extracting the root are most often useless and make things worse. Its roots being so deep, it’s almost impossible to completely pull it out. As long as it is not completely extracted, a piece of root remains in the ground and the dandelion will grow back.
The Best Solution to Effectively Eliminate It
Getting rid of dandelions can seem harrowing, but it is not entirely impossible. You just need to tackle this problem from the right angle. It first requires to pull the whole plant, and then prevent its return by maintaining a dense, uniform, and healthy lawn. We can do this for you!
Our team of Nutrite Experts is there to assist you with dandelion control. Inquire about our different programs, which include weed control.
