Why many gardeners welcome dandelions, or at least learn to live with them
6 min readDandelions are so vibrant, so cheerful — even mouth watering and wholesome. Why, then, does our tradition label them landscaping enemy No. 1?
Not anyone loathes dandelions. Youngsters appreciate their basic gladness and puffballs of soft seeds. The unusual grownup in no way unlearns that emotion.
At the very least a person developed-up gardening guru however loves the fairly golden invaders, and is gently spreading the word about their pleasure and benefits, as properly as how uncomplicated it is to control them with out chemical substances.
“Dandelions can be found in my backyard,” explained Erika Johnson, coordinator of Washington Condition College Clark County Extension’s Master Gardener application. “They are most welcome! They are one particular the of the earliest seasonal resources of nectar for pollinators.”
In recent a long time, as we all consider to lean greener, our standing update about our relationship with dandelions appears to be morphing from “Divorced” to “It’s challenging.”
We’re all properly trained to admire — or even worship — the uniform inexperienced garden. But why?
Gentle turf that’s fantastic for strolling, playing and picnicking was a favored standing symbol of the 17th century European higher crust. Making surplus land into an lavish out of doors carpet intended you had wealth to spare and leisure time to love.
That frame of mind arrived to America and trickled down to homeowners, who normally really feel obliged to make war on weeds, specifically unruly dandelions. That expenses revenue, labor and environmental health and fitness — all in the title of artificial, unsustainable uniformity.
It just doesn’t make perception, Johnson claimed.
“An immaculate, perfect, manicured lawn would seem to keep on to be the aim of several a home owner even with the reality that (lawns) take a lot of investment decision in terms of routine maintenance, dollars and chemical inputs,” Johnson said in email.
Lawns “offer practically nothing to wildlife, and seeking to hold them no cost of weeds and hunting ‘terrific’ typically results in damage to wildlife and polluted rivers, lakes and streams,” Johnson mentioned.
What is a weed?
Dandelions are termed “simple” perennials. To reproduce, all they’ve received is seeds on the breeze.Marcia Westcott Peck, for The Oregonian/OregonLive
A plant earns the label “weed” when it’s so sneakily great at taking hold and reproducing, it will come to dominate the landscape.
Johnson reported the markers of a weed are “the means to colonize a bare spot rapidly, swift expansion and pretty effective replica.”
Horticulturist and master gardener volunteer Eve Hanlin equipped a succinct definition in a recent Columbian tale: “It’s a plant that came up wherever we didn’t want it.”
And a good deal of people never want dandelions in their yards. Dandelions are common through Western Washington. But that does not imply a scorched-earth plan is very best. Knowing them can assistance us regulate them the natural way, devoid of resorting to damaging chemical compounds.
Dandelions are perennials, meaning they can are living three or far more years. (Annuals dwell a person calendar year and biennials reside two. If you know a weed will die in a 12 months or two, Johnson mentioned, you may well forget about eradicating it and just focus on holding it from spreading seeds.)
Contrary to quite a few other perennial weeds, dandelions really do not distribute vegetatively, that is, by creeping alongside the floor like blackberry vines, or spreading underground by the root like Canada thistle.
Since they really do not do that, dandelions are termed “simple” perennials. To reproduce, all they’ve got is seeds on the breeze.
Grubbing
If you eschew herbicides but only need to be rid of the dandelions in your yard, pull out each and every specific dandelion plant totally, all the way down to the root. That is called grubbing.
“Solitary new dandelion crops alongside fence rows, roadsides, flower beds, and in turfgrass should really be grubbed out (taken off by digging out the overall plant, taproot and all) just before they develop seed,” suggests the University of California’s Agriculture and Purely natural Resources web-site. “Monitor the location for various months to make certain that elimination of the taproot was finish.”
Dandelions’ extensive, central taproot would make them notoriously difficult to eradicate. Taproots can improve as very long as a foot or much more, and they are great at snapping aside and regenerating from the remainders. That is why you ought to get the complete plant, which is challenging.
“Removing dandelions by hand-pulling or hoeing is typically futile
, until accomplished continuously in excess of a lengthy period of time, due to the fact of the deep taproot procedure of proven plants,” according to the University of California.
Gardening experts propose moistening the soil to loosen it just before grubbing dandelions. Fashionable anti-dandelion software engineering has offered us a range of weaponry: weed knives, metal claws, cobra-headed grabbers and grubbers on steel poles that arrive in handy if your again hates bending in excess of.
People solutions for dandelions, like answers of vinegar and/or cleaning soap, seem to eliminate the best of the plant but that’s all, according to a lot of sources. The roots continue to be and will regrow.
Dandelions’ extensive, central taproot would make them notoriously rough to eradicate. The Oregonian information
Tolerance
They could be “most welcome” in her lawn, but Johnson however mows dandelions down immediately ample to halt them spreading seeds.
“I do not conduct any kind of eradication for dandelions,” she claimed. “I use the built-in pest administration procedure recognized as ‘tolerance.’ ”
Integrated pest administration is a extravagant expression for employing the the very least poisonous, most environmentally pleasant approach to running landscaping issues like weeds and diseases.
“Dandelions spread only by seed,” Johnson stated. “You can leave them all over only as extensive as they have not set seeds. Since I mow my dandelions ahead of they can set seed, they do not do a great deal in phrases of reproducing.”
If you can see their small yellow heads, it is time to mow. If you can see their puffy seed balls, you’re far too late. Cautiously lower off and dispose of the puffballs just before the seeds go traveling. Then go immediately after people roots with your steel claw.
The finest way of warding off parachuting seeds and preventing dandelion infestations is by maintaining a thick, sturdy, wholesome garden. Overseed in the slide to regrow bare patches exactly where weeds can get a foothold. Fill in other bare spots with woody mulch that suppresses weeds.
Dandy
Or, test putting down your steel blade and finding alongside with dandelions, which are actually good for your landscape, the full surroundings and even for you.
- Dandelions loosen and enrich the soil. Those people major taproots are great soil aerators, and support neighboring plants as they draw up vitamins from way down beneath.
- Bugs appreciate dandelions. Bees, butterflies and other pollinators undertaking nature’s everyday do the job uncover them yummy. Amongst the ongoing cascade of terrible environmental information is a all over the world bee die-off which is by now affecting our flora and our foodstuff. Every single minimal yellow bloom in your lawn can help.
- Persons locate them yummy much too. The moderate bitterness of dandelions can be cooked or sweetened away, or just liked for its very own sake. (But never consume dandelions that have been sprayed.)
Just about every single component of the dandelion is edible and wholesome. The flowers are total of cancer-fighting antioxidants and natural vitamins A and B12. The inexperienced leaves are packed with potassium, calcium and nutritional vitamins A and C.
The bouquets can be made into tea, wine, pancakes, muffins and a great deal a lot more. The leaves can be tossed into salads or sauteed like spinach. Test frying some up with your morning eggs. The pure sodium in dandelion greens helps make them a pleasant flavoring alternate to desk salt. The not-much too-flavorful roots can be boiled in stews and soups.
For endless tips and recommendations, search “dandelion recipes” on line. For an instant dose of the very good cheer that will come from combining healthier feeding on and purely natural weed control, go outside, get the most significant dandelion clump in your lawn and chow down.
— Scott Hewitt: 360-735-4525 scott.hewitt@columbian.com
On the net
Washington State University’s University of Agriculture page on landscape and yard difficulties:
University of California’s agriculture site on dandelions:
