Description
PDF 3 pages 8 images of dandelions and mechanical weed removal tools by Stephanie Parthie Northwest Coalition For Alternatives To Pesticides / NCAP pesticide.org.
Dealing With Dandelions - Safe Alternatives To Herbicides
The dandelion is one of the most common and recognizable weeds. The
official name for the dandelion is Taraxacum officinale,7 which means
?official remedy for disorders?.4 There are many common names for dandelions, including priest?s crown, Irish daisy, monk?s head, telltime, blowball, and lion?s tooth.4 The dandelion is a broadleaf weed, with a deep, fleshy tap root. What looks like a dandelion flower is actually many tiny yellow flowers surrounded by leafy bracts.8 They are produced on stalks 6 to 40 centimeters tall (2.5 to 16 inches) clustered at the base of the plant.7 The common dandelion is a biennial
or perennial plant which reproduces by seed.7 The seeds spread with
the help of their downy parachutes.8 People often confuse the common
dandelion with the false dandelion, Hypochoeris radicata. The false dandelion looks similar to the common dandelion7 and can be controlled with the same methods.
Physical Control
Decide how many dandelions are tolerable in your lawn, then pull them
as necessary. Get as much of the root as possible. Pulling or digging is easiest and most effective when the soil is wet.10 Dandelions are most successfully pulled when they are small seedlings, before they have developed tenacious tap roots.12 There are a variety of different pulling tools that make effective dandelion removal easier. See ?Tools for Dandelion Removal,? p. 9, for examples of the many different models available.
References
1. Klass, C. and M.P. Hoffman. 1996. Attracting
insect?s natural enemies. Ecogardening factsheet
#14. Cornell Univ. Dept. of Horticulture.
www.hort.cornell.edu/gardening/fctsheet/
ecogarde.html
2. Harmon, J.P. et al. 2000. Coleomegilla maculata
(Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) predation on pea
aphids promoted by proximity to dandelions.
Oecologia 125: 54-548
3. Hill, S.P. and B. Walsh. 1992. Ecological lawn
maintenance. EAP Publication - 68. Ecological
Agriculture Projects, McGill University.
www.eap.mcgill.ca/Publications/EAP68.htm.
4. Mattern, V. 1994. Don?t weed ?em eat ?em. Organic
Gardening 41(4):70.
5. U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. 2001. USDA nutrient
database for standard reference.
www.nal.usda.gov/fnic. (Query for dandelion
greens, raw.)
6. Ody, P. 1993. The complete medicinal herbal.
New York, NY: DK Publishing, Inc., p. 103.
7. Gilkey, H. M. 1967. Handbook of northwestern
plants. Corvallis, OR. Oregon State University
Bookstores, Inc. p.472.
8. Dalby, R. 1999. The delightful dandelion. American
Bee Journal 139: 300-301.
9. Clemson Univ. Cooperative Extension Service.
Undated. Clemson Extension garden center:
Broadleaf weeds. http://hgic.clemson.edu/
factsheets.
10. Mcdonald, D.K. 1999. Ecologically sound lawn
care for the Pacific Northwest. Seattle, WA: Seattle
Public Utilities
11. Hummel, N.W. 1990. Lawn care without pesticides.
Cornell Cooperative Extension Home and
Grounds Fact Sheet, Nov.
12. Olkowski, W., S. Daar, and H. Olkowski. 1991.
Common-sense pest control. Newtown, CT: The
Taunton Press, p. 482.
13. Schultz, W. 1989. The chemical-free lawn.
Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, p. 127.
14. Forevergreen Chemical Free Weed Control. Undated.
Punto. www.chemfree-weedcontrol.com/
products.
15. Personal communication with Wingren?s Landscape
Maintenance, Inc. Bolingbrook, IL, Aug.
20, 2001.
16. U.S. EPA. Region 9. 1997. IPM for schools: A
How-to manual, Mar. p. 142.
17. Bingaman, B. R., McDade, M.C. and Christians
N.E. 2000. 1995 corn gluten meal rate weed
control study - year 5. 2000 Iowa Turfgrass Research
Report. www.hort.iastate.edu/pages/
news/turfrpt/2000/menu00.html.
18. Morris, C. How to have a dynamite lawn.
www.ciscoe.com/lawns/lawnout.pdf
19. TIlman, E.A. et al. 1999. Biological weed control
via nutrient competition: Potassium limitation of
dandelions. Ecol. Appl. 9:103-111.
20. Metro Regional Services and Oregon Dept. of
Environ. Quality. 1998. Natural gardening: A guide
to alternatives to pesticides, p.48. www.metro.dst.
or.us/metro/rem/garden/pestalt.html.
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