Perennial broadleaf plants, dandelions taunt homeowner’s year after year with their bright yellow flower heads that turn into weed-making machines. If you’ve battled these notoriously nasty plants in the past, you know how hard it is to destroy dandelions and keep them from coming back. Even the most meticulously maintained lawns fall prey, especially if a neighbor isn’t as meticulous.

There are plenty of toxic treatments to destroy dandelions, but these harmful chemicals are dangerous for the environment and for you to handle. Here’s how to ward off these unwanted weeds naturally.

Hand Pulling

Let’s start with the most basic. If you are only dealing with a few dandelions, hand pulling is your best option. It must be done at the correct time to be successful, however, and only works if you get the entire root out. If any root is left behind, the plant eventually grows back. The best time to destroy dandelions by this method is early spring. Use a fork-tongued tool to get at the deepest roots.

Boiling Water

Yes, you can destroy dandelions if you can boil water! Pour boiling water directly from a pot or kettle onto the weed, making sure enough soaks down to the roots. Watch the leaves turn brown and die in the next few hours. Then, pull out the entire weed, root and all.

Vinegar

Vinegar’s natural acidity is a worthy warrior against this weed, as well as others. Using a spray bottle, coat the dandelion heavily with vinegar and watch it wither within hours. Pull out the entire weed afterwards, and use the hose to rinse off remaining vinegar in the area. Make a more potent mixture by adding in dish soap. This helps the spray adhere better to the leaves of the weed.

Corn Meal Gluten

An organic fertilizer, corn meal gluten helps destroy dandelions when applied four to six weeks before seed germination. This byproduct of milling corn works as a pre-emergent weed controller by preventing root growth.

Call in a Weed Expert to Destroy Dandelions

The best defense against a dandelion infestation starts with a well-maintained lawn. Healthy, thick lawns leave no room for weeds to thrive. It also helps to leave grass a little higher when mowing the lawn. Timing is everything with this weed. Destroy dandelions before they set seed, because once the flower matures, it turns into a puffy white ball that contains as many as 200 seeds.

Winning the war on weeds takes persistence and any infestation is better left to the experts. Contact Free Spray Lawn Care today at 419-529-5296 and we’ll help you destroy dandelions and other weeds once and for all.