"Jinxy" wrote in message
...
I live in a rural neighborhood. My lawn approx 2 acres is infested with
dandelions this year. I've read on the net to only cut a bit of lawn
(height wise) to keep the lawn tall so the dandelions don't get any sun. Of
course I will have to cut very often to avoid clumping. I've decided the
above method is what I'm going to try this year.

My neighbor is a different story. They seem to love cutting their grass
and are out there the minute spring arrives. They cut theirs very, very
short..bald you could say, and they seem to cut every third day or so.
I've been watching and they don't seem to have very many dandelions..or
they are cutting the heads off of them so maybe the lawn looks deceiving??
My yard looks terrible compared to theirs because of me not mowing as
often as them (I have to wait till it gets tall)

Soooo will my plan work? Or should I do what they are doing?


Dandelion flower stems come in a great variety of lengths, naturally. If
you cut the long ones down then eventually you'll have only the ones that
will flower and produce seed at heights below your cutting height - natural
selection. For years I've seen this scenario develop on the grounds of a
nearby school district since low cutting heights were preferred by
supervisors and no type of herbicide was permitted. There were always some
tall ones taking root but the predominant flower stem was so short that the
flower seemed to sprout directly from the center of the plant.

Either your neighbors are using a herbicide or they weed by hand. Take a
walk through the yard and look for empty spots where weeds have been removed
and when the neighbor catches you, g, ask about how they manage to have
such a nice lawn. Btw, have they got dogs in the yard? Watch your step : )

--
Tom