Aidan Whitehall wrote:

I'm looking for something to remove dandelions from a lawn without having to
use Chemicals. I've seen the Wolf Weed Extractor
http://www.wolftools.co.uk/fulldetail.asp?ID=IWA
and it's exactly what I'm after, although this article
http://www.carryongardening.org.uk/p...weed_extractor
says that it leaves large holes in your lawn.

Is it possible to use one on a lawn without this happening? Or do you know
of a similar tool that works in the same way that doesn't make such a large
hole?

I use a sharp, pointed ex-kitchen knife. Grasp the base of the dandelion
as best you can (it can be difficult if it's small or has been
well-mown), then insert the knife into the soil an inch or two away from
the base of the plant and cut at a 45° angle sharply down and across
what you think is the line of the root. Aim to intersect the root about
1.5" or more below soil level. When you're reasonably certain you've cut
the root, twist, wiggle and pull the dandelion plus bit of root out of
the lawn. If you cut too close to the crown, then the root will always
send up new shoots: the further down you can sever the root, the more
likely you are to kill the plant. This leaves a very small hole plus the
bare bit of ground created by shade from the leaves... it's then a race
between other weeds and the grasses to cover the empty patch.

Oh, that I could find time to de-dandelion before the things get too
big! Perhaps today, before I cut the lawn. And I can do the anaerobic
thing with the bits I remove :-)


regards
sarah


--
"Great is truth, but still greater, from a practical point of view,
is silence about truth." Aldous Huxley