My "resting" garden plot has been invaded by several dozen tree-like
dandelions. Inattentive maintainance allowed this. At first I dug
the buggers up individually but the roots are 18-20" deep. Worse,
those that I have managed to dig out successfully show off-shooters
from broken or missed pieces.

I don't want to start throwing down my consumer-grade agent orange
but it's now reached epidemic proportions. My plot looks like I'm
cultivating the yellow buds for commercial distribution throughout
my neighborhood. Is there a way of ridding my garden area of these
pests without resorting to chemical purfication?

Many thanks.

The Ranger

"Tree like"? Are you sure they're not sow thistles?

"The Ranger" wrote in message
...
My "resting" garden plot has been invaded by several dozen tree-like
dandelions. Inattentive maintainance allowed this. At first I dug
the buggers up individually but the roots are 18-20" deep. Worse,
those that I have managed to dig out successfully show off-shooters
from broken or missed pieces.

I don't want to start throwing down my consumer-grade agent orange
but it's now reached epidemic proportions. My plot looks like I'm
cultivating the yellow buds for commercial distribution throughout
my neighborhood. Is there a way of ridding my garden area of these
pests without resorting to chemical purfication?

Many thanks.

The Ranger

The Ranger wrote:
My "resting" garden plot has been invaded by several dozen tree-like
dandelions. Inattentive maintainance allowed this. At first I dug
the buggers up individually but the roots are 18-20" deep. Worse,
those that I have managed to dig out successfully show off-shooters
from broken or missed pieces.

I don't want to start throwing down my consumer-grade agent orange
but it's now reached epidemic proportions. My plot looks like I'm
cultivating the yellow buds for commercial distribution throughout
my neighborhood. Is there a way of ridding my garden area of these
pests without resorting to chemical purfication?

Many thanks.

The Ranger

would you consider eating them? Young leaves are decent.

tuckermor wrote in message
et...
"The Ranger" wrote in message
...
My "resting" garden plot has been invaded by several dozen
tree-like
dandelions. Inattentive maintainance allowed this. At first I
dug
the buggers up individually but the roots are 18-20" deep.
Worse,
those that I have managed to dig out successfully show
off-shooters
from broken or missed pieces.

I don't want to start throwing down my consumer-grade agent
orange
but it's now reached epidemic proportions. My plot looks like
I'm
cultivating the yellow buds for commercial distribution
throughout
my neighborhood. Is there a way of ridding my garden area of
these
pests without resorting to chemical purfication?

Many thanks.

"Tree like"? Are you sure they're not sow thistles?

I'll snap a digital and post the link later today. I'm 99% certain
they're dandelions. (I have two sow thistles in another portion of
the yard.)

The Ranger

simy1 asked in message
ps.com...
==Dandelion issue: HELP!==

would you consider eating them? Young leaves
are decent.

I'll take your word for it but since they weren't intentionally
cultivated by me, I'll let someone else test 'em for edibilility.

I'd like 'em gone, eradicated permanently, rather than on this
monthly sprouting plan currently being pushed upon me.

The Ranger

On Sun, 7 Jan 2007 06:23:28 -0800, "The Ranger"
wrote:

My "resting" garden plot has been invaded by several dozen tree-like
dandelions. Inattentive maintainance allowed this. At first I dug
the buggers up individually but the roots are 18-20" deep. Worse,
those that I have managed to dig out successfully show off-shooters
from broken or missed pieces.

I don't want to start throwing down my consumer-grade agent orange
but it's now reached epidemic proportions. My plot looks like I'm
cultivating the yellow buds for commercial distribution throughout
my neighborhood. Is there a way of ridding my garden area of these
pests without resorting to chemical purfication?

Many thanks.

The Ranger



How much time do you have before you plant?

Weed what you can. Then do a very deep rototilling, and cover the area
with weighted down black plastic sheeting. Wait a week or two, repeat
pulling anything there, then rototilling and black plastic.

Boron

The Ranger wrote:
simy1 asked in message
ps.com...
==Dandelion issue: HELP!==

would you consider eating them? Young leaves
are decent.

I'll take your word for it but since they weren't intentionally
cultivated by me, I'll let someone else test 'em for edibilility.


so they are not dandelions.

Boron Elgar wrote in message
...
[snp]
How much time do you have before you plant?

A whole lot of time; I wasn't going to use this particular plot this
spring and summer.

Weed what you can. Then do a very deep rototilling,
and cover the area with weighted down black plastic
sheeting. Wait a week or two, repeat pulling anything
there, then rototilling and black plastic.

Won't the roots I miss still be there, though, when I take the
plastic off?

I once used old pieces of carpet pretty successfully at retarding
weed-spread and growth but it was a major hassle when the carpeting
started to break down.

The Ranger

Boron

simy1 wrote in message
ps.com...
The Ranger wrote:
simy1 asked in message
ps.com...
==Dandelion issue: HELP!==

would you consider eating them? Young leaves
are decent.

I'll take your word for it but since they weren't
intentionally cultivated by me, I'll let someone
else test 'em for edibilility.

so they are not dandelions.

Why would you assume that? Just because I don't want to consume
them? No thanks. I have similar feelings about wild shrooms. I'll
leave it to others, with specialized knowledge usually, to dine au
naturale.

The Ranger

On Sun, 7 Jan 2007 06:23:28 -0800, "The Ranger"
wrote:

My "resting" garden plot has been invaded by several dozen tree-like
dandelions. Inattentive maintainance allowed this. At first I dug
the buggers up individually but the roots are 18-20" deep. Worse,
those that I have managed to dig out successfully show off-shooters
from broken or missed pieces.

I don't want to start throwing down my consumer-grade agent orange
but it's now reached epidemic proportions. My plot looks like I'm
cultivating the yellow buds for commercial distribution throughout
my neighborhood. Is there a way of ridding my garden area of these
pests without resorting to chemical purfication?

Many thanks.

The Ranger


If you are not growing strictly organic, try Roundup. According to
their information it breaks down as soon as it hits the soil. Anything
sprayed on the plant itself kills leaves and roots. I have used it,
even in the garden and have not been poisoned.
--
Susan N.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral,
48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974

The Ranger wrote:

so they are not dandelions.

Why would you assume that? Just because I don't want to consume
them? No thanks. I have similar feelings about wild shrooms. I'll
leave it to others, with specialized knowledge usually, to dine au
naturale.

The Ranger

aw, last post, but: dandelions have been eaten for thousands of years.
They have no deadly or unedible cousins (though some are unpalatable).
specialized knowledge? you can buy their seeds at a number of seed
outlets, for intentional seeding of your garden (truth be told,
sometimes the seeds are the similar but separate blue flowered
chicorium). You take more chances with your well being when you eat
fava beans, asparagus, or parsley.

You can eat the young leaves of sow thistles also.


"simy1" wrote in message
ups.com...

The Ranger wrote:

so they are not dandelions.

Why would you assume that? Just because I don't want to consume
them? No thanks. I have similar feelings about wild shrooms. I'll
leave it to others, with specialized knowledge usually, to dine au
naturale.

The Ranger

aw, last post, but: dandelions have been eaten for thousands of years.
They have no deadly or unedible cousins (though some are unpalatable).
specialized knowledge? you can buy their seeds at a number of seed
outlets, for intentional seeding of your garden (truth be told,
sometimes the seeds are the similar but separate blue flowered
chicorium). You take more chances with your well being when you eat
fava beans, asparagus, or parsley.

On Sun, 7 Jan 2007 13:17:43 -0800, "The Ranger"
wrote:

Boron Elgar wrote in message
.. .
[snp]
How much time do you have before you plant?

A whole lot of time; I wasn't going to use this particular plot this
spring and summer.

Weed what you can. Then do a very deep rototilling,
and cover the area with weighted down black plastic
sheeting. Wait a week or two, repeat pulling anything
there, then rototilling and black plastic.

Won't the roots I miss still be there, though, when I take the
plastic off?

That is why the "lather, rinse repeat." You'll cut the plague
considerably. If you have the time, this will work well after awhile.
And you need a good size rototiller, too.

Why not seed with something you can till in to enrich the soil next
year? It may help to smother out the weeds.

I once used old pieces of carpet pretty successfully at retarding
weed-spread and growth but it was a major hassle when the carpeting
started to break down.

OH, I bet it was. The plastic lasts awhile and is pretty easy to get
up in one piece.

I tend not to use chems as a first line, but frankly, if you are not
going to use the plot this year and the dandelions are that ferocious,
Roundup or similar may be the way to go, but you'll still need to use
a cover later. I will use Preen on flower beds once they are tidied,
but not the edibles, even though they say it is fine.

I really hate weeding and do a lot of my gardening in large tubs now.

Boron

Here in SE Virginia and NE North Carolina my wife and I run a
landscaping/yard cleanup business. When we run into monster weeds like
yours, especially the "pokeweed" we get around here, we have found that
Roundup is a pretty good "safe" chemical. We pull as much as we can trying
to remove as much root as possible. Anything remaining above ground gets
sprayed and if we notice a taproot tip missing a good soaking in the hole
usually gets enough on the remainder underground to prevent recurrence.
Don't go for the namebrand either, Home Depot and places like John Deere
stores sell concentrates as formulated as high as 90% sodium glyphosate and
a little underdiluting when mixing doesn't hurt and increases the likelihood
of a sure kill. Good luck.

Chris McVey

http://www.geocities.com/cwmcvey

"The Ranger" wrote in message
...
My "resting" garden plot has been invaded by several dozen tree-like
dandelions. Inattentive maintainance allowed this. At first I dug
the buggers up individually but the roots are 18-20" deep. Worse,
those that I have managed to dig out successfully show off-shooters
from broken or missed pieces.

I don't want to start throwing down my consumer-grade agent orange
but it's now reached epidemic proportions. My plot looks like I'm
cultivating the yellow buds for commercial distribution throughout
my neighborhood. Is there a way of ridding my garden area of these
pests without resorting to chemical purfication?

Many thanks.

The Ranger

The Ranger wrote:
My "resting" garden plot has been invaded by several dozen tree-like
dandelions. Inattentive maintainance allowed this. At first I dug
the buggers up individually but the roots are 18-20" deep. Worse,
those that I have managed to dig out successfully show off-shooters
from broken or missed pieces.

I don't want to start throwing down my consumer-grade agent orange
but it's now reached epidemic proportions. My plot looks like I'm
cultivating the yellow buds for commercial distribution throughout
my neighborhood. Is there a way of ridding my garden area of these
pests without resorting to chemical purfication?

Many thanks.

The Ranger

Find some pet rabbit owners. Offer them access to your dandelion. Bet
you some will accept your offer and harvest them for bunny treats.
After a while you won't have any left.