Down with Dandelions!

As a parent, it’s almost a rite of passage to have your child eagerly deliver a bouquet of “flowers” to you. Pretty, yellow dandelion flowers. And while most of us grin and bear it the first time, it can become more than a little unnerving when your child delivers several “bouquets” each and every week. 

That’s when you know you’ve got a dandy of a dandelion problem.

While you may enjoy the free weed removal that your child is offering, your allergies may not enjoy having all those “flowers” in the house.  Moreover, your kids are likely pull the dandelions up by their stems, leaving the roots behind to regenerate more dandelions.  Wouldn’t a better solution involve getting rid of dandelions for good with some help from one of Nutri-Lawn’s Ottawa irrigation systems?

Using Elbow Grease and Manual Labour to Get the Job Done

This is the most arduous method of dandelion removal.  You could manually destroy the entire dandelion population by simply pulling the weeds up by their roots.  However, sometimes the roots are stubborn and will get left behind, resulting in a never-ending cycle of dandelion removal.  Thankfully, there’s a better way.

Slowing the Dandelion Spread

Corn gluten is well known for its role in supressing weed growth.   It does so by sucking all the moisture from your Ottawa irrigation systems away from the seed and roots of the weed.  Using corn gluten doesn’t completely prevent dandelions, but it does slow them down.

Another slightly more preventative tactic is overseeding your lawn.  Applying overseed increases the density of grass blades, leaving less room for dandelions to come in and take hold.  After you apply your overseed treatment, it is essential to keep your lawn well irrigated with our Ottawa irrigation systems.  Remember: this step is crucial for the success of your lawn so don’t skip it.

Water Heavily With Your Ottawa Irrigation Systems

Your lawn looks its best when it’s well irrigated (note: this does not mean you should drown it with your irrigation system) and can handle water a lot better than dandelions can.  In addition, consistent irrigation will allow your lawn to develop the deep, strong roots it requires to keep your grass dense and the dandelions at bay.
Watering your lawn deeply twice a week results in improved root growth for your lawn, as well as improving the saturation levels in the soil to the point where dandelions cannot survive. It is an essential ingredient in keeping your lawn healthy.

You may wonder who has time to tenaciously ensure their lawn is watered to the proper level twice per week?  What if raining throws things off, or worse, drowns your lawn.  Nutri-Lawn has a solution for this.  Our intelligent Ottawa irrigation systems can sense the ground water levels and adjust their watering schedule accordingly.  This allows you to give your lawn exactly what it needs to thrive, without having to constantly adjust the watering schedule based on the impulse of Mother Nature.  It’s a no-muss, no-fuss solution to the tedious task of watering your lawn. 

Dealing with dandelions can be a time-consuming task if you’re going about it the old-fashioned way, and plucking out the dandelions one by one.  Or it can be a slow, on-going battle if you’re trying to slow the weed progression rather than prevent it.  We recommend eradicating them completely by keeping your lawn well hydrated, which makes for less than ideal growing conditions for dandelions.  For more information, or to request a free consultation, visit our website and contact Nutri-Lawn Inground Sprinkler Systems today.