Why you should play nice with dandelions (and not spray them)
Here in eastern Montana, the signs of springtime were evident until April 10, when a wintry storm blew in. I noticed a couple of cheery yellow dandelions in my yard just before they were covered by a thick blanket of snow, and they made me happy. I love seeing my lawn (well, it’s not exactly a lawn because I don’t plant or tend it) dotted with these bright flowers. Not everyone thinks they’re a good thing, though.
Evil weeds! Must be sprayed!
Erghh, no!
Dandelion Myths
Myth 1: Blowing on dried-up dandelion heads and making a wish will make the wish come true.
This is a fun one, and mostly harmless. Maybe your wish will be granted, who knows? Kids love to blow the fluff from these fuzzy puffballs into the wind. (Just not onto my raised veggie beds, please.)
Myth 2: Spraying dandelions along with other “weeds” with herbicide is good for your lawn and the neighborhood.
Depends on who you ask. If your unenlightened community or neighbors insist on a “no weed” policy that includes dandelions in order to maintain manicured green lawns, well, I guess they’d say spraying is good.
On the other hand…
Spraying dandelions is bad for pollinators. Pollinators depend on them. Your yard and garden, and our world, depend on pollinators. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/gardening-blog/2015/may/12/dandelions-pollinators-wildlife-garden
Spraying them destroys a potential delightful, healthy, and free food source for humans, too. Cautionary note: If you are a forager who loves finding edible weeds in parks, fields, trails, or along city sidewalks, do not pick and consume dandelions that have been treated with herbicide, because you’ll be ingesting the residue of the toxins (which also contaminate the soil).
Their long taproot brings up essential nutrients from the earth, promoting a healthy ecosystem in your yard. They are rich in many vitamins and minerals, with more Vitamin A, for example, than carrots.
They break up difficult soil such as hardpan, opening a path for water and future fertility. https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/beneficial-weeds-zmaz87jazgoe
Still determined to wipe out dandelions?
If you absolutely can’t tolerate these pervasive little popup invaders (or allies!), there are better ways to get rid of them than applying deadly herbicide.
Mowing is a temporary solution at best. You’ve got to remove the taproot.
Even if you do succeed in killing them with chemicals, new ones will appear. Guaranteed. Also guaranteed: you’ll have to take a deep breath and commit money and time to spraying again and again. (Well, actually, taking deep breaths is contraindicated if you insist on spraying weedkiller.) Planet Natural has some better, eco-friendly alternatives: https://www.planetnatural.com/organic-dandelion-control/
But wait, try them, you might like them!
Myth 3: Dandelions are just a nuisance, of no use to humans.
While some people may believe this, and want to destroy all them everywhere at any cost, you can use the leaves, petals, roots. Dandelions are healthful. You can cook up the greens, or make tea, smoothies, cookies, wine, salads, and so much more. (But see my Cautionary note above about avoiding sprayed plants.)
Yummly.com alone lists 968 dandelion recipes. Here’s one for a coffee substitute, “Dandelion Root Coffee,” that I’m going to try as soon as I can harvest enough roots. https://www.yummly.com/recipe/Dandelion-Root-Coffee-1582941#directions
This Dandelion Mocha recipe from the Grow Network sounds so delicious, I ordered some Terrasoul Superfoods organic cacao nibs from Amazon. Read the whole article by Scott Sexton, “31+ Uses for the King of Weeds” https://thegrownetwork.com/dandelions-31-medicinal-culinary-uses/ for a wealth of information about dandelions, including many ways to use them and how to properly identify them vs. lookalikes.
SHOP AT HOME, IN YOUR YARD.
ENJOY!
After the dandelions arrive, I’m planning to forage for Lambs Quarter (a relative of quinoa), purslane, and wild mustard in my yard. It’s a whole different way to “shop at home.” Just be sure you’re sure you’ve properly identified each species.
Gee, wish I’d had the foresight to plant some mullein, a “weed” also known as “cowboy toilet paper.” I do have some seeds from Strictly Medicinal Seeds I ordered previously. Hmmm… as soon as the snow melts…
— Adele
Images
Dandelion meadow by S. Hermann & F. Richter from Pixabay
Animated dandelion via GIPHY