It’s almost that time of year when you can expect new life to flourish in the garden again. It’s also the appropriate time for gardeners to decide which plants and bugs they would like to keep around, versus which ones they should safely remove from their landscaping. If you have a lot of dandelions popping up all over the place, you face one of the oldest gardening dilemmas that homeowners encounter. Should you get rid of the dandelions on your lawn, or keep them?
Should You Get Rid of Dandelions on Your Lawn?
Here is a quick guide to dandelions on your lawn, and why you shouldn’t necessarily rush to pluck all the life from between your lawn just yet.
About Dandelions
The dandelion species falls under the umbrella name of taraxacum, which is better known as several different types of plants that look more or less the same. Most people already have a very good idea of what dandelions look like (and what kind of plants fall into this category).
Dandelions have been long called a pest. However, at the same time, they are also a plant family that is rooted in ancient culture. In fact, many cultures, including Native Americans, have found dandelion plants to be useful for all sorts of things.
Dandelions and Allergies
Dandelions show up at more or less the same time as the hay-fever season (early fall when pollen from trees, weeds, and grasses or spores from mold are in full effect). This is why dandelions get a lot of the blame that gardeners don’t know where else to point. While it’s true that dandelions can trigger allergies, it’s also true that 99 percent of other plants in your garden (and surrounding ones) can also trigger the same type of allergies.
If you think that you are allergic to dandelions, it might be a pollen allergy. A general pollen allergy can be managed – and if you’re an avid gardener, always should be.
Why Most Older Resources Say Yes
Many older gardening resources will tell you that you should remove dandelions in your yard. These resources will typically tell you to kill dandelions by spraying them with weed killers or remove dandelions by hand pulling them. Older resources point to dandelions as an inconvenience, a pest, and an allergy source. However, today’s resources have a different view on dandelions and dandelion roots, one which paints them in a more positive and useful light.
A New Look
It is important to understand that dandelions are not the culprit for general pollen allergies. Dandelions can also give gardeners greater insight into the smaller creatures that flock after the dandelion population.
Modern research shows that dandelions can also be useful as an early pollinator. Therefore, dandelions actually do more good for your lawn and garden than harm. Critters like bees and ladybugs can’t help but find their way to dandelions. And, while bees can turn into a pest, if you control them, they are very beneficial pollinators.
Why Should you Keep Dandelions Around?
Dandelions aren’t just a pretty pest. Gardeners should view dandelions as something that you can use to attract happy, natural life to your garden. If you don’t mind the occasional flower on your lawn, dandelions can add a lot of beauty to the space.
Dandelions are fragrant to both humans and bugs, and can even be turned into a tea that’s safe (and healthy) for humans to drink.
If you’d like a brighter, healthier garden, keep the dandelions around.
Additional Information: Important Lawn Maintenance Projects for the Fall – Scotts
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