Am I insane for removing weeds/dandelions by hand? My yard is overcome with them and I don't care about my backyard (which is much larger than my front yard), I'm just cleaning up the front.
I don't even care that I have dandelions but they admittedly have taken over my yard and I'm concerned my neighbors are getting irritated. I live in a cul de sac and a couple of them have someone who comes and mows/treats their yards. So I know they care.
But I don't know of a better way to do this without using chemicals (which I don't want to use). I'm also filling the holes as I go and adding grass seed. Yes, it's taking FOREVER. However, I don't mind too much because I find it satisfying and enjoy listening to a book while I do it. But, I'm starting to think this is fruitless labor. Don't they spread and multiply quickly?
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by isolationtherapy
30 Comments
Im no expert, but I can tell you this is a battle you will be fighting for the rest of your life.
Nope.
Will you get 100% removal? No, but that’s ok. As long as you enjoy what you’re doing then that’s what this is all about.
I am curious about the tool on the left. Does it work well? What is it called?
Not insane, but yes, it will be a never ending battle without using chemicals like a premergent.
You may want to overseed to thicken your stand of grass. Not that I’m suggesting a high maintenance lush lawn, it’s just that a thick stand of grass will choke out most of those weeds
The weeds picker is insanely bad ass
This is the way in my opinion. I also am not a fan of chemicals/herbicides. I hand pull or torch weeds depending on location
Dandelions are pollinators and rabbit food. And just as forgiving on our feet as grass. Not sure what the problem is.
Dandelions are good for your yard leave them and help bees. They go away after they go through their cycle. They also help break up compacted soil allowing grass to flourish longer.
You’re insane. Letting some flowers and weeds go this time of year before summer hits when the grass growth is still slow is great for the early pollinators and adds a touch of color
Nature hates a mono culture and you’ll never get one for long. Just mowing regularly(but not to short) and let them go. Your best bet is to make sure the grass is healthy AF, cut at the right height, reseed if appropriate, fertilize and water, a healthy lawn should be able to outcompete most weeds.
When my husband and I bought our first home the lawn was loaded with dandelions. We spent 2 summers hand pulling every single one. The grass was amazing a few years later. The satisfaction of extracting a dandelion with an intact 15 inch taproot is beyond belief.
Honestly, I just walk around and pop off the yellow heads. You can’t really see the dandelions if they don’t have flowers.
If you thicken up your lawn just a little, you’ll crowd them out in the future.
your neighbors dont care. this is a waste of time.
Not crazy if you enjoy the process, which it sounds like you do.
My dad did this in our yard when I was a kid. The yard was quite heavily infested at first but he would come home from work and walk around the yard (~1/4 acre) and dig up dandelions with a single, forked metal tool and pop the root out. He’d spend 20-30 minutes, unwinding from work and walking the yard, checking on plants in the flower beds and digging up the weeds. If he found a dandelion head gone to seed, he’d carefully pick it without disturbing the seeds and put it in the trashcan.
At first it seemed quite hopeless, but after a couple of years we had an almost dandelion-free yard. I think it really helped him unwind and leave work behind and the results were satisfying.
I still have my dad’s took and I did this myself until I had kids old enough to do it. I paid them a nickel for each dandelion. Since my neighbors are paying for lawn treatments, I don’t use any and dandelions are rare. I do have other kinds of weeks, but my lawn is a fescue/clover blend and that is what dominates.
Do you like that Grampa’s Weed Puller? I’m literally pulling weeds by hand and my back is not happy. But, I’m getting a lot of exercise benefit which I don’t necessarily want to trade, on top of the $40.
If you put those dandelions in the buckets with water and let them ferment for a month, then water your lawn with it, they won’t come back. Reminerlization will occur. Your soil essentially lacks calcium
Fuck your neighbors. If they’re upset about them, they can come clean them up
You’re doing this because you’re concerned your neighbors are getting annoyed? Who tf cares what they think
I do this and it is pretty effective, I go out once or twice a week to look at my lawn around my garden and i pull up what I see. Sometimes it’s a few sometimes it’s more. It’s nice to know that weed control can be efficient without chemicals and you can see the different stages of them. After a few minutes your eyes become acclimated with what to look for and what you missed the last time. You have the right tools so it shouldn’t be too tedious or frustrating.
Tie them on to both feet and just stomp around like a garden robocop
I’m about to do mine too. It’s very rewarding imo
Your attitude at the end, that you are at peace and don’t mind to do it yourself, speaks volumes.
You might win the battle on weekly basis, but winning the war is questionable.
But you listen to books, classical and proud of your work. Being outdoors. You are far from insane.
I think the strange cultural obsession with monoculture lawns is absurdist suburbanite dogma
You are not crazy. I look at people and shudder when they spray chemicals to kill weeds. I get it for commercial applications, but risking exposure to known carcinogens to pets and children and yourself just to kill weeds is crazy.
Not insane but keep your expectations and perspective. Treat us it as a zen for your mind, not a perfect lawn as end result.
You will not win. Let nature do it nature things
Very Zen.
Important plant for native bees, no bees= no food.
Ignore what you think your neighbors think of your yard. Instead channel the energy into some garden beds and you could actually grow some beautiful and delicious plants to accompany your dandelions, which you will never, ever eradicate.
If it brings you peace and keeps your mind busy, Keep on keepin’ on