ORGANIC DANDELION CONTROL

Good Soil
The first step in controlling any unwanted weed is developing a healthy soil base. Soil is the framework that supports your lawn. Giving it proper nutrition is like raising a child to be big and strong. A child raised on a healthy diet is energetic and clear minded, able to take on the challenges of the world. Well-fed soil gives your lawn the tools it needs to compete against invasive weeds. But creating healthy soil is more than just providing good nutrients. First, impediments like large rocks and dead tree stumps should be removed. These cut off your lawn from the water it needs to thrive. When seeding your lawn, keep in mind the amount of sunlight it receives. If it is shaded, go for a shade-mix seed, available at most lawn and garden centres. In HRM, it is usually wise to add limestone to your soil, which tends to be acidic in this region. Acidic soil tends to hang on to important nutrients your grass wants. Limestone balances things out a little. It might be worth having your soils pH level tested so you can figure out how much limestone is really needed. Contact the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture for testing information, or buy a home-testing kit.

Fertilizers
Not all fertilizers are created equally. Homeowners can use compost, organic fertilizers, or synthetic fertilizers. Synthetic fertilizers combine nitrogen from the atmosphere with hydrogen to form ammonia. The source of this hydrogen is most often natural gas - a fossil fuel. The most important nutrients in fertilizers are nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) and potassium (K). The amount of each nutrient is shown on the fertilizer label as 3 numbers that represent the percentage of N, P and K in the package (N-P-K). Nitrogen is used primarily to promote foliage and root growth. However, applying too much nitrogen can burn the foliage, and because nitrogen moves through the soil easily it can end up in our groundwater. Phosphorus is used primarily to promote root growth and development. Phosphorus is not easily available in the soil but is moderately mobile. People generally over apply phosphorus and it ends up in our groundwater.

Potassium is used primarily for moving water into and within the plant. Potassium is not easily available in the soil but is not very mobile either. The production and transportation of synthetic fertilizers contributes to air pollution. Their use contributes to water pollution through storm-water runoff. Here are some quick fertilizer facts: When nitrogen fertilizers start to break down, they release nitrous oxide into the atmosphere - a greenhouse gas and contributor to acid rain, the ozone hole and smog. Once in waterways, fertilizers 'over-fuel' the system, providing too many nutrients in areas not able to handle them. This excess causes large algae blooms. When the nutrients run out and the algae dies, it quickly uses up oxygen in the water - killing all the fish and other water-creatures that depend on it to live. The result is massive dead zones where nothing else can grow. Fortunately there are organic, locally-produced ways to increase the nutrients in your soil, like compost (which you can make yourself or purchase). Overseeding your grass with white clover is also a nutrient booster.

Vinegar
One of the most easily accessible, safest herbicides is vinegar. It works, quite simply, because it is acidic. Vinegars acetic acid breaks down plant cells, killing the top growth (leaves). But because it does not kill the roots, youll have to reapply. If you are persistent, spraying vinegar regularly, dandelions will likely die off in a few weeks. Household vinegar sold at grocery stores has a concentration of five percent acid. This is enough to kill off young plants. However, if you have more mature dandelions youll want the about 15 percent acid. Lawn and garden centres often carry vinegar at this concentration. (Alternatively, you can distill your own using household vinegar.) Application is easy. Just use any spray bottle or nozzle. Put in the vinegar, spray the leaves and wait. The top level leaves should be dead within a few hours. Take the opportunity to pull up the roots if you can. Or reapply when the leaves start to reappear.

Corn Gluten Meal

Corn Gluten Meal, a byproduct of milling corn during corn syrup production, has been called an all-natural weed n feed. It is a pre-emergent herbicide (meaning it prevents, rather than kills, weeds) and contains 10 percent nitrogen (but no phosphate or potassium). It is available at many lawn and garden centres, usually in either powdered or pellet form. The pellet version is easy to apply and is effective for as long as six weeks. It should be applied no more than three times a year, most importantly in late-April to late-May to prevent germination - and in October to prevent the establishment of rooting systems. It is effective in controlling dandelions and several other common HRM weeds like crabgrass, and knotweed.