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Dandelions

• Message 1. 

  Posted by Brian Meliot (U10849140) on Friday, 11th June 2010

  I found the advice given in last week's Gardeners World on dealing with dandelions quite incredible. Why go to the quite considerable trouble of covering individual seed heads with plastic bags when it would be much simpler and more effective to cut off the flowers before the seed set! How long would you have to leave the bags on for? And when you do take them off, would there not be a danger that the seed would still be viable with the danger of it spreading?
  I really do want this programme to be a success but I often despair at its content.

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• Message 2

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  Posted by darren p (U8518743) on Friday, 11th June 2010

  ha yes ! just rip off the flower stems and then dig em' out. simples

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• Message 3

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  Posted by garrigillgal (U14258845) on Friday, 11th June 2010

  Hi Brian,
  
  I thought he put the bag over the seed heads and then pulled them off at once before digging the root out - but given that there are hundreds of dandelions around not sure if that would work - like you I pull the yellow flowers off every time I go past and that seems to keep them in check a wee bit.

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• Message 4

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  Posted by PenylanSue (U13901201) on Friday, 11th June 2010

  Do you know that a dandelion flower bud will still develop and set seed even if it's been picked off and composted. I used to pick the flower buds and toss them in the compost bin until I realised this. Now I burn them. I put them in a paper bag in the shed until there's enough to burn along with suspected diseased leaves such as roses with black spot.
  

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• Message 5

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  Posted by koala_girl (U12702629) on Friday, 11th June 2010

  I never put dandelion flowers in the compost bin for that very reason PenylanSue. The same thing happens with love in a mist flowers.

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• Message 6

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  Posted by PenylanSue (U13901201) on Friday, 11th June 2010

  What do you do with your dandelion flowers?
  Didn't know that about 'love in a mist'.
  I don't grow them here but wouldn't mind them seeding about I suppose. Creeping buttercups and herb bennet are my bugbear.

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• Message 7

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  Posted by koala_girl (U12702629) on Friday, 11th June 2010

  I put the dandelion flowers in the dustbin so they end up in a landfill site somewhere or other. Love in a mist is lovely (as the name implies) but you wouldn't want any of their seeds in the compost bin! They come up absolutely everywhere in my garden, given half a chance, and I am constantly pulling them up. I leave small groups of them here and there because the flowers are so pretty but I try to catch the seed heads.

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• Message 8

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  Posted by Swedboy (U14400604) on Sunday, 13th June 2010

  I think you can make frittatas with the flowerheads. Alice Fowler of the edible garden fame did that.

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• Message 9

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  Posted by Papa Nopsis (U14479902) on Wednesday, 16th June 2010

  Last yearv i had amarvellous crop of dandelion flowers for dandelion wine. I had a gallon which fermented excellently until September; a very enjoyable drink.
  
  Burn them out if you don't like them and top soil over the dead area, if you overdo it, with a little slow growing grass seed added.
  
  Stone dead!

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• Message 10

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  Posted by Kathy (U898169) on Saturday, 19th June 2010

  I feed all the flowers to our rabbit! But if I miss a few I don't mind too much because sometimes the seedheads will attract goldfinches.

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• Message 11

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  Posted by Papa Nopsis (U14479902) on Saturday, 19th June 2010

  Extraordinary yes how the gold finches go for the pigment in the dandelion for their coat, Kathy!!
  
  Marvellous eh!!
  
  Have a whole huge bunch of gold finches in the garden after your dandelion flowers. If you cut 'em they are off in other pastures!!

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• Message 12

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  Posted by Kathy (U898169) on Saturday, 19th June 2010

  Goldfinches also like eating things with similar seeds like hawkweeds, for anyone who wants to be 100% dandelion flower free! The Hieracium maculatums in my garden attract a lot, and they look a bit nicer and are easier to control than dandelions.
  
  Never ever seen a golfinch on my teasels though.

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