dandelions

splodger_seedswapper

Little_Vics wrote: »

how on earth do you make dandelion wine?

you have to be dedicated (or bonkers) it took my blooming ages to pick a kg of dandelion flower heads yesterday

did you want a recipe for dandy wine?

Little_Vics

go on then - I've got nothing to lose!

shelley_crow

rockiedog wrote: »

My 50 y.o. tortoise LOVES them, unfortunately there's more of them in the front than the back garden! The leaves are a great favourite with tortie too.

I've got 2 greedy guinea pigs and they love dandelions too. Just as well as there are loads of them at the moment!

anotheruser

My garden is covered in them, some huge ones near the back right where our planned veg patch is going.

I ordered some Verdone from Amazon after seeing it, then hearing on BBC Radio Leicester (Ben Jackson 3-6pm, gardening show basically!) as I asked ages ago.

Put it around the garden, although because my rose was fairly big, I had to refill three times to do the entire lot.
Day 1 to 4 nothing. Then I noticed the leaves were turning a deep purple colour. Now I'm excited as I see something is happening. The huge ones at the bottom of the garden haven't gone purple yet, but Verdone does say to apply once a year - I did the huge patch twice.

Will try and take some photos although I mowed the lawn so it's hard to see them now I chopped them all.

Also bought some grass feed, which claims to also kill dandelions. However will only use this after the bulk of them appear to have died and new grass seed has sprouted.

My only worry is that it's not curing the deep root problem, but hopefully a full scale dig and attack of the large ones at the bottom of the garden will be enough to get it shrinking nicely.

Ken68

I suppose the hedgehogs would know to avoid poisoned weeds.

Davesnave

Ken68 wrote: »

I suppose the hedgehogs would know to avoid poisoned weeds.

Well, they would, mostly, being feeders on insects and other small animals in the main, with occasional interest in grass roots and maybe roots of other plants too, but it is difficult to find a link between the use of a selective garden herbicide and hedgehog poisoning.

Have you a reference to this?

Ken68

No reference Dave...but can't them much good.
For example, nosing for insects snails etc in an area sprayed with herbicide or bug killer.
Now if I had shares in these firms.... a different matter.

Davesnave

Ken68 wrote: »

No reference Dave...but can't them much good.
For example, nosing for insects snails etc in an area sprayed with herbicide or bug killer.
Now if I had shares in these firms.... a different matter.

Well, I don't have shares, but I do have an interest as someone who uses a selective herbicide in a very controlled way, knapsack spraying individual weeds over an area of 4.5 acres!

That's not dandelions, I hasten to add. I leave those for the bees and because all tap rooted plants bring up nutrients nearer the surface. But there are weeds like ragwort, dock and creeping thistle that I don't really want in my hay in any quantity. There are also weeds like creeping buttercup that I could only kill by blanket spraying from an ATV, so they get to stay, even though they degrade the hay.

I would not wish to harm any hedgehogs here, so I am interested in any references people might have. Lots of comment on hedgehog sites, none of it substantiated though.

My house lawns are actually full of dandelions daisies and plantain. Nothing has to eat those and I compost the cuttings.

Ken68

Yes my lawn is the same Dave. though I recently started eating the dandelions...steam a lot and then freeze into portions. Taste like spinach.
I did garden maintenance for yonks and the last job on each garden visit was weed and bug kill. Lawns (verdonne)I did a couple of days after the cut.
Did my own garden the same way and since retiring have loads of hedgies, not to say I was killing them before, maybe too busy to notice them.
Took one to the vet last year, covered in lice, so maybe he would have benefited from a dose of something.lol Don't eat your dandelions Little Vic not now

Little_Vics

I wouldn't dare - am hanging on for the dandelion wine recipe!