Best Weed Killer For Dandelions (Organic Herbicide Sprays)
Epsoma weed preventer made from corn gluten is one of the best dandelion killers. Apart from that you can also use home methods like boiling water, vinegar, and other commercial weed killers mentioned below.
One of the most asked & searched questions by home gardeners is – which is the best weed killer for dandelions that won’t harm my other plants? If you too need an answer to this question, this one’s for you.
So, the best way to combat dandelions is to kill them and then prevent them from growing back again. To keep dandelions at bay, you can invest in a store-bought weed killer or use homemade remedies like salt, vinegar, dish soap to remove them.
Brands like Epsoma, Micracle-Gro, and Scotts have some of the best weed killers for dandelions on the market.
Whichever product you use, ensure that you read through the instructions on the label to not overdo it. Further, as tempting as it may look, never hand-pull dandelion weeds as they will come right back unless you remove them wholly.
Dandelions are one of the most infamous weeds. These broad-leafed perennials tend to grow in any soil and create havoc in full sunlight. In early spring, the new sprouts will show from the taproot, which can be about two to three feet deep in the soil.
Sadly, even the most well-maintained lawns can have occasional dandelions. They are tricky to eliminate. You will have to remove the entire root, or it can grow again.
Several homeowners successfully keep their yard dandelion-free by employing convenient, quick, and safe killers, like a few we will enlist below. If you understand how they grow, you can beat them and permanently get rid of them using commercial products or homemade weed killers.
Best Organic Dandelion Killer – Weed Killers That Won’t Kill Grass
Weed killers can do an excellent job in keeping your landscape looking at its absolute best all-around the year without sedges, dandelions, crabgrass, and invasive weeds.
Here we reviewed a few weed killers and evaluated them on different features, including the length of protection they provide, whether they are easy to use, and the value for money.
1. Espoma Organic Weed Preventer Plus Lawn Food
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Espoma is one of the smaller and newer brands in gardening products, which still happens to be an excellent pick for anyone who wishes to get something organic and natural to get rid of weeds.
This product comes in a 25-pound packet and does a brilliant job of stopping the dandelions and other weeds from showing.
Since it is a 100% natural product, it has no health risks for humans and pets and won’t pollute the environment.
It is a pre-emergent and prevents the seedlings from sprouting and growing and is a safe dandelion killer that contains 100 percent corn gluten meal with a high-protein concentration, which does not let the seeds germinate.
You can use this dandelion killer on established lawns to avoid blown-in seeds from sprouting. You can use this twice a year to achieve the best results – in early spring and then again in mid-summer.
2. Scotts Turf Builder Weed and Feed Fertilizer
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It is an excellent feed killer that feeds and thickens the yard to push the weeds out. It helps eliminate the annoying weeds enveloping your lawn and simultaneously nourishes it. Hence, providing your garden with good nutrients and facilitating vegetation growth over weeds.
It employs weed grip technology that grips the weeds you see and do not see. It cleans the dandelions and clovers and is 2x more powerful as the other products. When applied to a damp lawn, it will yield optimum results.
It is the best dandelion killer that won’t kill grass, but while using it, follow the instructions on the packaging. When you stick to the guidelines, you amplify your chances of eliminating the weeds without killing the grass around them.
Remember you must be ready to put this fertilizer in a different container for effortlessly carrying it around as the one it comes in is very heavy.
3. Spectracide 96262 Weed & Feed
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It is a smaller, more popular, and one of the best herbicides for dandelions. As one of the more affordable alternatives, it is a good pick for someone with budget restrictions. Given its price tag, this ready-to-use dandelion killer comes with a total quantity of 32 ounces.
Despite its quantity, you can easily cover an area of up to 7500 feet with this dandelion killer, which is indeed incredible. Besides being pocket-friendly, it also comes with a two-year warranty, which is a huge plus.
4. Ortho Weed B Gon plus Crabgrass Control
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This product also works well to treat crabgrass and several other lawn weeds to the roots. It is an excellent product that kills the weeds and not the lawns.
One of the best parts about this weed killer is that working instantly. To achieve the best results, you can spray anytime you spot weeds. However, always use as directed. Though it is the best spray to kill dandelions, do read through the complete label instructions before you use this.
It works well for smaller and larger areas. You can find it in different quantities and employ it with Ortho Dial N Spray or Tank Sprayer. It is a ready-to-use product. So, you can directly connect to the garden hose and use it for a broadcast application without measuring or mixing.
5. Miracle-Gro Garden Weed Preventer
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Miracle-Gro is one of the most used and probably among the best herbicides for dandelions for people who do not like repeat feedings. With one application, you are sorted for approximately three months.
Its applicator is straightforward and the formula does not let the weed grow. Fortunately, it does not cause any damage to plants.
You can use it for trees, shrubs, ground covers, roses, vegetables, and flowers, and keep weeds away for all seasons. It comes in a 5 lb quantity, enough to treat eight-hundred sq. ft. of lawn.
6. Preen Garden Weed Preventer, 22 lb. Covers 3,520 sq. ft, Natural
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Last on our list of best weed killers for dandelions is this Preen Weed Preventer. If you have a large mulched area and are done dealing with weeds, Preen Garden Weed Preventor can be a good pick. It has a granulated formula that does not let different plants and weeds from coming up where it has been spread.
Even though we do not recommend using it in vegetable gardens, it is safe for use in approximately 200 plants, including several edibles and ornamentals. Use this in areas where you do not want anything to grow.
For application, apply the granular formula on top of the desired mulch and water it into the soil underneath. It will bond with the soil’s surface and won’t allow the feed to develop roots for up to three months from the date of application.
You can apply it anytime in fall, summer, or spring. It covers 3,520 square feet.
When To Apply Dandelion Killer?
The dandelion is at its weakest once they bloom. So, it is the best time to apply an herbicide spray. However, the biggest challenge you may experience is catching the plant after it flowers.
But before they release the seeds. Every year dandelions yield bright yellow flower heads twice per season, once in the fall and spring. But, blooming is at its best during May and June, and the final flowering period is mainly around September.
Once the flowers bloom, they switch to a seed-bearing sphere comprising two-hundred seeds per flower, with every plant yielding multiple flowers every time it blooms.
So, even though it is best to spray the dandelion killer that won’t kill grass after blooming when weak, there is an argument against this approach as the damage is already done, seeds have possibly traveled on the wind, and are ready for germination.
Based on this assumption, we recommend spraying every weed as soon as you see signs of active plant growth.
What Kills Dandelions Permanently?
Selective weed killers like Speedzone, TZone, and Tenacity do a fantastic job at killing the dandelions. Liquid herbicides work better than weed and feed fertilizers. After eradication, you must employ a pre-emergent in the spring to control and prevent dandelions.
What Homemade Remedy Kills Dandelions?
If you wish for a perfect lawn and a well-manicured garden but do not want to employ a herbicide, do the best natural weed killers for dandelions work?
Below we will address a few queries regarding homemade remedies to kill dandelions.
A. Will vinegar kill dandelions but not grass?
Sadly, no. Vinegar will kill every plant it touches. So, ensure that you apply it solely to the dandelions or the other weeds to shield your plant.
But if you do not intend to employ dangerous chemicals to kill the weeds, you can make a homemade dandelion killer with vinegar. USDA states that there are innumerable benefits of using white vinegar.
Vinegar helps in the removal of unwanted plants and also goes a long way in pest control. Since it contains acetic acid, it has herbicidal properties. So, in a spray bottle, put some undiluted vinegar and pour it on your dandelion plants.
B. Does Dawn dish soap kill dandelions?
Yes, it is one of the best affordable and attractive DIY hacks to kill dandelions. It does not kill the grass but may harm the plants if employed in a high concentration. So, please use it sparingly.
C. Is killing dandelions with boiling water possible?
Pouring boiling water onto the dandelion leaves will burn them, making them yellow and curl rapidly. The hot water soaks into the soil around the dandelion, burning the root sections annexed to the main plant. The dandelion will automatically die when leaves cannot soak in the sun’s nutrients and damaged roots.
D. Does salt kill dandelions?
Salt is one of the safe dandelion killers to prevent them from recurring. When you add salt to any lawn or garden, it travels into the soil and stays there for years. The problem with salt is that it won’t let the grass grow for years.
One of the best places to employ salt is where you wish to permanently remove the dandelions, like the cracks in the driveway or beneath the deck. One cup of salt with one cup of water can kill dandelions. For a solid herbicide, ensure that the water is boiling.
Other Ways To Get Rid Of Dandelions
A few other tips to kill dandelions include:
1. Mowing – Regularly mowing the lawn on a high setting can help avoid several buds from maturing into seeds. Check out these excellent land mowers for home use.
2. Smother them – Choke the plants and cut their sunlight access. Cover the area with multiple layers of biodegradable newspaper strips and layer it with compost or mulch. If the weed still pokes through, add another layer of mulch and newspaper.
3. Digging – Digging with a dandelion digger can also help remove them from the soil. It is a challenging method but works well.
Buying Guide For Dandelion Weed Killer
When shopping for the dandelion killer, you deserve to get your hands on only the best product. To help you pick the best dandelion killer for lawns, you must know what to look for.
It is vital to ensure that the chosen weed killer eliminates the whole plant. Hence, they will not grow back.
Here are some tips that can help you pick the best killer for the lawn:
A. Deciding between chemical vs. organic fertilizer
They both work well. However, the chemical one works quicker and is more accurate, but it can inflict damage on children and pets. On the contrary, the organic killer takes longer to show effect, and you will have to apply it more than once, but it is relatively safer.
B. Choosing between pre and post-emergent weed killer
The pre-emergent will attack the seeds before they can grow. So, you interrupt the growing process and solve the issue before it surfaces. It is available in granular and liquid form and applied directly onto the lawn surface. However, it is useless if the dandelions have already started growing.
Typically, people opt for the post-emergent. You apply them once and wait till you see the dandelions crop up. However, some find these do not cover well and leave patches behind. So, they mix chemicals designed to kill the dandelions to ensure they do not grow back.
C. Persistence and Selectivity
If you pick the selective killer, you can get rid of just the dandelions sans causing damage to any other part of the lawn. On the contrary, it will kill any part on which the fertilizer is sprayed if you pick a non-selective killer.
Persistence is another thing to give thought to when choosing the best product to get rid of dandelions. It merely determines how long the product is active.
The ones that do not prevent future development are called non-persistent, but if they have a lasting impact and prevent further growth, they are persistent. The choice depends on the kind of prevention you seek.
D. Durability
You must pick a solution that can withstand all kinds of weather. It lets you choose when you wish to spray. However, you cannot use some products during rain or while it is too dry. It puts added restrictions. So, read through the label and reviews before making a selection.
Related: Installing a drainage system in yard | How to turn off sprinkler head in your garden? | How to keep weeds out of flower beds
Dandelion Weed Killer Queries
Ques 1. What is the fastest way to get rid of dandelions?
Ans. The least labor-intensive and fastest method to kill dandelions is spraying with a broadleaf herbicide that can kill the whole plant and not its leaves without inflicting damage on the grass.
Ques 2. Will 2,4-D kill dandelions?
Ans. It is marketed as an excellent grass herbicide to kill the weeds like dandelions without harming the grass plants.
Ques 3. What do professionals use to kill dandelions?
Ans. Professionals use commercial herbicides to kill dandelions.
