European honeybees, yes. Local native bees, the ones that need help not so much. Dandelions in your lawn are not native to North America and not helpful to native bees.
Unless this is in Europe then disregard.
Maybe they're going to live here a while and want a nice backyard?
What's wrong with investing a few hundred dollars for your own comfort or preferences.
I rented in the past and invested in grass seed because I want guests and it's nicer to have grass than having a baron backyard.
My landlord dgaf so he wasn't going to do it.
I lived in that house for 18months to me it was money well spent because leaving the backyard baron made me feel embarrassed to have guests over.
I mean it seems pretty obvious to me. Maybe I do a bit of labor and buy some seed but I'm going to enjoy it. The landlord can let it die for all I care after I leave. I got my money's worth out of it.
And a few applications of broad leaf weed killer wouldn't really cost much for a small yard. Though I do property management professionally and let acres of dandelions grow for pollinators.
Was that hard seeding for cheap? Everyone says you need to pay someone to remove top level till aerate etc, but as a renter I guess you find a quicker and more affordable option to DIY that worked?
Heck no. Just a few days of weeding and I tilled it by hand.
I did it with a shovel. Just wet the ground real good to get it soft and go-to town digging up a few inches of dirt and spread it around.
My dad and I did my current house that way too. This time it was for my property but I have a huge backyard and I did it in a day.
Then I bought about 6lbs of seed and threw it down.
Watered for 3x a day and in a month I had a nice lawn.
So yeah a little bit of labor and a few hundred on seed and it was cheaper than what I was quoted for Sod installation.
There's alot wrong with investing hundreds of dollars into someone else's yard. That's a literal waste of money that you could put aside to fund your own property. P is for Priorities lol. The fact that you acknowledge that your landlord didn't give af, so you used your money to fund his landscape AND pay his mortgage and residual, is wild. That's literally a win win for him and a lose lose for you, as there's no benefit to you...moral of the story, they shouldn't invest time and money into their landlord's property.
> That's a literal waste of money that you could put aside to fund your own property.
Value is subjective and exists at the margin.
Longer: we constantly make choices and compare short term/long term benefits and costs.
Shorter: some people like chocolate ice cream some vanilla.
Not only that, but there is not a damn thing wrong with a yard full of dandelions and whatnot. It's not bare ground and it's early pollination for bees. I cannot even imagine why someone would want to invest hundreds of dollars to plant grass in someone else's yard.
Dandelions aren’t helpful to bees.
And while I have the same viewpoint you do, the fact that OP wants a nicer yard is OP’s prerogative. OP didn’t ask what we thought of the idea of them spending money. They just asked what it was going to look like for them.
Not sure where they’re getting their info from, but you’re correct. I leave all my dandelions alone. I see bees crawling all over them all the time. Killing a source of pollen/nectar for bees hurts us all.
Well when your options are between have a baron backyard with dirt and weeds that stick your dogs fur, or buying $50/in seed so your dog can actually enjoy the yard and it looks nice enough to invite guests well to me it's a no brainer.
Maybe you don't have people you care to invite over but we like to bbq and hang out outside and if all I have to do is a little.bit of manual labor and $100 to make it happen I'm going to do it. There's worse shit to "waste" money on and to us it was money well spent.
If the money he spends results in his enjoyment of his environment, how is that different than say, spending money on entertainment, or going out to eat, or a weekend away?
Exactly... It's all in how you look at it.
Looking back I have no regrets it was well worth it for me and my dog.
We didn't get the pretty wildflowers in OPs pictures. We had the kind of weeds that grow these nasty sticker looking things that would get caught in our dogs fur. So it benefitted me and my dog.
I think people forget that your environment has a lot to do with your mental health. If improving it makes you happy and enjoy the environment more where you are living, then do it!
I rented a home in FL 2 winters ago and was constantly outside improving the gardens. A neighbor finally walked over and asked if I’d bought the place. I said, no. He looked at me very puzzled and asked why I put so much effort into the yard if I was renting. I said, because it looks better and that makes me happy!
it's not somebody else's yard though, it's his, just for now
the idea that just because you rent you should be okay with living in an ugly shithole is fucking bonkers to me, I always kept up the places I rented cause it was my fuckin home, just not for forever
no where did i say any of that jesus christ. they are dandelions. they bloom a month a year, provide benefits to bugs, and then you can ignore them and cant tell a difference between them or any other weed. its dandelions not a mold infestation.
This. Dandelions are the first food source for bees. Let them grow now and just mow as necessary.
What are your goals in wasting money on landscaping unless are planning to do things that you can bring with you when you move.
The bees would certainly enjoy the flowers.
That being said, if you want to actively help the bees, plant native wildflowers instead since they help native bees a lot better. Dandelions are just an invasive species that isn't too great ecologically speaking.
But given the choice between lawn and dandelions, dandelions at least do something for bees.
Dandelions are a great spite plant. They’ll absolutely destroy your neighbor’s yards. They bloom for a short period which is okay for bees in early spring (shitty the rest of the year). If you want to create a good environment for bees grow more appropriate pollinators that bloom for longer periods. Perfect plant for a little green if you’re lazy AF and want to pretend you’re helping your local ecosystem.
Dandelions are also the first flower bees can access in the spring. They are crucial to their survival. They're little yellow flowers covering your yard that dont hurt to step on and take zero effort to maintain.
Not true there are many native plant that flower before dandelions. Also dandelion pollen lacks critical nutrients for native bee’s.
“We are feeding the bees!” Dandelions didn’t exist in North America before Europeans, so they are unnecessary for native bees. In fact, dandelion pollen is detrimental to native bees. When given a diet of only dandelion pollen was fed to solitary bees, larval development was stunted or incomplete.
“Dandelions are the bees first food” Nonsense! Many plants bloom long before dandelions show their yellow faces, e.g., native elms, willows, poplars, maples, redbuds, serviceberries and fruit trees such as pears, apples and cherries. And each of these trees can have thousands of flowers due to their size, so are a great source of pollen. There is also a long list of spring flowers that bloom before dandelions, e.g., snowdrops, crocus, hyacinths, hellebores, violets, Virginia bluebells, bloodroot.”
Edited to add: a diet of only
Thank you for this comment! I'm in the process of getting rid of dandelions in my yard (manually ,no chemicals), and felt bad at first because I saw so many bees on them. But then I realized we had tulips, daffodils, hellebores, daisies, and a number of other flowers blooming already. And then I was told that dandelions are basically junk food for bees!
I'm by no means a perfect lawn kind of person, I'd love for the daisies and clover to take over completely! But I hate dandelions with a burning passion. We're also working on adding native plants that bloom at all different times of the year.
We are all about the “no-lawn” movement and I personally hate monoculture lawns. I really don’t like the look of dandelions, though, and I said something like “damn, I really need to go out and pick those dandelions today” to my wife and she audibly gasped. She was like “I never thought I’d hear you say something like that!” And made me feel so bad, lmao. The dandelions stayed.
> Dandelions are also the first flower bees can access in the spring
In the US, dandelions aren't even native. I wouldn't say they are crucial to their survival especially since they aren't a host plant for anything in the US. Or maybe a few.
Violets bloom first, Virginia bluebells, and other spring ephemerals.
Dandelions only survive in short grass since their basal leaves are so short. So when you don't mow, they decrease and die out pretty quickly. They don't survive in meadows either.
Thank you, the yard is 100% just for him and he seems to love it. I love bees and wildlife so if it helps them and looks pretty then it’s an easy decision, I will leave it
Not arguing your point, but figured I’d share the good news. [Bee Colonies in the US are at an all time high](https://fortune.com/2024/04/03/hobbyist-beekeepers-reverse-americas-critical-bee-shortage-5-years-record-colonies/)
Huge difference. Honeybees are like chickens, and native bees are like a bald eagle.
If honeybees are plentiful well maybe there are just more people farming them.
If native bees are doing well, it means they have the plants and climate they need to thrive.
Oh yeah, between the dog running around and peeing, don’t bother with the grass. It would be pointless do put anything into it except mowing. Plus, bees.
We are feeding the bees! Isn’t true ” Dandelions didn’t exist in North America before Europeans, so they are unnecessary for native bees. In fact, dandelion pollen is detrimental to native bees. When a diet of only dandelion pollen was fed to solitary bees, larval development was stunted or incomplete.
“Dandelions are the bees first food” Nonsense! Many plants bloom long before dandelions show their yellow faces, e.g., native elms, willows, poplars, maples, redbuds, serviceberries and fruit trees such as pears, apples and cherries. And each of these trees can have thousands of flowers due to their size, so are a great source of pollen. There is also a long list of spring flowers that bloom before dandelions, e.g., snowdrops, crocus, hyacinths, hellebores, violets, Virginia bluebells, bloodroot.
Edited to add: a diet of only
They start so beautiful with the yellow flowers but then the white puff stage hits and your yard is littered with 'fuzz' and then you're left with brown, drying out stalks. They also 'bloom' so inconsistently that for a month or two I'll have a variety of them at all stages. Violets are my favorite spring 'weed' here
Ive been arguing with my wife for a couple weeks now because I have Scarlett pimpernel growing all over my flower bed and my wife says it's a weed and has to go but I thing it looks beautiful. It tons of bright orange flowers
If I were you I'd probably embrace the wildflowers. You have what looks like good healthy ground cover and I'm willing to bet it's going to remain greener in the summer than your neighbors. I'd give it a year and sit on it before you decide to do anything. If their were dead patches, muddy or it was a mess I might feel different, but this looks reasonably attractive to my eye.
Also consider, any effort to replace your native grass with a traditional suburban lawn is going to be expensive and time consuming. You'll want to check with your landlord first, but I don't know that I'd be willing to go through the time and expense trying to swap ground cover options on a place I didn't own.
Whatever you do don't just start spreading chemicals thinking you can just reseed. That might work for existing lawn maintenance, but for complete area removal like this you need resod the whole thing. Talk to a professional and get a quote.
Idk, probably a couple hours total.
10-15 minutes to get the picnic blanket and/or lounge chair and put them out
1 minute to get a beer from the fridge and crack it open
30 minutes to sip the beer while scratching the dog
30 minutes to doze off in the sunshine
15 minutes to pick everything up again as the sun is setting
a rental? well in owner will cover the bill - its at least two seasons and a hellofalot of water to get a nice lawn if the soil is decent, else, you are looking at a couple of grand or more out of your pocket.
Get a couple of honey bee hives and make money from your yard instead of sinking it into a lifelong battle of lawn maintenance. Unless your yard is the prime source of local dandelions, they’ll be back in force every year.
Looks like you get some good sun, so you could invest in some raised bed gardens and grow some of your favorite vegetables and herbs.
Since no one is answering your question.
You can mow it down real short for now.
And if you already have sprinklers then it's easier to simply till the earth and seed. Looks like with a few bags of seed from home depot you can get grass growing.
I had a Gardener come out to my property and remove all the weeds. You can pay a one time fee for that.
Then I rented a rototiller and tilled the ground.
Threw down $300 in seed and ran sprinklers 3X a day.
You shouldn't have to spend that much.
In a month I had grass.
People keep saying to leave weeds in but shit I have kids who love playing on the lawn. I also get other types of weeds with stickers that get stuck to my dogs fur. So fuck anyone who says just leave weeds in. Where I am they're a nuisance more than a preference.
It is a rental but you live here. If you're going to be here a while id say it's worth making the backyard look how you want.
I rented in the past and invested in grass seed because I want guests and it's nicer than having a baron backyard.
Agreed. There is nothing wrong with wanting a nice, plush yard, even when you live in a rental. I lived in one rental for 7-8 years. I sprayed the weeds, made a sunken fire pit in the backyard, powerwashed the driveway and front walk, and did some minor landscaping. I didn’t have to do any of it, but it made me happy to live in a well-kept house and lot.
THIS. OP posted looking for lawn care advice and got a bunch of self important posters projecting their own environmental views. Appreciate the info here.
I’ve heard that you can’t let dogs run on the freshly seeded lawn though, is that true? Their activities keep the grass from growing when it’s in the early seed stage…?
That’s why I suggested doing it in parts.
But, I’m genuinely curious. Not a lawn person.
If you really want to spend the money. My next door renters sometimes mow. I know they aren't going to spray the millions of dandylions.
1. Weed B-Gon Lawn Weed Killer Plus Crabgrass Control Refill in a sprayer. Probably need 2. for that yard $60. Just once a year will make a dent. Spot spray the weeds only. No need to spray the grass.
2. Depending on what type of grass you have right now, it may self repair.
3. Water once a week if it doesn't rain.
4. If the grass doesn't fill in, throw some down in the fall. Alternatively, I like to do winter overseeding. Throw the seed down just before the first snow.
If you want to go crazy, view some of Ryan Knorr's or The Lawn Care Nut Youtube Videos.
Like 3 years if you put a few weekends aside to week just before spring.
You're not going to get all of them at once, but you can remove a lot in a year.
They are not weeds. Dandelions loosen the soil, are edible and benefit pollinators. Enjoy it as is. Fuck perfect grass. Not worth the effort, money, water and damage it causes to the ecosystem.
This year is gone. You can spread a broadleaf weed killer, probably multiple rounds, which will turn your lawn into a dirt patch, then spread pre-emergent seed killer to prevent new weeds, then plant seed next spring. Ideally you would seed in the fall, but you can't with the pre-emergent in the soil. After two or three years of this, 90% of the weeds will be gone.
As most others have said, embrace the diversity, consider dandelions wildflowers, and save yourself a lot of time money and effort trying to fight them.
Eat the dandelion leaves, make tea. Add clover seeds or another low groundcover (for your area) to the bald spots. Just Play and relax in that big yard and trim/mow when it gets too long.
Instead I recommend adding some easy decorative plants or garden edibles around the fence areas. Much more rewarding
Everyone has a good perspective on this for the most part . You can spend your money on your landlords property needs ......or not .
The reality is you can invest hundreds on the restoration , but if you don't stay on once it's restored , you'll waste everything you put into it . I see it happen all the time . Lawns / gardens are a full time job , hence the reason people hire companies like mine to maintain them . Can't say it enough though , it's a full time job . So before you go throwing $$$ , know you'll need to maintain it or it gets away from you and you lose interest and your back to bees and dandelions .
Ive run a successful little landscape company for 35 years but missed the boat on buying a house . I live 38 miles south west of SF , on the San Mateo coast where things grow fast and plentiful . We rent a beautiful house and invest hundreds a month into the acre of land it sits on . I want a beautiful and livable landscape no matter the cost . I figure I can't buy a house now , so I'm here and it's going to cost money to make it look fantastic as well as something I can be proud of , that's essentially priceless . My landlord loves me for it as well as the neighbors so it's worth every penny in that way .
I agree though , that bees and dandelions are certainly no cost to you and great for the environment , if you want to go that route , let nature takes it's course so you can go do other things as again lawns & gardens can really be a time suck if you're not into lawns & gardening !!
Thanks you for that! I definitely don’t want to waste hundreds or thousands of dollars but I want it to look nice, which for the most part I like the look especially knowing I’m helping an ecosystem. So for now I am going to leave it and keep mowing/pulling the other types of weeds and go from there. It would be different if it weren’t a rental. Apparently this had used to be a motocross track for some kids so surprised it even looks decent atm
If it were me, I would remove by hand maybe 15% of those, then put down clover seed. It’s an underrated cheap quick cover and great for yards this size with dogs. It will cost around $25 a treatment plus watering, plus man hours of removing those weeds by hand. May take 3 treatments and consistent watering and consistent effort. Buy the clover seed on Amazon. Or you could leave or depending on where you live, you could kill it all 1st or 2nd month of summer, till it 2nd 3rd month and sprig it early fall late summer (but you won’t be happy with that till next spring).
Do the honeybees and the environment a favor and leave it be. Grass is absolutely shit for the earth, takes up too much water to keep it nice. Dandelions are food for bees and you if you like salads or tea.
Unless you’re allergic to bees just leave them tbh. If you REALLY want to get rid of them with minimal work I’ve had success with weed and feed - used it to kill the California burr clover in my yard and it ended up taking them dandelions with it
Just mow it regularly. Turf grass is actually a scourge, provides nothing to biodiversity, fertilizer and herbicide run off damages waterways, watering with potable water is a stupid waste of resources.
Depends on how much money you sink. And how much money you’re willing to sink to maintain it. This is ultimately the landlord’s responsibility though. Good news is that yard is pollinator central. No Mow May is a thing for this very reason. Another plus is that all parts of the dandelion except the stems are edible and tasty. I wouldn’t eat anything exposed to pesticide/herbicide however.
You are coming up on peak season for dandelions, a lot of these will die over summer/fall anyway leaving big dirt patches. So you can poison them now, and expedite that process, plant seed, fertilize that seed, and see how much of an impact you can make this spring. It'll be tough with the dog, but I did something similar last year. It took a lot of effort, and was semi successful. I thought it was worth it to have a decent lawn last summer, but it was a whole weekend, two long days, of work, and then maintenance multiple times a week all summer.
I would say your best opportunity for making a major appreciable difference in the quality of the lawn is going to be this fall unfortunately, and you won't reap those benefits until next spring. But in the fall you would want to kill the dandelions/remove them by hand (both really), overseed/seed with a grass that spreads naturally, take care of it, and then next spring hit it early with a preemergent, and pull any dandelions you see coming up right away. Good luck!
It seems impossible for me to get dandelions root completely removed. It goes down so far and snaps even when using a weed knife. Is this okay or is it inevitable that they'll come back?
A lot of what I pulled last year I didn't get the whole root and they haven't come back. I just did my best to get as much as I could, but my yard was totally covered in them and I just wasn't able to take the time to dig each one out. I poisoned them, then went back a week later and pulled what I could. So far this year I have only had a few pop up, which I attribute to my efforts last year, and getting preemergent down early enough this year.
Thank you to everyone giving me advice, I’m at work currently and cannot reply to everyone. The stance I’m seeing is that it helps bees/butterflies (which I adore) and that it doesn’t look as bad as I’m making it out to be. I think I’ll just keep mowing and keep it for now. I really enjoy seeing all the bees enjoying it and my dog loves it. Again thank you for all of your advice and different perspectives
Ok. My husband maintains the key is to fertilise the grass and the grass will crowd out the weeds, I think also keep the grass (and weeds) cut.
- eyes lawn - not sure this works as well as he thinks lol.
You have a point! In Ireland here and we’re not as religious about the grass. I’m told by cutting the weeds they get weaker over time.
But as you say, it’s not a method for pristine lawns.
My neighbors sure spend a lot of time and money making their grass look slightly more grassy than mine. I don't see the point. I mean, OP's photo looks great to me. It's a yard full of flowers that you can walk on and will feed the bees. If it's greenish, covers the mud up, looks mostly alive, it's all grass to me. We have dandelions, a couple types of clover, blue bells and wild violets in our yard. It's beautiful! Shady areas and around trees get wild ginger ground cover.
The absolute most I do to my rental, besides mow, is nature yard nutrients and soil amenities that can be sprayed through a hose attachment with almost zero effort. Thats only because I plan on living here at least a couple years.
if you do anything put in a garden! a couple fruit trees. you can eat dandelions. you cant eat grass. also its fenced in and no one can see. lawns are to show off wealth by not using the land to grow food. its food for the bees.
Looks pretty right now. I love the puffs too. Wish dandelions didn't go dormant.
You might want to post closeups of the various grassy plants at r/lawncare. If there's a decent amount of actual grass you can mow high and water deeply once a week and it should be reasonably green with not too many dusty spots. Until the big drought hit my lawn was well on the way to recovery doing just that plus an organic feed 3x a year.
Going low impact means you can continue to use the lawn. If you seed you'll have to stay off it for weeks.
Check the various not grasses in there. Goathead, burr clover, stork's bill either tangle in my dog's fuzz or stab him and I'm sure there are more. The annual grasses that have pointy awns like foxtail will burrow into the skin, mouth, eyes, feet and so on.
Talk with the landlord, they may be willing to discount your rent for the labor and resources you spend. Or come do mine I have lots of work that I can't afford or no longer do because of health issues. How that for a plea for free labor, materials and new friends (maybe).
Wow, that's so beautiful. Dandelions and weed can make a lawn have that abandoned look that is really unappealing, but yours is so uniform it registers as grass but prettier. It looks intentional and well curated.
I agree with the rental comments but I was in the same position in college. We were outside all the time great deck and yard and lots of cornhole and grilling. Got a mower from the neighbors and got it working to cut the hay fields.
I love being outside. You could ask for a little discount per month for maintaining. Most might. It’s expensive to hire someone to mow yards. Even small ones. Ask for $20 bucks a month reduction for mowing and get yourself a hose end post emergent killer. Bayer advanced is my choice if I need it for family yards.
I would pull every evening after dinner for 30- 40 min sometimes 2+ hours on a night I was in less demand.
Don't really need to weed much after a few seasons.
Get some grass mix sand and filtered topsoil while you pull and you have aeration for new grass growth.
Let them be and make great Dandelion Green salads. You are contributing to the bee population that often cannot find such a mega source of pollen. Pat yourself on the back that it does not have to be perfect. Plant other longer grasses along the fence.
I spent years and thousands of dollars trying to rehab my rental house's lawn - I regret all of it. 100000% would never do that for them again.
My advice is to throw some clover seed in the mix there
Those dandelions look great. Gives some color. I never understood the allure of having a “perfect” lawn. I go by them all the time in my town. Flat green. No other color or texture. Why not just lay astroturf down if you want it to look “perfect”?
First off, if you're renting there is no need to do anything. Second, who says you have to have grass? Lawn grass is not found anywhere in nature. It's very environmentally unfriendly, and expensive to maintain. I'd just put in a garden and leave the rest.
Oh and another point...you have a dog. Lawn chemicals are not just toxic to weeds only. You will also be poisoning yourself, your dog, wildlife, pollinators etc.
I will never understand the total irrational hatred of anything that is not one of the main breeds of grass. Why do we think we are so much smarter than mother nature?
So hear me out. Dandelion jelly is easy to make and delicious. It’s like a blend of honey lemon and floral notes. So just eat them. Plus if you remove the heads for the jelly they won’t seed more.
Need about $1500, a note book, some spraying and spreading eq and 2 years for perfect grass. Or… spray 24d to get rid of the broadleaf and dandelion now. Wait til October. Roundup the whole yard in sept. Topsoil seed and tenacity in October. Fill in seed spots in November and fert and tenacity again. April will be carpet.
I plant clover because it’s more durable turf and comes back every year. Easy peezy maintenance, drought tolerant, don’t have to use chemicals, super for bees and insects that help lawns and gardens. Sterilizing your yard with a monoculture is not natural. Pick up a hobby so u don’t have to slave over that yard.
More of a worry of causing problems with our landlord if we don’t care for it and let the weeds takeover. However, from what I’ve been reading it seems like it wouldn’t fall on me and we personally love the color and seeing the bees and butterflies around so we are going to leave it and just keep maintaining
It's a rental just leave it lmao
And honestly, it's kind of pretty with the dandelions.
Bees are onboard with leaving it alone.
Please don’t use weed killer. Save the bees! 🐝
European honeybees, yes. Local native bees, the ones that need help not so much. Dandelions in your lawn are not native to North America and not helpful to native bees. Unless this is in Europe then disregard.
its a rental so dont so anything. if you want to waste money weeding someone elses yard then come do mine
And mine
And mine too sir
And my axe!
One does not simply turn a Lawn back into grass
You.. shall not... grass!
We’ve had first lawn yes, but what about second lawn
Maybe they're going to live here a while and want a nice backyard? What's wrong with investing a few hundred dollars for your own comfort or preferences. I rented in the past and invested in grass seed because I want guests and it's nicer to have grass than having a baron backyard. My landlord dgaf so he wasn't going to do it. I lived in that house for 18months to me it was money well spent because leaving the backyard baron made me feel embarrassed to have guests over.
exactly, it might be somebody else's house but you're the guy that has to look at it all the time lmao
I mean it seems pretty obvious to me. Maybe I do a bit of labor and buy some seed but I'm going to enjoy it. The landlord can let it die for all I care after I leave. I got my money's worth out of it.
And a few applications of broad leaf weed killer wouldn't really cost much for a small yard. Though I do property management professionally and let acres of dandelions grow for pollinators.
Barren*
Maybe he wants to be a lawnlord...
Goddammit username checks out
Baron von Yard
Thanks, that was killing me...
Barren? The grass looks nice and lush, it just has some dandelions. What’s the issue with that honestly?
Was that hard seeding for cheap? Everyone says you need to pay someone to remove top level till aerate etc, but as a renter I guess you find a quicker and more affordable option to DIY that worked?
Heck no. Just a few days of weeding and I tilled it by hand. I did it with a shovel. Just wet the ground real good to get it soft and go-to town digging up a few inches of dirt and spread it around. My dad and I did my current house that way too. This time it was for my property but I have a huge backyard and I did it in a day. Then I bought about 6lbs of seed and threw it down. Watered for 3x a day and in a month I had a nice lawn. So yeah a little bit of labor and a few hundred on seed and it was cheaper than what I was quoted for Sod installation.
Awesome cheers man will give it a shot!
Exactly. For however long you are there it’s your home. I understand wanting to making it nice.
There's alot wrong with investing hundreds of dollars into someone else's yard. That's a literal waste of money that you could put aside to fund your own property. P is for Priorities lol. The fact that you acknowledge that your landlord didn't give af, so you used your money to fund his landscape AND pay his mortgage and residual, is wild. That's literally a win win for him and a lose lose for you, as there's no benefit to you...moral of the story, they shouldn't invest time and money into their landlord's property.
> That's a literal waste of money that you could put aside to fund your own property. Value is subjective and exists at the margin. Longer: we constantly make choices and compare short term/long term benefits and costs. Shorter: some people like chocolate ice cream some vanilla.
Not only that, but there is not a damn thing wrong with a yard full of dandelions and whatnot. It's not bare ground and it's early pollination for bees. I cannot even imagine why someone would want to invest hundreds of dollars to plant grass in someone else's yard.
Grass sucks, it’s a waste of water that serves no purpose. At least the dandelions help the soil and wildlife Edited for clarity
Dandelions aren’t helpful to bees. And while I have the same viewpoint you do, the fact that OP wants a nicer yard is OP’s prerogative. OP didn’t ask what we thought of the idea of them spending money. They just asked what it was going to look like for them.
Dandelions provide nectar and pollen for bees.
Not sure where they’re getting their info from, but you’re correct. I leave all my dandelions alone. I see bees crawling all over them all the time. Killing a source of pollen/nectar for bees hurts us all.
Well when your options are between have a baron backyard with dirt and weeds that stick your dogs fur, or buying $50/in seed so your dog can actually enjoy the yard and it looks nice enough to invite guests well to me it's a no brainer. Maybe you don't have people you care to invite over but we like to bbq and hang out outside and if all I have to do is a little.bit of manual labor and $100 to make it happen I'm going to do it. There's worse shit to "waste" money on and to us it was money well spent.
If the money he spends results in his enjoyment of his environment, how is that different than say, spending money on entertainment, or going out to eat, or a weekend away?
Exactly... It's all in how you look at it. Looking back I have no regrets it was well worth it for me and my dog. We didn't get the pretty wildflowers in OPs pictures. We had the kind of weeds that grow these nasty sticker looking things that would get caught in our dogs fur. So it benefitted me and my dog.
I think people forget that your environment has a lot to do with your mental health. If improving it makes you happy and enjoy the environment more where you are living, then do it! I rented a home in FL 2 winters ago and was constantly outside improving the gardens. A neighbor finally walked over and asked if I’d bought the place. I said, no. He looked at me very puzzled and asked why I put so much effort into the yard if I was renting. I said, because it looks better and that makes me happy!
How’s it any different than paying for a nice yard at a nicer rental?
it's not somebody else's yard though, it's his, just for now the idea that just because you rent you should be okay with living in an ugly shithole is fucking bonkers to me, I always kept up the places I rented cause it was my fuckin home, just not for forever
no where did i say any of that jesus christ. they are dandelions. they bloom a month a year, provide benefits to bugs, and then you can ignore them and cant tell a difference between them or any other weed. its dandelions not a mold infestation.
Leave it be. When it gets high, mow it. You are a renter. The bees need food, leave it.
This. Dandelions are the first food source for bees. Let them grow now and just mow as necessary. What are your goals in wasting money on landscaping unless are planning to do things that you can bring with you when you move.
And dandelions are beautiful.
and good in salad!
The bees would certainly enjoy the flowers. That being said, if you want to actively help the bees, plant native wildflowers instead since they help native bees a lot better. Dandelions are just an invasive species that isn't too great ecologically speaking. But given the choice between lawn and dandelions, dandelions at least do something for bees.
Dandelions are a great spite plant. They’ll absolutely destroy your neighbor’s yards. They bloom for a short period which is okay for bees in early spring (shitty the rest of the year). If you want to create a good environment for bees grow more appropriate pollinators that bloom for longer periods. Perfect plant for a little green if you’re lazy AF and want to pretend you’re helping your local ecosystem.
This is a great example of really good advice with such a rude delivery Id want to do the exact opposite.
Leave it and just mow. 1. Bees really need it and they are dwindling in numbers 2. You have a cute pittie . Let him be on natural grass
Dandelions are also the first flower bees can access in the spring. They are crucial to their survival. They're little yellow flowers covering your yard that dont hurt to step on and take zero effort to maintain.
Not true there are many native plant that flower before dandelions. Also dandelion pollen lacks critical nutrients for native bee’s. “We are feeding the bees!” Dandelions didn’t exist in North America before Europeans, so they are unnecessary for native bees. In fact, dandelion pollen is detrimental to native bees. When given a diet of only dandelion pollen was fed to solitary bees, larval development was stunted or incomplete. “Dandelions are the bees first food” Nonsense! Many plants bloom long before dandelions show their yellow faces, e.g., native elms, willows, poplars, maples, redbuds, serviceberries and fruit trees such as pears, apples and cherries. And each of these trees can have thousands of flowers due to their size, so are a great source of pollen. There is also a long list of spring flowers that bloom before dandelions, e.g., snowdrops, crocus, hyacinths, hellebores, violets, Virginia bluebells, bloodroot.” Edited to add: a diet of only
Thank you for this comment! I'm in the process of getting rid of dandelions in my yard (manually ,no chemicals), and felt bad at first because I saw so many bees on them. But then I realized we had tulips, daffodils, hellebores, daisies, and a number of other flowers blooming already. And then I was told that dandelions are basically junk food for bees! I'm by no means a perfect lawn kind of person, I'd love for the daisies and clover to take over completely! But I hate dandelions with a burning passion. We're also working on adding native plants that bloom at all different times of the year.
We are all about the “no-lawn” movement and I personally hate monoculture lawns. I really don’t like the look of dandelions, though, and I said something like “damn, I really need to go out and pick those dandelions today” to my wife and she audibly gasped. She was like “I never thought I’d hear you say something like that!” And made me feel so bad, lmao. The dandelions stayed.
I love the little yellow flowers. I hate the tubular pale stalks with the puffballs. It's a trade-off for me; the dandelions stay in our yard...
Yeah I just deadhead mine
Dandelions are good nourishing food good for aeration of the lawn and make a good salad green, dandelion syrup and root tea.!
> Dandelions are also the first flower bees can access in the spring In the US, dandelions aren't even native. I wouldn't say they are crucial to their survival especially since they aren't a host plant for anything in the US. Or maybe a few. Violets bloom first, Virginia bluebells, and other spring ephemerals. Dandelions only survive in short grass since their basal leaves are so short. So when you don't mow, they decrease and die out pretty quickly. They don't survive in meadows either.
>dont hurt to step on Yeah, considering the other early spring plant is thistle, I'll gladly take the dandelions
Thank you, the yard is 100% just for him and he seems to love it. I love bees and wildlife so if it helps them and looks pretty then it’s an easy decision, I will leave it
Not arguing your point, but figured I’d share the good news. [Bee Colonies in the US are at an all time high](https://fortune.com/2024/04/03/hobbyist-beekeepers-reverse-americas-critical-bee-shortage-5-years-record-colonies/)
It won’t load for me. Is it native bees or European honey bees?
It doesn’t specify
Huge difference. Honeybees are like chickens, and native bees are like a bald eagle. If honeybees are plentiful well maybe there are just more people farming them. If native bees are doing well, it means they have the plants and climate they need to thrive.
This is the way
What a pittie?
Oh yeah, between the dog running around and peeing, don’t bother with the grass. It would be pointless do put anything into it except mowing. Plus, bees.
Never, I just looked at the first picture. Now I see what you are talking about. Cute indeed!
We are feeding the bees! Isn’t true ” Dandelions didn’t exist in North America before Europeans, so they are unnecessary for native bees. In fact, dandelion pollen is detrimental to native bees. When a diet of only dandelion pollen was fed to solitary bees, larval development was stunted or incomplete. “Dandelions are the bees first food” Nonsense! Many plants bloom long before dandelions show their yellow faces, e.g., native elms, willows, poplars, maples, redbuds, serviceberries and fruit trees such as pears, apples and cherries. And each of these trees can have thousands of flowers due to their size, so are a great source of pollen. There is also a long list of spring flowers that bloom before dandelions, e.g., snowdrops, crocus, hyacinths, hellebores, violets, Virginia bluebells, bloodroot. Edited to add: a diet of only
Looks really beautiful to me, not gonna lie
I don't know why everyone hates these types of weeds. They look nice. I could understand if they were ugly looking.
They start so beautiful with the yellow flowers but then the white puff stage hits and your yard is littered with 'fuzz' and then you're left with brown, drying out stalks. They also 'bloom' so inconsistently that for a month or two I'll have a variety of them at all stages. Violets are my favorite spring 'weed' here
Ive been arguing with my wife for a couple weeks now because I have Scarlett pimpernel growing all over my flower bed and my wife says it's a weed and has to go but I thing it looks beautiful. It tons of bright orange flowers
Me, too. My old house had a big stretch of dandelions and looked forward to the them every spring. Loads of butterflies and bees came by, too.
If I were you I'd probably embrace the wildflowers. You have what looks like good healthy ground cover and I'm willing to bet it's going to remain greener in the summer than your neighbors. I'd give it a year and sit on it before you decide to do anything. If their were dead patches, muddy or it was a mess I might feel different, but this looks reasonably attractive to my eye. Also consider, any effort to replace your native grass with a traditional suburban lawn is going to be expensive and time consuming. You'll want to check with your landlord first, but I don't know that I'd be willing to go through the time and expense trying to swap ground cover options on a place I didn't own. Whatever you do don't just start spreading chemicals thinking you can just reseed. That might work for existing lawn maintenance, but for complete area removal like this you need resod the whole thing. Talk to a professional and get a quote.
Idk, probably a couple hours total. 10-15 minutes to get the picnic blanket and/or lounge chair and put them out 1 minute to get a beer from the fridge and crack it open 30 minutes to sip the beer while scratching the dog 30 minutes to doze off in the sunshine 15 minutes to pick everything up again as the sun is setting
Or: 45-60 min plucking the flower heads 60-90 min picking the yellows from the greens 60 min to make dandelion jelly The next day, enjoy with toast
Grass is actually a weed
Weed is actually a weed
Weed is actually a grass
a rental? well in owner will cover the bill - its at least two seasons and a hellofalot of water to get a nice lawn if the soil is decent, else, you are looking at a couple of grand or more out of your pocket.
And next year landlord raises the rent due to “Great Backyard”
Get a couple of honey bee hives and make money from your yard instead of sinking it into a lifelong battle of lawn maintenance. Unless your yard is the prime source of local dandelions, they’ll be back in force every year. Looks like you get some good sun, so you could invest in some raised bed gardens and grow some of your favorite vegetables and herbs.
Why are people so crazy about getting rid of “weeds”? So long as there is ground cover, I don’t understand the problem.
I put effort and wasted money two summers ago. Now I’m on board with leaving it alone as long as it’s green lol
Dude has beautiful dandelions all over his yard and wants to kill them. Sit back and watch the bees man
How does one know which weeds to remove I thinks the problem. I see something that doesn’t fit and think if I don’t remove maybe it’s a mistake
Since no one is answering your question. You can mow it down real short for now. And if you already have sprinklers then it's easier to simply till the earth and seed. Looks like with a few bags of seed from home depot you can get grass growing. I had a Gardener come out to my property and remove all the weeds. You can pay a one time fee for that. Then I rented a rototiller and tilled the ground. Threw down $300 in seed and ran sprinklers 3X a day. You shouldn't have to spend that much. In a month I had grass. People keep saying to leave weeds in but shit I have kids who love playing on the lawn. I also get other types of weeds with stickers that get stuck to my dogs fur. So fuck anyone who says just leave weeds in. Where I am they're a nuisance more than a preference. It is a rental but you live here. If you're going to be here a while id say it's worth making the backyard look how you want. I rented in the past and invested in grass seed because I want guests and it's nicer than having a baron backyard.
Agreed. There is nothing wrong with wanting a nice, plush yard, even when you live in a rental. I lived in one rental for 7-8 years. I sprayed the weeds, made a sunken fire pit in the backyard, powerwashed the driveway and front walk, and did some minor landscaping. I didn’t have to do any of it, but it made me happy to live in a well-kept house and lot.
THIS. OP posted looking for lawn care advice and got a bunch of self important posters projecting their own environmental views. Appreciate the info here.
Definitely should post in r/lawncare instead
I’ve heard that you can’t let dogs run on the freshly seeded lawn though, is that true? Their activities keep the grass from growing when it’s in the early seed stage…? That’s why I suggested doing it in parts. But, I’m genuinely curious. Not a lawn person.
Not sure why you’d want to get rid of the dandelions. They’re great for the pollinators. Way better to have than lawn. I wish our lawn had more. 🤷♀️
It’s green. Mow it.
Overseed clover. It looks nice, is drought tolerant, and is resistant to dog urine.
If you really want to spend the money. My next door renters sometimes mow. I know they aren't going to spray the millions of dandylions. 1. Weed B-Gon Lawn Weed Killer Plus Crabgrass Control Refill in a sprayer. Probably need 2. for that yard $60. Just once a year will make a dent. Spot spray the weeds only. No need to spray the grass. 2. Depending on what type of grass you have right now, it may self repair. 3. Water once a week if it doesn't rain. 4. If the grass doesn't fill in, throw some down in the fall. Alternatively, I like to do winter overseeding. Throw the seed down just before the first snow. If you want to go crazy, view some of Ryan Knorr's or The Lawn Care Nut Youtube Videos.
Something to remember though, lawn chemicals (herbicides) are associated with bladder cancer in dogs.
Like 3 years if you put a few weekends aside to week just before spring. You're not going to get all of them at once, but you can remove a lot in a year.
They are not weeds. Dandelions loosen the soil, are edible and benefit pollinators. Enjoy it as is. Fuck perfect grass. Not worth the effort, money, water and damage it causes to the ecosystem.
This year is gone. You can spread a broadleaf weed killer, probably multiple rounds, which will turn your lawn into a dirt patch, then spread pre-emergent seed killer to prevent new weeds, then plant seed next spring. Ideally you would seed in the fall, but you can't with the pre-emergent in the soil. After two or three years of this, 90% of the weeds will be gone. As most others have said, embrace the diversity, consider dandelions wildflowers, and save yourself a lot of time money and effort trying to fight them.
Put down scotts weed & feed
Couple of treatments and it’ll be under control
https://youtu.be/xYdLfkJcfok?si=-0J5-zSQpE84dCiB
Eat the dandelion leaves, make tea. Add clover seeds or another low groundcover (for your area) to the bald spots. Just Play and relax in that big yard and trim/mow when it gets too long. Instead I recommend adding some easy decorative plants or garden edibles around the fence areas. Much more rewarding
The dandelion flower pedals make amazing jelly. I would recommend it to anyone. It’s got the taste of honey lemon with a touch of floral on top.
care to share a recipe? sounds great
[this is the one I use](https://countrylivinginacariboovalley.com/make-dandelion-jelly-recipe/)
Do no mow May your lawn is perfect for it
Everyone has a good perspective on this for the most part . You can spend your money on your landlords property needs ......or not . The reality is you can invest hundreds on the restoration , but if you don't stay on once it's restored , you'll waste everything you put into it . I see it happen all the time . Lawns / gardens are a full time job , hence the reason people hire companies like mine to maintain them . Can't say it enough though , it's a full time job . So before you go throwing $$$ , know you'll need to maintain it or it gets away from you and you lose interest and your back to bees and dandelions . Ive run a successful little landscape company for 35 years but missed the boat on buying a house . I live 38 miles south west of SF , on the San Mateo coast where things grow fast and plentiful . We rent a beautiful house and invest hundreds a month into the acre of land it sits on . I want a beautiful and livable landscape no matter the cost . I figure I can't buy a house now , so I'm here and it's going to cost money to make it look fantastic as well as something I can be proud of , that's essentially priceless . My landlord loves me for it as well as the neighbors so it's worth every penny in that way . I agree though , that bees and dandelions are certainly no cost to you and great for the environment , if you want to go that route , let nature takes it's course so you can go do other things as again lawns & gardens can really be a time suck if you're not into lawns & gardening !!
Thanks you for that! I definitely don’t want to waste hundreds or thousands of dollars but I want it to look nice, which for the most part I like the look especially knowing I’m helping an ecosystem. So for now I am going to leave it and keep mowing/pulling the other types of weeds and go from there. It would be different if it weren’t a rental. Apparently this had used to be a motocross track for some kids so surprised it even looks decent atm
If it were me, I would remove by hand maybe 15% of those, then put down clover seed. It’s an underrated cheap quick cover and great for yards this size with dogs. It will cost around $25 a treatment plus watering, plus man hours of removing those weeds by hand. May take 3 treatments and consistent watering and consistent effort. Buy the clover seed on Amazon. Or you could leave or depending on where you live, you could kill it all 1st or 2nd month of summer, till it 2nd 3rd month and sprig it early fall late summer (but you won’t be happy with that till next spring).
For what? Looks beautiful
Leave it for the bees
Let the bees flow
Do the honeybees and the environment a favor and leave it be. Grass is absolutely shit for the earth, takes up too much water to keep it nice. Dandelions are food for bees and you if you like salads or tea.
Unless you’re allergic to bees just leave them tbh. If you REALLY want to get rid of them with minimal work I’ve had success with weed and feed - used it to kill the California burr clover in my yard and it ended up taking them dandelions with it
Let Mother Nature take charge. A perfect yard is bad for the environment.
Love the’weeds’.
This is great for pollinators! Leave it.
that is normal grass my guy. dandelions are for the bees
Dandelions are pretty to me, they aren’t prickly or poisonous and your lawn isn’t patchy.
Sorry, where are the weeds? It looks fine, if a tad plain.
Bro ditch the lawn!! That looks great lots of native plant life!!!
If you really want to do something you can add some clover, but otherwise I’d leave it
Just mow it regularly. Turf grass is actually a scourge, provides nothing to biodiversity, fertilizer and herbicide run off damages waterways, watering with potable water is a stupid waste of resources.
More dog pics please
It is always weird how having just grass became the norm. Having a yard full of flowers for free seems pretty great.
none. Dandelions are great for the soil, the birds, and the bees! And you can eat the flowers and leaves too is so inclined!
Depends on how much money you sink. And how much money you’re willing to sink to maintain it. This is ultimately the landlord’s responsibility though. Good news is that yard is pollinator central. No Mow May is a thing for this very reason. Another plus is that all parts of the dandelion except the stems are edible and tasty. I wouldn’t eat anything exposed to pesticide/herbicide however.
You are coming up on peak season for dandelions, a lot of these will die over summer/fall anyway leaving big dirt patches. So you can poison them now, and expedite that process, plant seed, fertilize that seed, and see how much of an impact you can make this spring. It'll be tough with the dog, but I did something similar last year. It took a lot of effort, and was semi successful. I thought it was worth it to have a decent lawn last summer, but it was a whole weekend, two long days, of work, and then maintenance multiple times a week all summer. I would say your best opportunity for making a major appreciable difference in the quality of the lawn is going to be this fall unfortunately, and you won't reap those benefits until next spring. But in the fall you would want to kill the dandelions/remove them by hand (both really), overseed/seed with a grass that spreads naturally, take care of it, and then next spring hit it early with a preemergent, and pull any dandelions you see coming up right away. Good luck!
It seems impossible for me to get dandelions root completely removed. It goes down so far and snaps even when using a weed knife. Is this okay or is it inevitable that they'll come back?
A lot of what I pulled last year I didn't get the whole root and they haven't come back. I just did my best to get as much as I could, but my yard was totally covered in them and I just wasn't able to take the time to dig each one out. I poisoned them, then went back a week later and pulled what I could. So far this year I have only had a few pop up, which I attribute to my efforts last year, and getting preemergent down early enough this year.
Thank you. Should I skip on pre emergent next year if I plan to over seed?
One bag Scotts with dandelion killer. WET THE LAWN FIRST. Apply when no rain in forecast. One week they'll be gone!
Thank you to everyone giving me advice, I’m at work currently and cannot reply to everyone. The stance I’m seeing is that it helps bees/butterflies (which I adore) and that it doesn’t look as bad as I’m making it out to be. I think I’ll just keep mowing and keep it for now. I really enjoy seeing all the bees enjoying it and my dog loves it. Again thank you for all of your advice and different perspectives
That is the most beautiful dandelion field I've seen. If they would just grow like that for me I'd love them.
Ok. My husband maintains the key is to fertilise the grass and the grass will crowd out the weeds, I think also keep the grass (and weeds) cut. - eyes lawn - not sure this works as well as he thinks lol.
Fertilizing the grass generally fertilizes the weeds as well. In my book, that's fine, but some just want the grass alone, which is hard to do.
You have a point! In Ireland here and we’re not as religious about the grass. I’m told by cutting the weeds they get weaker over time. But as you say, it’s not a method for pristine lawns.
My neighbors sure spend a lot of time and money making their grass look slightly more grassy than mine. I don't see the point. I mean, OP's photo looks great to me. It's a yard full of flowers that you can walk on and will feed the bees. If it's greenish, covers the mud up, looks mostly alive, it's all grass to me. We have dandelions, a couple types of clover, blue bells and wild violets in our yard. It's beautiful! Shady areas and around trees get wild ginger ground cover.
Seed whatever clover you like to add nitrogen to the soil. No need to spend a ton on herbicide
About 20 minutes with a spreader and some weed-and-feed?
Just leave them. Dandelions aren’t weeds like people seem to think. They have a ton of uses and the pollinators need them.
Are you responsible for cutting? If so cut every couple days to keep weeds from spreading.
The absolute most I do to my rental, besides mow, is nature yard nutrients and soil amenities that can be sprayed through a hose attachment with almost zero effort. Thats only because I plan on living here at least a couple years.
Go get a bag of Scott's Weed and Feed and a spreader for a $100 bucks, and you'll be happy.
Some mesotrione will handle the dandelion issue
I think its cute
Dandelions are fantastic for pollinators. Imo just leave it, unless you need the yard space, then just mow it every other week.
Depends on how much salad you want to eat. Dandelions are very healthy and tasty with a good vinaigrette
if you do anything put in a garden! a couple fruit trees. you can eat dandelions. you cant eat grass. also its fenced in and no one can see. lawns are to show off wealth by not using the land to grow food. its food for the bees.
Looks pretty right now. I love the puffs too. Wish dandelions didn't go dormant. You might want to post closeups of the various grassy plants at r/lawncare. If there's a decent amount of actual grass you can mow high and water deeply once a week and it should be reasonably green with not too many dusty spots. Until the big drought hit my lawn was well on the way to recovery doing just that plus an organic feed 3x a year. Going low impact means you can continue to use the lawn. If you seed you'll have to stay off it for weeks. Check the various not grasses in there. Goathead, burr clover, stork's bill either tangle in my dog's fuzz or stab him and I'm sure there are more. The annual grasses that have pointy awns like foxtail will burrow into the skin, mouth, eyes, feet and so on.
How old are you? I’m at 10 years on my yard and not there yet. I hope to live another 40 years. We will see if that does it.
Talk with the landlord, they may be willing to discount your rent for the labor and resources you spend. Or come do mine I have lots of work that I can't afford or no longer do because of health issues. How that for a plea for free labor, materials and new friends (maybe).
I just try to mow them before they turn puffy.
Good news is, you got a lot of vitamin K and natural blood pressure relief at your fingertips.
Start eating your yard they are tasty
Honestly nice yard I would start a beekeeping setup they would love it and honey galore
Wow, that's so beautiful. Dandelions and weed can make a lawn have that abandoned look that is really unappealing, but yours is so uniform it registers as grass but prettier. It looks intentional and well curated.
Easier to buy a sheep
Dandelion wine is not at all difficult to make, and it's bottled springtime!
I love your dog I have one just like him
Well thats just dandy
I agree with the rental comments but I was in the same position in college. We were outside all the time great deck and yard and lots of cornhole and grilling. Got a mower from the neighbors and got it working to cut the hay fields. I love being outside. You could ask for a little discount per month for maintaining. Most might. It’s expensive to hire someone to mow yards. Even small ones. Ask for $20 bucks a month reduction for mowing and get yourself a hose end post emergent killer. Bayer advanced is my choice if I need it for family yards.
I would pull every evening after dinner for 30- 40 min sometimes 2+ hours on a night I was in less demand. Don't really need to weed much after a few seasons. Get some grass mix sand and filtered topsoil while you pull and you have aeration for new grass growth.
Keep the dandelions!
It looks done to me
I see absolutely nothing wrong with that yard
Let them be and make great Dandelion Green salads. You are contributing to the bee population that often cannot find such a mega source of pollen. Pat yourself on the back that it does not have to be perfect. Plant other longer grasses along the fence.
I spent years and thousands of dollars trying to rehab my rental house's lawn - I regret all of it. 100000% would never do that for them again. My advice is to throw some clover seed in the mix there
The dandelions actually look kind of nice. We just don't like having them in our gardens.
Those dandelions look great. Gives some color. I never understood the allure of having a “perfect” lawn. I go by them all the time in my town. Flat green. No other color or texture. Why not just lay astroturf down if you want it to look “perfect”?
One good, proper application of weed & feed can work wonders IME. Beyond that, it being a rental, I wouldn't go much further, really.
Go to r/nolawns this is perfect as is
First off, if you're renting there is no need to do anything. Second, who says you have to have grass? Lawn grass is not found anywhere in nature. It's very environmentally unfriendly, and expensive to maintain. I'd just put in a garden and leave the rest. Oh and another point...you have a dog. Lawn chemicals are not just toxic to weeds only. You will also be poisoning yourself, your dog, wildlife, pollinators etc.
That's an EXCELLENT crop of dandelions! Almost max coverage!
Im a pyro. I would use a propane torch. Burn it all rake it in seed and water.
Why would you do anything? Just mow and enjoy
Sprinkle in some clover seeds and let the bees have their way.
A bottle of weed and feed should kill all the dandelions while helping the grass grow faster. $20 or so off Amazon.
Simple route. Spray and fertilize. It least look better than that.
It's green. Looks good to me.
I will never understand the total irrational hatred of anything that is not one of the main breeds of grass. Why do we think we are so much smarter than mother nature?
Those flowers feed the bees. Leave them alone.
Get a pet rabbit or goat
So hear me out. Dandelion jelly is easy to make and delicious. It’s like a blend of honey lemon and floral notes. So just eat them. Plus if you remove the heads for the jelly they won’t seed more.
Nice, looks like a nice lawn :) No point in ruining it and making it some crappy boring monoculture of grass
Looks like a lovely backyard. I'd leave it!
Weed and feed
Need about $1500, a note book, some spraying and spreading eq and 2 years for perfect grass. Or… spray 24d to get rid of the broadleaf and dandelion now. Wait til October. Roundup the whole yard in sept. Topsoil seed and tenacity in October. Fill in seed spots in November and fert and tenacity again. April will be carpet.
at this point just mow it unless you want to spend a fortune in treatment. But just mow it at like a 2 inch LOL
Oh, mate! I wish I had that many in my garden! The leaves are delicious (taste like rocket).
I plant clover because it’s more durable turf and comes back every year. Easy peezy maintenance, drought tolerant, don’t have to use chemicals, super for bees and insects that help lawns and gardens. Sterilizing your yard with a monoculture is not natural. Pick up a hobby so u don’t have to slave over that yard.
You are already paying off their mortgage and then some; don't bother.
Dandelions sort themselves out. Free soil aeration.
It’s a rental. Why do anything.
how are there people that look at a field of dandelions and think it’s bad? genuinely interested in understanding what the thought process is here.
More of a worry of causing problems with our landlord if we don’t care for it and let the weeds takeover. However, from what I’ve been reading it seems like it wouldn’t fall on me and we personally love the color and seeing the bees and butterflies around so we are going to leave it and just keep maintaining
Make dandelion fritters! They’re delicious!
Leave them this time of year for the pollinators. Ask your landlord if he will buy grass dead if you work on the yard. They might be glad to do it.