Dandylions!

Somehow it became my responsibility to keep the yard free of the Yellow Menace.  We didn't have a problem with them until a few years ago and then they invaded.

If you don't live in an typical American suburb/small town you might not understand the mindset.  Dandelions are a scourge.  To have them in your yard shows a lack of character on your part.  Neighbors talk about you over backyard fences.  You're not invited to block parties.  You're shunned.  Well, maybe not that bad but if you live in an area with the putting green yards and you have dandelions you really are an outcast.

One of our neighbors showed us a yard tool called a Weed Hound.  This thing really works and gets down about three inches under the surface to pull up roots.  Personally I think it could be about six inches taller but that's just me.  The Rastl household has found that using this hurts Mr. Rastl's back too much so Rastl gets to pull all the weeds.  Funny that.

So every day when I take the dogs out I scout the yard for offending yellowness.  And then I go around and yank the suckers out.  There is something strangely satisfying about the crack of hearing a taproot break, knowing you got it in just the right place.  I'm not strong enough to just push down on the plunger to clear and rest the tool so I have to spin it around and drop it on the ground.  Spin it back upright and off to the next one.

Right now there's a pile of pulled dandelions on the tiny section of patio bricks, waiting to be bagged up.  It kind of feels like a victory pile as I see all the weeds that didn't get a chance to fulfill their mission.

Some notes on dandelions.

They hide.  A lot of the time until you see them flower you don't even realize they were there.  The center of the plant is just below the surface and once you locate it you can see all the flower heads waiting for their chance.  So another strain is getting down there and locating the heart of the beast.

They're huge.  You pull out one from the center and suddenly you've got a foot-wide spread of leaves.  Since they're so low to the ground they can keep their leaves under the grass.

They'll be back.  I can break off the taproot but I know it's still there.  Waiting for a chance to grow.

But overall if I can keep them from going to seed I think I'm doing well.  I might slowly reduce the number of them in the yard as they don't regrow after being pulled but if they go to seed I'll have a whole new back to deal with later.

In summary.  If you need to get rid of dandelions, don't want to use chemicals, and can invest a little bit of money in a tool go for that Weed Hound.  And somehow get someone else in your household to use it.