The Dandelion in Colorado 
27 
poses of each plant by removal of the whole root. This is the 
method employed by the gardeners in charge of the Denver City 
Parks, where it is practiced successfully over several hundred 
acres of public lawns. A special tool has been devised for this 
purpose which closely resembles one to be found on the market 
except that it is straight and of equal width throughout and is 
less deeply notched at the end. Being also stiffer, it is better 
adapted to prying the plants out of the ground. The dimensions 
of this tool are: Blade, 1 inch wide, inch thick, 8 inches long, 
outside of the handle. 
The most suitable time for taking dandelions out of the lawn 
with this tool is while the ground is quite soft, following a rain 
or an irrigation. The point of the tool is pushed into the 
soil about 4 inches away from the plant to be removed and at an 
angle of about 45 degrees. No attempt is made to cut the root but 
instead it is pried out by pushing downward on the handle of the 
tool. 1 he plant is then pulled out by grasping it just below the 
crown, aftei which the sod is pressed back into place with the foot. 
In lawns where the sod is thick and tough it is often desir¬ 
able to first cut it open close to the plant with the point of the 
tool. 4 his causes the sod to split open, when pried up, in such a 
way that the plant can be easily lifted out with the fingers. 
The removal of dandelions by this method requires more time 
than by the common way of digging, but it is the most effective 
means of destroying the plants in one operation without the use 
of herbicides. 
Deep digging, which removes only the upper part of the root, 
while not preventing the sprouting of the part left in the ground, 
is nevertheless advisable as it requires a longer time for sprouts 
to get to the light. This means delayed blooming and reduced 
vigor, while some of them may entirely fail to reach the surface. 
Prevention of Seed Production .—On account of the fact that 
the spreading of the dandelion is almost wholly dependent upon 
seed, it is evident that the prevention of seeding is an important 
matter in the control of the weed. While it is usually impossible 
to prevent the going-to-seed of plants outside of one’s own boun¬ 
daries it should be done upon the premises. As previously noted, 
it has been found that at least seven days, after the first day of 
blossoming, are required for seeds to mature sufficiently to germ¬ 
inate. Thus, if all flower heads were removed once a week from 
the lawn, there would be no danger from this source. Mowing 
the lawn each week, especially during the period of profuse bloom¬ 
ing, will take care of a great many flower heads except those which 
lie too close to the ground to be cut off by the mower. Those 
