Dandelion removal and recycling.

Q. How do you eradicate dandelions from your garden?
A. Get a tortoise.

My children have a tortoise each. They were around a year old when we bought them and they have doubled in size in around 14 months. The tortoises, not the children. Like all tortoises nowadays they came from a certified dealer and had their own official certificates. They were expensive at around £150.00 each but as they live for such a long time, that works out to around £1.00 per tortoise per annum!

We had tortoises when we were little but they were mature specimens. I’m sure my father told me that they were that size when he was young so they may have been 60 to 70 years old. They were with my parents for many years, but sadly one died four years ago. The tortoise, not the parent. The other one was given to a local wildlife park as my parents went away too often for them to be cared for properly.

Tortoises eat a large range of plants, fruit and vegetables although it seems that dandelions are their favourite. Our garden is totally devoid of dandelions as they are all picked and recycled as food as soon as they have any decent shoots. If you want a garden free of dandelions but don’t want a tortoise then just pretend you have one.

I took my daughter’s friend home the other day and was delighted to see that her garden had quite a few of the luscious weeds. People always laugh a little when I ask whether I can pick their dandelions but are always grateful for the extra weed removal service.

If you have weeds growing on paved areas, the best way to keep them at bay is to spray with weed killers available from most garden centres. Spray as soon as the new weed shoots appear. Little and often is the best method here and when I say often I mean every month or so. Use appropriate masks and gloves when applying. Large weeds should be removed by hand to avoid unsightly brown vegetation. Either that or get a tortoise.

I have found Sodium Chlorate a very effective and economical weed killer. The recommended application method usually involves dissolving the granules in a watering can (keeping that can for weeds only) and pouring the solution over the affected area. I have found that using a hand pumped sprayer with the nozzle adjusted to drizzle as opposed to fine spray works really well and the amount you need is minimal, which saves both money and the environment. Remember; use appropriate masks and gloves when applying.

For weed control on beds in which you will be planting, another product I have used successfully is Weedol2. The product neutralises as soon as the solution touches the soil and the bed can be planted as soon as the soils has dried. Often in minutes!

On the other hand, if you enjoy having an aching back, just dig them all out by hand!