I have a nice crop of dandelions rapidly taking over the lawn. Any recommendations on how to irradicate them safely along with other broadleaf . We do have a dog that roams the grounds.
It's hard to get rid of dandelions without poison because the tap root is often pretty deep - two or three feet. They will just grow back if you don't remove the root and all. And you obviously need to get at them before the yellow flowers turn into those puffballs that spread seeds everywhere.
Having a healthy, thick lawn is the best defence. You will basically be choking them. Don't mow too low and regularly feed the lawn so the grass becomes thick enough to keep weeds like dandelions from establishing.
I asked this question once at a Flower and Garden show many years ago. Their recommendation was to pour boiling water on the weeds in the lawn you want to kill. It cooks everything that it touches (so you'd need be careful in your application) and is likely to kill the entire root as well because heat and water travels.
