There really aren't any other options - manual removal (digging) or some sort of herbicide are pretty much your only choices outside of covering the entire area and smothering them. And that would also put paid to anything else growing in the area.

Everything is chemical in make up, even so-called organic herbicides. But organic herbicides have little to no effect on taprooted perennial weeds like dandelions. Spot treating with a registered broadleaved lawn weed killer will have a minimal impact on the environment and there are cane-like tools that can help in delivering herbicide in a very tiny concentrated area that will target only the weed. There are also long handled tools intended specifically to address removal of the dandelion taproot, which unless you get and remove it all, will just generate a new plant.

Box stores should sell both.

There are several. A good old-fashioned weed fork will help to get rid of most of them. Hound Dog products makes the Weed Hound, which is a tool you can use while standing up that acts like a deeper weed fork and pulls the dandelion (or other weed) out, and breaks the tap root (if any) pretty deep down, too.

Horticultural vinegar works. It's high-strength vinegar that you can paint or very carefully spray on the dandelion itself but it'll kill anything it touches. It'll also blind you if you get it in your eyes, so wear goggles or face gear. (For that reason, I refuse to use it at all).

Thickening your lawn will result in a lawn that doesn't have spaces for dandelions to grow! So get a soil test and post it here for reading. Post-tuning, the grass will strengthen, grow in, and disallow weeds. I get a couple a year (literally, about two--I removed 1 dandelion about a week ago).

But for right now, water properly (deeply and about once weekly on most lawns and soils), feed 3-5 times a year on most northern lawns (southern ones differ), and keep after the weeds as you can.

If you let us know your location and lawn type (if you know that) we can give you more specific instructions.

Horticultural vinegar ony kills the top growth due to desiccation. it is not translocated to the root system like glyphosate or many other herbicides so has no effect on the plant root. A new plant will develop in no time. And IME, no matter how thick and lush your lawn may be, dandelions will happen....especially if neighboring properties are not diligent the their control as well.

I dig them out. It satisfies something in me. If I don’t have time to weed, I at least yank off the flowers and definitely the puffballs as I walk by.

I must disagree. Now, the lawn in front of me does take care of things, and I handle to the fence. But I haven't sprayed (other than Tenacity on one or two P. annua patches that I always get) or manually removed and there are no weeds here. Behind me and to the left and right are weed fields.

Manage the lawn well and it cultures itself...but that does mean balancing the soil and feeding very, very well--and having a grass that will spread and choke out weeds as well, so KBG up north, Bermuda down south, and one or the other in the transition zone, depending.

The photo didn't post. Here it is.

"I must disagree. "

Of course you must :-) But not everyone is lawn-obssessed or lives where it is practical or even recommended to constantly provide water and fertilizers and pesticides to maintain a lush lawn. And it doesn't appear that you have neighbors that allow their lawns to grow unkempt and without regard for weeds. Not everyone lives in well maintained suburbia :-)

"Of course you must :-)"

Pot, kettle.

I don't do much any longer except feed and mow, and don't use pesticides in any great amounts. My last gallon of Tenacity lasted three years, I'm still working on the gallon of Round Up from three years ago. I don't use anything else.

I'd send photos of left and right, but there's no need. They're unkempt. This is not suburbia, this is one block from legally reserved greensward and private farmer's field, with plenty of weed seed blowing in constantly.

Not everybody lives where they appear to live. :-)

Anybody can do this, city, suburbs, country. It takes some initial set up, but even my rather aged mother has done it without much help and now maintains a builder's grade, fairly weed-free lawn with no help from me. She does get a little clover occasionally which I simply tell her to ignore; I don't consider clover a weed.

As to why you're discouraging people from trying, well, you'll have to determine that one for yourself. Have a truly lovely day.

Hi everyone.

Nickjoseph - I know you said you hate chemicals and digging but that's about the only two ways you will solve your problem.

I find it's better to use chemicals that are less harmful to the environment and for that reason I've been using a mixture my grandmother told me about many years ago. It's simply a cup of salt dissolved in a litre of vinegar. Some say to use Epsom Salts but I find ordinary house salt works just as well. I find this will kill pretty well all weeds and it does it very quickly as well. I'm sure it will knock over your dandelions.

Two things you do need to be aware of though is that you must not get it on plants you don't want poisoned and also, you must thoroughly wash out your sprayer when you finish otherwise the mixture will rust the metal parts inside.

All the best, Nev

Thanks for that. Can I strongly assume if some of that mixture dribbles on the surrounding grass it will also kill the grass.

"If you catch the dandelions early they are delicious in salads."

Yep, eat them and encourage wild rabbits. Rabbits love dandelions. Pull them up by the roots in the early spring before they make the big carrot type roots. Work on the most established roots with a weeding fork. Pick the flowers as they bloom and freeze for dandelion wine. ( I haven't made it, but would love to.)

You can also roast the roots for a coffee substitute, something I've never done, but have always wanted to. ; ))

Hubby went out & dug out about 50% of them. When do they normally go to seed?

Anytime. If you see a flower, you will have the puffball seeds in a few days.

I haven't. They just "close up" at night & re-open in the sun light.

You could try a weed torch, they are sold lots if places but here is one at Walmart

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Portable-Weed-Lawn-Landscape-Torch-Burner-Hot-Air-Ice-Melter-Melting-Garden-Tool/751611106?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=18757&adid=22222222228282222093&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=341115349151&wl4=pla-671430941891&wl5=9032528&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=125211065&wl11=online&wl12=751611106&wl13=&veh=sem&gclid=CjwKCAjwiN_mBRBBEiwA9N-e_jD0c5ogdixSuLbQQc10wlEJODUIdb-pcOpzc5uF5oLTdWROG2Z1cBoCbMoQAvD_BwE

You still might get 'em back if the tap roots are deep, even if you burned, chemically fried, or otherwise sliced and diced 'em. :-)

That's no matter. For younger dandelions, you won't see them again. For older ones, keep after it and eventually the tap root runs out of energy.

" I haven't. They just "close up" at night & re-open in the sun light. "

Give them a bit. :-) Either they'll self- or cross-pollinate and form a seed head, or simply drop (almost all pollinate).

There are 34 species of dandelion (2000 microspecies) depending on how you count, so plenty of different habits depending on which species you're dealing with.

Apply corn gluten meal.

https://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&source=hp&ei=597YXOP1IuKi_QbZrbe4DA&q=corn+gluten+meal+for+lawn&oq=corn+gluted+meal&gs_l=psy-ab.1.2.0i13l10.2749.9786..15961...0.0..0.499.2505.0j16j4-1......0....1..gws-wiz.....0..35i39j0i131j0.dbW7qLahTz4

Well, it wouldn't take much herbicide to kill them all. Maybe a couple of ounces of 3-way and you can spot spray them. Think of all the carbon emissions you'll be saving by not having to be out there for hours digging up dandelions :-)

I use a Weed Hound tool. You can pluck them out of the ground as fast as you can walk from one to the next. They used to be $15, but demand has pushed the price up. check your box stores.

I cut the bottom off an old ketchup bottle and used duct tape to attach it to the side bar of the lawnmower handle and it holds a classic dandelion digger. DH generally stops the mower and removes any dandelion he sees when he mows. Dandelions are not nearly as hard to weed as oxalis or black medic or chickweed or veronica or hairy watercress. . . Sever the root of the dandelion as low as you can. If it re-emerge, sever it again.

Hubby worked on digging with a small tool recommended. He had a number of nice size piles & was getting them out by the roots. Looked outside today to see if "he made a dent". He really made a nice dent. I can tell just by looking out the windows, there are a lot less. I want to keep some for the bees.

Please don't show that weed torch to my husband!

I would love to have a hubby itching to go out and battle the weeds! :)
FYI the weed torch is used to heat up the weed and dehydrate it--you don't actually set them on fire. Think of laying them on a hot sidewalk in the hottest part of summer.
Carla in Sac

sautesmom, he was not itching by any means. It was me..... but I was doing the itching & he did the scratching. :) But then with the weed torch, it wouldn't really kill it cuz the root would still be there?

Weed torches work the same way horticultural vinegar does. They dry up, desiccate or burn the top growth, disabling the plant's ability to photosynthesize. Works fine with annual weeds. But with perennial taprooted weeds like dandelions, burning or drying the top growth is not sufficient to kill the plant because the energy stored in that big root is more than enough to provide regrowth.

They do come back (as do things like nutsedge and the like), but if you keep after them and don't let them flourish, eventually you'll drain the taproot of energy and they die.

Young, not well established dandelions don't come back; the root simply hasn't established yet and doesn't have sufficient energy to re-establish the top plant. For new ones in the garden, I tend to simply twist off the top and toss it into the lawn. They don't return.

Observation over the next two weeks will show that. Of what your husband took out, some will come back. Much won't. You'll get a feel for it; with older plants, try to dig deeper. The further down you can break the taproot, the less likely it is that the taproot will be able to re-establish the plant. Although very old, very strong taproots can pretty much regrow regardless...

If you've had a problem for years, you may have quite a few older taproots that may take quite a lot of work to kill.