That is not an attention grabbing headline, guys. I’m serious. This thing is insane.
But, I suppose I should qualify that statement by telling you that my previous tool had been the same one my mom handed to me when I was 10 and sent me out the front door. You know the one — a 14″ long single handle fork. You had to bend over or sit on the ground, dig it into concrete-like clay soil, swear, curse and complain, only to have the dandelion break at the top of the stem? Yeah, that one.
So, when I say “World’s Best”, the competition wasn’t all that impressive.
Still. This is one amazing tool, if only for the fact that you can use it standing up. Many times, it gets the whole dang root. If that isn’t the most exciting, satisfying high, I don’t know what is.
And here is where I waiver a bit…
How important is it, really, to eradicate dandelions? Especially where I live, out in the country:
That field above is ‘prairie grass.’ Actually that field is weeds. I have no idea why the prairie grass didn’t take there, but we still treat it like prairie grass. And the weeds are definitely winning. So you’ve got this meadow of dandelions. And then you’ve got this manicured lawn butting up to it. And I waiver…
Cuz I’m a fairly organic kind of girl, and getting more so as I get older. I just don’t like the idea of rolling around in a sea of poison. But that’s what you’ve gotta do to keep the dandelions away unless you dig them out. And frankly, that seems down right impossible — though I’m going to try. Because Weed-B-Gone is about the worst of the worst when it comes to toxicity and longevity in the soil. I. Hate. Weed-B-Gone.
Now here’s where things really get hypocritical: I just fertilized the grass and the fertilizer had crab grass preventer. Dave bought it, not me, because he thinks my organic bend is silly and stupid. Yes, we probably need to keep the crab grass at bay. But has anyone read the bag? It’s SCAREY! That stuff sits on the surface of the soil, doing its thing for SIX WEEKS! So there I am with the dog, rolling around on little poison pellets. Isn’t that crazy? For a manicured lawn? Still, I’m the one who spread the stuff. I am surely a hypocrite or organic philosophy.
Now don’t be going all namby-pamby in the comment section. Yes, I have tried corn gluten meal, and other various organic weed control and fertilizer products. For years. And I don’t buy it. I think contractors use crappy soil, I think sod is crappy and thatch-ridden and you live with it and deal with it forever after. I have wild grass that has escaped the ‘lawn’ into the adjoining prairie, where the dirt is natural and isn’t part of the sod and it is so healthy! Too bad I don’t WANT the grass there…
Anyway. That’s my dilemma for the day. It is my debate for the duration. It is my anguish come August.
…And it is my life for the next week while I listen to The Seamstress on my iPhone and dig dandelions with the World’s Best Dandelion Digger.
Nat Alea from OK says
I personally like dandelions. Heck I love any flower, even if they make me sneeze until I pee my pants!!!! (not really but close) But they are the bane of my husbands existance. I hear it every time he goes outside to do anything.
admin says
if it makes you feel any better. I peed in my pants reading your comment.
🙂
Sylvana says
We started using the corn-based fertilizer/weed preventative last year. Our neighbor’s yard had been literally nothing but dandelions and crabgrass, so we decided we should do something before we had matching yards. We created a cycle that we are hoping works. Seed in the fall, fertilize in the spring, mulch mow (high setting) whenever the grass grows an inch above the last mow, and each of us (me, my husband, and my son)will pull 5 gallons of dandelions every month. We have a similar, but probably not as effective, tool – the WeedHound. I’ll be reporting how this works eventually – like when I see an effect. Right now our grass does seem fuller and healthy than it did last year, so maybe it is working. As far as the dandelions – almost as many as ever.
Good luck! I might get one of these Fiskar tools.
admin says
It certainly is never ending with the weeds. I used corn gluten for about 3 years in a row. I can’t say whether is worked or not. chances are, my lawn had problems no fertilizer — organic or otherwise — could have solved. My dogs like it though. They’d sit out there for hours, licking the grass…
Jami says
You forgot to post the recipe for dandelion tea or jelly or whatever it is you make with all of those fabulous dandelions!
Serina Seekell says
Its actually a cool and helpful piece of info. I¡¦m satisfied that you simply shared this helpful information with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing.
admin says
Slyvana: any update on your organic fertilizer a year later? My lawn is a MESS.
Jami — where ya been of late?
admin says
And the funniest thing as I re-read this post a year later — I mean aside from the typo that I’m just now seeing? Is that the google adsense ad that pops up for me today is for… WEED B GONE!
Pat Hall says
The dandelion ‘flowers’ make a quite good white wine, and the leaves, if grown in a field make a very nice salad (they get sort of blanched when grown in long surrounding plants/grass. Actually, they are now selling ‘Dandelion’ greens at the grocery store. Similar to ‘Endive'(bacon, green onions, hard boiled egg, & vinaigrette).
Jim says
need to where to get this item?
jenmenke says
Hi Jim:
http://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-Deluxe-Stand-up-Weeder-4-claw/dp/B0030MIHAU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1459871554&sr=8-1&keywords=fiskars+stand+up+weeder