Managing dandelion growth

Hello, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. We moved to a new house when I was young and we had to pull weeks before Daddy would take us swimming. We probably pulled dandelions, but that was futile as dandelions have long tap roots, and unless you get almost all of it out, they merrily grow right back. Companies have developed tools that supposedly make it easy to have a lawn free from dandelions. The finest looking ones that let you stand up are expensive; others have different gizmos that clasp the root after you push the metal in the ground, and others are for those who have so many dandelions that they might as well get down on their hands and knees. It’s more important to get the upper part of the root; sometimes you just can’t get it all.