Can Your Neighbors' Dandelions Blow Weeds Into Your Yard?

You finally stopped dandelions from taking over your yard, only to spot your neighbors' lawn still chock-full of them. Should you be concerned? Not necessarily — dandelions can indeed blow into your yard from nearby properties, but that shouldn't pose an issue as long as your grass is healthy enough to fend off weeds.

Dandelions are master seed-spreaders. They produce an average of 15,000 seeds per plant, or up to 200 per flower. These seeds are lightweight because they're designed to spread by wind, and they can drift up to 500 miles away. In other words, you'd have to live on a remote island to prevent dandelion seeds from making their way to your property. When it comes to the dandelions on your neighbors' lawns, you don't stand a chance.

However, fences and hedges can help block these seeds from reaching your lawn. More importantly, just because dandelion seeds blow onto your yard doesn't mean you're doomed to another yard full of dandelions. A healthy lawn is less susceptible to these pesky weeds, and there are other routes available to prevent them from taking over.

By consistently watering, mowing, and fertilizing your lawn, you ensure that it's healthy and thick enough that dandelions don't stand a chance at outcompeting. Water in the early morning so the water has time to soak into the soil before evaporating. Test the soil to make sure your fertilizer contains all the nutrients your lawn needs; it may or may not need extra potassium and phosphorus, for example. And when you mow, use a slightly taller setting since taller grass blades can better shade out weeds. Leave the grass clippings on the lawn to smother weed seedlings and boost lawn health further.

If some stray dandelions still appear from those blown seeds, manually pull or mow them before they go to seed to prevent further spread. If you pull them, make sure to get the large taproot below the soil, or they will grow right back. You can also use a pre-emergent herbicide, which kills the seeds before they sprout (just know that it will also kill grass seeds), or a broadleaf herbicide to kill mature dandelions and other broadleaf weeds. Believe it or not, there are some benefits of having some dandelions in your lawn, like providing food to pollinators, so you don't have to get rid of every single one unless they're causing issues.