Experts reveal way to kill dandelion weeds without chemicals — and it makes your lawn thicker, too

If you take pride in your lush lawn, there’s nothing worse than seeing a handful of dandelion weeds taking over your grass.

Not only do these bothersome weeds grow rapidly in unwanted places, but are notoriously hard to fully remove due to its large central taproot.

What’s more, dandelions often compete with plants and other crops for nutrients in soil, water and sunlight, and risk killing them.

While the first call of action would be to use commercial weed killers, these harsh chemicals can often cause more damage to your healthy lawn.

Luckily, there is one natural item that can banish weeds from your lawn that won't harm the grass. What’s more, it’s completely natural, doesn't require strong chemicals, and you can pick one up for under $50.

So what is this natural, dandelion weed killer?

Kill dandelions with Corn Gluten Meal (CGM)

According to gardening experts, sprinkling corn gluten on your lawn can prevent growth of dandelion and large crabgrass seeds from sprouting.

This powdery by-product of the corn milling process releases amino/dipeptides (proteins) into the soil, which starves the dandelion roots of water.

What’s more, corn meal gluten contains 60% protein in it, and nitrogen, which are the key essential nutrients needed to fertilize plants.

“Besides its high protein content, CGM also contains 10% nitrogen by volume, making it an excellent, natural, slow-release fertiliser for lawns.” states Linda Naeve, urban agriculture specialist at Iowa State University to the Daily Express.

“It promotes thicker lawns, resulting in fewer places for weeds to become established.”

More importantly, corn meal is a natural weed control method that is much safer to use around the yard.

“Preventive methods like corn gluten meal, a natural organic weed killer, or polymeric sand make it harder for the weeds to take hold and prevent them from returning,” adds Trevor Knight, landscape expert at Marshalls.

“Just avoid chemical solutions that could be detrimental to the paving and any sensitive border planting. For maximum effect, try to apply any treatments when the weather is dry and warm."

Jonathan Green Corn Gluten Lawn Fertilizer: was $59 now $43 at Amazon

This natural ingredient can prevent more than 25 different types of weed and is safe to use around children and pets. It comes in a 15 pound bag which is ideal for a coverage of 5,000 sq. ft. Plus, it's now on sale making it a bargain.

View Deal

Another thing to bear in mind is that corn gluten meal is only effective against seeds, not mature plants — so you’ll still need to manually remove them.

You could use gardening trowels or specific dandelion weeding tools to dig out the taproot. In fact, weeding tools like this Grampa’s Weeder are designed with a claw design, to easily get rid of weeds without the back-breaking, manual labor.

So if you want to prevent dandelions rearing its ugly head in your lawn, you might need to invest in corn gluten meal to banish them once and for all.

More from Tom's Guide

• 3 weeds you should never compost, according to experts
• Here’s 7 ways to prevent weeds from invading your yard
• 7 plants that prevent weeds in your yard