DANDELION (Taraxacum officinale)
Published: 2015-03-14Tags: алелопатия, глухарче, растения-компаньони, другаруване
Translation
This is a translation of a Bulgarian-language post. It conveys the content faithfully but is not the author's original English writing.
The dandelion loves good, deep soil, like clover and alfalfa. The soil around dandelions is attractive to earthworms, because this plant is a natural "machine" for humus.
The dandelion in your ryegrass lawn may annoy you, but in fact it does not compete with the other grasses, because it takes nutrients from a much deeper layer of the soil — its roots reach 90 cm down. They penetrate very deep and accumulate substances, especially minerals such as calcium, which they deposit on the surface, making up for the losses from erosion. When dandelions die, their rotting roots become like an elevator for the worms, allowing them to go deep into the soil. Dandelions "exhale" ethylene gas, which halts the growth and development of neighbouring plants. Vegetables and fruit nearby, on the other hand, ripen earlier.
The leaves, eaten fresh in salads and sandwiches, are full of vitamins A, B, C and D and minerals such as iron, potassium and zinc. The flowers are used to make "honey", ointments and "wine"!