Research and Extension: MF-2613

Dandelion
A Grower’s Guide

Taraxacum officinale

Dandelion is a relatively recent addition to the medicinal repertoire, and wasn’t

mentioned in Chinese herbals until the 7th century or in Europe until 1486. The
name dandelion was apparently invented by a 15th-century surgeon, who com-
pared the shape of the leaves to a lion’s tooth, or dens leonis. Dandelion is con-
sidered weed in most yards and gardens, but they are nutritious, rich in minerals
and vitamins, and have medicinal qualities. The Colorado cities of Aspen and
Carbondale have declared it illegal to spray herbicides to eradicate dandelions.
They suggest that people eat the plants instead.

Family: Asteraceae to late spring. Seed needs light to germi- Parts used: Whole plant fresh or dried.
Life cycle: Herbaceous perennial nate. Do not cover. Space 10 to 12 inches Leaves and roots also used separately.
(Zone 3) apart. Reseeding will be vigorous. Seed Dandelion wine is made from the fresh
maintains viability for one year or less. blossoms, with the green calyx removed.
Native: Europe and Asia, but it is now The medicinal herb market focus is on the
one of the few plants that can truly claim Pests: No major insect or disease pests
leaf and root of the plant, and there does
pan-global dissemination. observed in the field, but human interven-
not appear to be any medical literature
tion is always a possibility. Numerous her-
Height: 8 to 24 inches about the flowers or wine.
bicides have been developed to take dan-
Sun: Full sun to partial shade delions out of lawns, and even helpful Used as: Infusion, decoction, elixir,
neighbors may think you have a weed extract, infused oil, honey, tincture,
Soil: Any soil. Responds to fertility. growing in your garden and kill it. medicinal food
Water: Low to moderate. Will respond to Harvesting: Harvest leaves any time and Medicinal benefits: Whole body tonic.
increased water and lack of competition roots in the fall or early spring. One Benefits the liver, urinary tract and skin.
from other plants. source recommends leaf harvest in the Approved for use in Europe for indiges-
Flowers: Bright yellow flowers bloom spring of the second year and roots in the tion, urinary tract infections, liver and
continuously throughout the season, but fall of the second year. Dig with a needle gallbladder complaints, and loss of
primarily in the early spring and fall. nose spade or other mechanical digging appetite. Folk uses include for disturbance
Flowers attract bees. Likes cool tempera- device. In the home garden, harvest leaves in bile flow, inflammatory conditions of
tures. by hand at any time for fresh salads or the urinary tract, gout, rheumatic disor-
tea. Some people develop skin sensitivity ders, eczema and other skin disorders.
Propagation: Easy to grow from seed. No
to the white, milky sap. One of the folk The high potassium, vitamin A and vitamin
treatment needed, but stratification of one
uses of dandelion sap was as a treatment C content of the leaves makes this a valu-
week will raise the germination rate to 90
for warts. able food.
percent. Sow directly in the field or start
seed indoors and then transplant in mid-

Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service
Market potential: High. Prices range tested at five sites for one year, and is in It may seem odd to purposely plant dan-
from $4.10 to $21.60 for leaf, and $4.10 its second year of testing at two sites. delions when they are in the lawn already.
to $30.85 for root, per pound (lb) dry There was a lot of site-to-site variability in Dandelions that are properly spaced,
weight. However, local markets can also the plant, mainly due to access to mois- weeded, watered and fertilized can get as
be tapped, and greens have sold for $5/lb ture; for example drip-irrigated plants at big as a dinner plate. This cuts down on
fresh weight in eastern Kansas, and the Colby yielded 35 g per plant in year one harvesting costs, which are a big input in
greens came from California. as compared to 5 g per plant at Olathe, a the medicinal herb business. It would take
dryland site. We also observed rabbit about 100 or more dandelions from a typ-
Summary of field trial data: Though
feeding at some locations, and were not ical lawn to weigh as much as one of the
up to 3,000 lbs/A dry weight have been
able to quantify losses due to rabbits. Our dandelions from our best field plots.
reported, our values were far below that,
fairly low survival rate is probably not These plants will produce seed, but it is
at 400 to 600 lbs/A of leaves, and around
accurate, as many times our enthusiastic only viable for one year. Harvest the blos-
700 lbs/A of roots. A yield of 3,000 lbs/A
volunteer help did not realize that the soms before seeding and make dandelion
should be possible because at a planting
dandelion was a crop in this experiment, wine. Share with the neighbors to ease
density of 29,000 plants/A, plants would
and not a weed. concerns about a dandelion crop in the
only need to weigh 47 g. This species was
neighborhood.

K-State Field Trial Data 2000-2002 Taraxacum officinale

Average Comments
Age of plants in years 1 2 3
Number of test sites1 5 2 0
Survival rate (%) 65.0 38.5 — 51.8
Vigor rating 2
3.7 3.6 — 3.7
Height (cm) 22.2 20.5 — 21.4
Dry weight herb (g/plant) 15.1 18.7 — — Range of 5 to 35 g/plant in year 1, and
9 to 28 g/plant in year 2.
Dry weight root (g/plant) 17.9 31.5 — — Range of 11 to 23g/plant in year 1, and
16 to 46 g/plant in year 2.
Maturity rating3 1.8 1.0 — 1.4
Insect damage rating 4
0.3 1.5 — 0.9
Disease rating 5
0.6 0.3 — 0.4
Estimated planting density 29,040 29,040 — — Assume 1- by 1.5-ft. spacing.
(number of plants/A)
Plant density6 18,876 11,180 — —
kg/acre dry weight 285 209 — —
(g/plant x plant number) – tops

Estimated marketable yield 628 461 — —

(dry weight lbs/A) – tops
Yield x 1⁄2 of low price1 - tops $1,287 $945 — —
Yield x ⁄2 of high price - tops
1 1
$6,782 $4,979 — —
kg/acre dry weight 338 352 — —
(g/plant x plant number) – roots
Estimated marketable yield 744 776 — —
(dry weight lbs/A) – roots
Yield x 1⁄2 of low price1 - roots $1,525 $1,591 — —
Yield x 1⁄2 of high price1 - roots $11,480 $11,974 — —
1 See “How Data Were Collected,” on page 3.
2 Vigor rating (1=very poor, 3=slightly above average, 5=very good, well adapted)
3 Maturity rating (1=vegetative, 2=early bud, 3=early flower, 4=full flower, 5=seed production, 6=senescence)
4 Insect damage rating (scale of 0 to 5; 0=no damage and 5=severe damage)
5 Disease rating (scale of 0 to 5 with 0=no damage and 5=severe damage)
6 Calculated as starting plant density x survival rate.
How Data Were Collected
The plants described in this fact sheet were grown in K-State test plots in Hays, Colby, Wichita, or Olathe, Kan. Generally,
four replications of each species were included at a site. Not all species were screened at each site or each year. The number
of locations is noted in the table. Depending on the location and year, either five or 10 plants per plot were established in each
of the replications. Details can be found at www.oznet.ksu.edu/ksherbs. Plants were grown from seed in the greenhouse and
transplanted in the field in May or June.
All plants at each location were used to determine survival percentage, vigor rating, insect damage rating, and disease rating
as described above. Three plants per plot were measured for height, and only one plant per plot was harvested to measure
yield each year. Because there were four plots, this allowed us to estimate yield from four plants at each location per year.
Plants were dried, and top and root weights recorded in grams. Grams per plant were converted to kilograms per acre (kg/A)
and pounds per acre (lb/A) to estimate field-scale yield. The population density used to calculate field yields was the optimal
population density (determined by the average size of the plants) times the actual percentage survival as measured in the
field. There was generally some loss due to transplant shock and, for some species, significant winter loss as well.
Plant spacing recommendations on each fact sheet are for spacing within a row. Distance between rows will depend on the
particular farming operation and equipment used. The minimum row spacing will be the same as the plant spacing recommen-
dation. For example, if the recommendation is to set plants 12 inches apart, rows should be a minimum of 12 inches apart as
well. However, if cultivator or root-harvesting equipment is on 5-foot centers, plant rows 5 feet apart to facilitate cultivating and
harvesting. Adjust estimated plant density per acre on the worksheets to estimate gross yield and net income.
Prices were taken from Appendix B of K-State Research and Extension publication S-144 Farming a Few Acres of Herbs: An
Herb Growers Handbook. To calculate a rough gross income potential for each herb, estimated yield was multiplied by the
lowest and the highest retail price, divided by two. This is a rough estimate of wholesale price. Actual prices would be deter-
mined based on a contract obtained from a buyer.
 Rhonda Janke, sustainable cropping systems specialist
Jeanie DeArmond, extension assistant

Brand names appearing in this publication are for product identification purposes only. No endorsement is intended,
nor is criticism implied of similar products not mentioned.
Publications from Kansas State University are available on the World Wide Web at: http://www.oznet.ksu.edu
Contents of this publication may be freely reproduced for educational purposes. All other rights reserved. In each case,
credit Rhonda Janke, Farming a Few Acres of Herbs: Dandelion, Kansas State University, April 2004.

Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service
MF-2613 May 2004
K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension Work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, as amend-
ed. Kansas State University, County Extension Councils, Extension Districts, and United States Department of Agriculture Cooperating, Fred A. Cholick, Director.