The dandelion used to be a plant people liked. Then herbicide companies' marketing convinced everyone it was a week [sic]. And it can be actually harmful in agriculture, apparently, and you can be allergic to it. Whichever side you're on, you might want to keep dandelion seeds from crossing the boundaries of your yard/park/field, either inbound or outbound.

A potential way to accomplish this is to use a laser to burn the airborne seeds. They can be detected by how they block a beam of light, but that's not specific to dandelion seeds. In the Photonic Fence developed by Intellectual Ventures to shoot mosquitoes and other insects [link], the frequency of the flapping wings is used to distinguish insect types and sexes. In the case of dandelion seeds, which don't have flapping wings, I think maybe the radial hairy bits that let them float on the wind might diffract light in distinctive way that could be detected, or the shape could be detected using a camera. Then it's just a matter of aiming the laser at the detected seed and burning it so it won't grow. Now your lawn is safe from dandelions in the neighborhood, or your neighbors' lawns are safe from your dandelion flowerbed.

65/411 [2019-04-21]
-- notexactly, Apr 23 2019

Wikipedia: Mosquito laser https://en.wikipedi...wiki/Mosquito_laser
Mentioned in idea body. Inspiration for this idea [notexactly, Apr 23 2019]

some laser weeding references https://www.google....1-d&q=laser+weeding
[beanangel, Apr 23 2019]

a particular laser weeder https://www.realagr...-weeds-with-lasers/
[beanangel, Apr 23 2019]

Halfbakery: Midge Laser Midge Laser
First mentioned here in early 2006 [zen_tom, Apr 24 2019]

Eat the Dandelions? https://www.mothere...greens-zmaz08amzmcc
[Skewed, Apr 24 2019]

If it - whatever "it" is - violates your airspace, blast it out if existence.

Subtlety is for losers.
-- 8th of 7, Apr 23 2019


<otrttii> I know they're called "dandelion clocks" and there's that thing where you count how many puffs it takes to blow all the seeds off, but they rarely last a week. </obligatory tangential reference to typo in idea>
-- hippo, Apr 24 2019


sp. weed (not "week"). the proper definition for a weed by the way is simply any plant growing somewhere you don't want it, a self seeded rose in the middle of your potato patch is a weed. a rose by any other name = weed.

Dandelions are edible by the way so why not just eat them?
-- Skewed, Apr 24 2019


^ or since it seems to be your neighbor's dandelion seeds that are wafting into your airspace, get your neighbor to eat them. Extra points for getting them to devour the crabgrass and clean up after their dog.
-- whatrock, Apr 24 2019


//get your neighbour to eat them// I eat most of my own dandelion greens and flower buds (excellent fried in butter). The roots make a good uncaffeinated 'dandy coffee' blend mixed with roasted barley. At $50/lb Dandy Blend on Amaxon, I find 'Free but for a bit of labour' to be a better price.

I do not eat the neighbours' dandelions, as I do not trust them, or their dandelions; there have been clandestine after-dark sightings of WeedMan applicators (not to be confused with the 'good' kind of 'weed'). Boo.
-- Sgt Teacup, Apr 24 2019


// the proper definition for a weed by the way is simply any plant growing somewhere you don't want it //

Yes—that's the point of //Then herbicide companies' marketing convinced everyone it was a weed//. They convinced people to not want it.

// Dandelions are edible by the way so why not just eat them? //

Yes—that's the point of //your neighbors' lawns are safe from your dandelion flowerbed//. If you grow them to eat, without using my invention, their seeds will spread to your neighbors' lawns and make them angry, due to the above.
-- notexactly, Apr 24 2019


Oh, I don't grow them on purpose. They sneak in from elsewhere. I just eat them before they go to seed, so *my yard* is not the problem. My neighbours need your invention, because they don't know or don't care about eating 'your liver's best friend'.
-- Sgt Teacup, Apr 24 2019


bees love dandelions. we love bees.
-- po, Apr 25 2019


Hmm… we could also use laser fences or turrets to defend beehives against marauding wasps and… do bees get mites or anything like that? if so, those as well.
-- notexactly, Apr 25 2019



random, halfbakery