Grass cycling vs dandelion seed fluff

I have been a lurker to the forums and tried searching a relevant thread but haven't had any luck. So I have decided to join and post. I have been trying to maintain an organic lawn for the past 10 years in Northern Alberta much to the chagrin of the neighbours, my wife and occasionally myself. Each year it gets better.

I have been trying to follow the Organic Lawn Care FAQ using CMG, compost, overseeding, aeration techniques, etc. The problem is our yard is lovely clay which compacts easily. I've added compost and overseeded everyyear.

I mow high (>3 inches) and the grass is thick and the best it has been in years. I am now at a conundrum. This time of year is the worst as dandelions seem to go from yellow to fluff in an instant. I am debating whether to bag the fluffs and the lawn clippings and lose valuable organic matter or to grass cycle and risk having them go to seed.

Any thoughts/opinions?

Thanks

Great forum.

Dandelion wine sounds nice, if your into that.

My opinion on the weed is that because they have tap roots and could possibly allow more water penetration when they break up the earth below them, they (in a sense) decompact the ground and fertilize the lawn from the minerals they collect in their leaves such as CAL & PHOS.
my observation is that they germinate the the most in a lawn when there has been disturbance, and then bow out once the lawn grown thick again.

Nic

Cal, I may have accidentally discovered how to get rid of dandelions. Now that I am using dandelions as part of my medical treatment I am out cutting them regularly - as a matter of fact - I seem to have almost killed them off.

Back in the days when I didn't want dandelions in my yard I would spend hours digging them to get the tap root out and they seemed to multiply like rabbits.

Now I am cutting each new leaf as soon as it is big enough to see and there are hardly any left in the lawn - much to my chagrin!