Nettle Tea

janiejakemum · « **on:** July 12, 2008, 19:44 »

Hi

I have seen mentioned before about making nettle tea to feed to plants. We today have picked a few nettles and have emersed them into a big drum of water, am i right in assuming that the nettles need to stay in the water for 2 days? we then want to feed our plants but i dont know if its ok to feed all of them so i will jot down a list of what we have:

Tomatoes - just about fruiting
Rhubarb - nelwy planted
Grape vine - newly planted
Runner beans - veggies now coming
Cabbages
Carrots
Beetroot
Raddish
Red and black currant bush - newly planted
Raspberrys jut finishing fruiting
Blackberry - not ripe yet.

If anyone can help out as to what is ok to have it and what not that would be great.

Thanks for any help

fletch · « **Reply #1 on:** July 12, 2008, 20:46 »

Hi Janie, I watered everything with mine last year with seemingly no ill effects. I didn't get round to making any until last week, I usually let my nettles steep for a week or two.

A word of warning if you've never used it before......... IT STINKS!

Just moving the container it is in can release the stench and it hangs around forever! I hope you've got a good stomach.

Minty · « **Reply #2 on:** July 13, 2008, 14:54 »

The first thing we were advised on when we took our plot on was to make some nettle brew as we had plenty to clear,it's been sat for nearly three week's now and like fletch say's it stink's.
As for what to feed with it (and I'm no expert) we were told to put it on stuff like cabbage,sprout's and lettuce,mind you that's all we have got in at the minuit.

Little Dibber · « **Reply #3 on:** July 14, 2008, 11:12 »

From what I have read so far, its a nitrogen feed so good for crops where you eat the foliage.

Its better not to use it too often or it produces lots of foliage that aphids like to eat.

Wear gloves, I poured it yesterday in to the watering can got it on my hands which stunk for the rest of the day even after lots of washes, in the end I went out and did some planting with no gloves to get my hands covered in soil and rid of the stink.

Although Radishes are a root crop they seem to have swelled in the last couple of days after their nettle feed.

Check out comfrey bocking 14 for planting to give your self a continual food source for the rest of your plants next year

janiejakemum · « **Reply #4 on:** July 14, 2008, 13:40 »

So how long should i leave it stewing for??, I have read 2 days and 2 weeks so not sure really. We made it on Sat so its about 48hours old, it is a weak tea kind of colour but doesn't smell atall, although having said that it doesnt have a lid its in a big tank and the nettles are in a pillow case floating in it.

I remeber as a kid my mum made it once and it did stink awful and had a film on the water surface - nothing like mine now.

Little Dibber · « **Reply #5 on:** July 14, 2008, 14:15 »

the recommended time I have seen is 1-2 weeks.

I hadn't feed stuff for a while so used it after 2 days and then made a new batch which sat until I needed it

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