08-03-2008, 08:36 AM
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Registered User
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Mar 2008
Location: Rochester, Kent
Posts: 9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nick Maclaren
In article ,
oaks writes:
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| I would like to create a nettle patch down in my wood. It would be for
| the benefit of wildlife. I already have several small scattered
| patches, too small to be much benefit, I think and also in quite shady
| locations. I was thinking of something grander.
| I have found a source of native British seed were I can get about
| 70,000 seeds for less than a tenner. Does anyone have any tips or
| experience of doing this?
Not deliberately :-) And nettles are not woodland plants - they
prefer disturbed soil in open positions (i.e. with full light).
| Ground preparation, I have read that nettles need nitrogen enriched
| soil but I am loathe to bring chemicals into the wood, in fact I
| wouldn't do that. Any suggestions?
Yes. It's not nitrogen, but phosphorus. Bones, dung etc. Dig
up some skeletons and grind them up :-) The well-known company of
Burke and Hare springs to mind ....
More seriously, I don't know, but it's still phosphorus.
| Also they would have to compete with existing bracken and brambles,
| pretty tough competition.
In suitable conditions, nettles ARE pretty tough competition!
They won't compete successfully in the shade under trees, but will
out in the open.
Regards,
Nick Maclaren. |
Thanks Nick,
Thanks for the phosphorus tip, ground up bones, now that's possible. Also dung, plenty of boar lesses.
Fully understand about sunshine. It is the clearings in a wood that make it interesting and this one is a coppice. The wildlife love that kind of thing, woodland edge habitat.
Best regards
Colin
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