"Roy Bailey" wrote in message
news
My wife was watching 'Gardeners' World' the other night and I was
listening with half an ear to the piece about nettle fertiliser.

I have filled a plastic box with chopped up nettles and covered them with
water, but I missed the details of how long to macerate this mixture and
how much to dilute it for use.

Even after less than 24 hours the mixture is a very dark greenish-brown.

Roy.

Nettle fertilizer

a.. Nettles
b.. A watertight container
c.. Water
d.. Something to weigh the nettles down with (optional)


First take your nettles. These are best as young stems but can be taken at
any time. Quicker results are obtained if the nettle stems and leaves are
bruised.

Then crush them. This can be done by scrunching the stems in gloved hands or
by placing the stems on a freshly mown lawn and using your mower to chop and
collect the nettles at the same time. The addition of a few grass clippings
that results from using this method does not affect the quality of the
finished product.

Immerse in water Stuff the crushed stems into your container. Place your
weight on top of the stems. Fill the container with water sufficient to
cover the nettles and.

Leave to brew. You may also consider placing the container away from the
areas in the garden that you use most as the soup tends to get rather
smelly.

Dilute to taste. After around three or four weeks the liquid should be ready
for use. The mixture should be diluted until it is tea coloured - usually
around 1 part liquid to 10 parts water. Water liberally around or on the
plants and see the benefits.

Repeat until winter. Continue to top up your container with more leaves and
water through the year. As autumn sets in put the remainder of the feed and
the sludge in your compost heap. Give your container a rinse and store for
next year!