Sue Begg writes:
|
| Whilst on the subject of nettles. I would like to leave a patch for the
| flutterbies but dread the seedlings that would emerge everywhere else (I
| still haven't managed to clear the old ones yet) Is it feasible to
| strim them before they set seed ? Or will that defeat the object ?

Nick Maclaren writes
Not in my experience. If, however, the nettles are separated from
cultivated areas, compost heaps etc. by at least 5, preferably 10,
yards of grass, it isn't a problem. The seeds are heavy and drop.

ISTR that there are two nettle types, one that propagates from seed,
which I think is the smaller leaved most viscous stinger, and the other
which propagates by runners.

The runners can be removed by levering the thick yellow roots up with a
fork about 3 or 4 " below ground level, and pulling slowly with well-
gloved hands (I use some welders gauntlets - £3 and very tough). If you
have a lot you can effectively roll them up like a sort of carpet by
levering in this way, then compost the lot.

The seeding types I have never managed to get far enough away to know if
Nicks advice is right, but I live in hope :-))
--
David

In article ,
Dave writes:
| Nick Maclaren writes
| Sue Begg writes:
| |
| | Whilst on the subject of nettles. I would like to leave a patch for the
| | flutterbies but dread the seedlings that would emerge everywhere else (I
| | still haven't managed to clear the old ones yet) Is it feasible to
| | strim them before they set seed ? Or will that defeat the object ?
|
| Not in my experience. If, however, the nettles are separated from
| cultivated areas, compost heaps etc. by at least 5, preferably 10,
| yards of grass, it isn't a problem. The seeds are heavy and drop.
|
| ISTR that there are two nettle types, one that propagates from seed,
| which I think is the smaller leaved most viscous stinger, and the other
| which propagates by runners.

There are, indeed, several species in the UK. The annual nettle
(Urica urens) spreads by seed alone, but the ubiquitous stinging
nettle (U. dioecia) spreads by both runners and seed. My remark
applies to both, and I can assure you that the stinging nettle
grows readily from seed and that its seeds are durable (i.e. will
survive a fair amount of composting).


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Dave wrote:
Rick writes

I have a "garden" which has more nettles than anything else. Garden
is a sort of loose phrase, its a bit of a mess.

I want to start a multi year project, where year one is is get rid of
the nettles, year 2 is to do the landscaping and do the grass, and
then year 3 is to think about plants. I don't want my new grass
filled with nettles that I burried during landscaping.

Can I put a weedkiller down that kills nettles & roots ? Right now I
don't care if it kills everything, as long as I can grow stuff next
year I am fine.

Any recomendations ?

Yes, I'm afraid you can't treat it as a building project where each
stage is definite and fixed and follows logically from the others. I
think you should be aware that the weeds will not simply stop growing
in years 2 onwards simply because you weeded in year 1, and also 3
years is a long time to wait before you start using the garden.

I'd do 1/3 of the area every year, or as much as I felt I could take
on and do all the stages. So, pick a spot, get rid of the nettles in
that spot, sort out some landscaping, and plant it.

Year 2, you will have to maintain what you have done in year 1, and
you will get some weeds back around your new plants, but at least
they will have started to grow and you will get some benefit.

In this way your garden will evolve and you will get new ideas or
modify existing ones. If you have grass, then keeping it and planting
small shrubs in it will make it easier to maintain. Each year I
extend the dug area round mine as they grow, until finally the earth
circles meet up and all the grass can be removed and the maintenance
is very simple because I'm dealing with mature plants.

I once moved into a house where the bottom part of the land/garden had not
been touched in around 10 years. The stingy nettles were around 5 foot high.
Heavy clay land which had been concreted for dog kennels at one time
although broken and cracked now. My solution was to get a couple of weaner
pigs. By the time they had chomped their way through the vegetation and
broken up the concrete for me, they were ready to go into the freezer and I
was left with clean, fertilised land to plant.

--�
purebred poultry
www.geocities.com/fenlandfowl

In article , Nick Maclaren
writes

There are, indeed, several species in the UK.

Only two, AFAIK, unless you are going to count the wall pellitories
which are the same family but not the same genus.

The annual nettle
(Urica urens) spreads by seed alone, but the ubiquitous stinging
nettle (U. dioecia)

Urtica dioica

spreads by both runners and seed. My remark
applies to both, and I can assure you that the stinging nettle
grows readily from seed and that its seeds are durable (i.e. will
survive a fair amount of composting).


--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

In article , Dave
writes
Sue Begg writes:
|
| Whilst on the subject of nettles. I would like to leave a patch for the
| flutterbies but dread the seedlings that would emerge everywhere else (I
| still haven't managed to clear the old ones yet) Is it feasible to
| strim them before they set seed ? Or will that defeat the object ?

Nick Maclaren writes
Not in my experience. If, however, the nettles are separated from
cultivated areas, compost heaps etc. by at least 5, preferably 10,
yards of grass, it isn't a problem. The seeds are heavy and drop.

ISTR that there are two nettle types, one that propagates from seed,
which I think is the smaller leaved most viscous stinger, and the other
which propagates by runners.

There is an annual one and a perennial one. The annual one obviously has
to propagate by seed, the perennial can propagate by runners and puts
most of its energy into this, although it does also propagate by seed.

The runners can be removed by levering the thick yellow roots up with a
fork about 3 or 4 " below ground level, and pulling slowly with well-
gloved hands (I use some welders gauntlets - £3 and very tough).

You don't need gloves - the roots don't sting. You need to make sure the
top ends aren't waving around in your face though ;-)

If you
have a lot you can effectively roll them up like a sort of carpet by
levering in this way, then compost the lot.

The seeding types I have never managed to get far enough away to know if
Nicks advice is right, but I live in hope :-))

--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

In article , Kay writes:
| In article , Nick Maclaren
| writes
|
| There are, indeed, several species in the UK.
|
| Only two, AFAIK, unless you are going to count the wall pellitories
| which are the same family but not the same genus.

You have forgotten Urtica pilulifera, the Roman or small nettle,
I think.

| The annual nettle
| (Urica urens) spreads by seed alone, but the ubiquitous stinging
| nettle (U. dioecia)
|
| Urtica dioica

I always get that one wrong! Thanks.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article , Nick Maclaren
writes

In article , Kay
writes:
| In article , Nick Maclaren
| writes
|
| There are, indeed, several species in the UK.
|
| Only two, AFAIK, unless you are going to count the wall pellitories
| which are the same family but not the same genus.

You have forgotten Urtica pilulifera, the Roman or small nettle,
I think.

It's not in Stace and therefore I presume not UK. I've certainly never
seen it here.


--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

In article ,
Kay wrote:

You have forgotten Urtica pilulifera, the Roman or small nettle,
I think.

It's not in Stace and therefore I presume not UK. I've certainly never
seen it here.

Upon checking with CTW (of 30 years back), it was classed as a
formerly rare alien, possible extinct. Either it is definitely
extinct or has been Expelled From The British Flora As Not A
Native Plant. Botany has its Howards, Blunketts and Clarkes, too.

Exactly how you determine whether a plant like that (i.e. rare,
hence absence of pollen is no evidence of absence, and been known
since time immemorial) was introduced by the Romans or by passing
birds, don't ask me. One would make it an alien and the other a
native. But there's no arguing with dogma.



Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On Mon, 16 May 2005 17:37:49 +0100, Sue Begg
wrote:

In message , Kay
writes
In article , Sue Begg
writes
Whilst on the subject of nettles. I would like to leave a patch for the
flutterbies but dread the seedlings that would emerge everywhere else
(I still
haven't managed to clear the old ones yet) Is it feasible to strim
them before
they set seed ? Or will that defeat the object ?
--
I don't know what you're experience is, but mine is that most of the
seedlings seem to be the annual nettle rather than U dioica. So you may
be OK.

At the moment I have everything !!
I am turning an acre and a half of field into garden. So where I have
exposed the soil (very nice black loam) I have exposed to light the
twenty year accumulation of seeds in the ground. It will get easier as
time goes on, but at the moment it is difficult keeping on top of it.

You need a tractor, or a friendly farmer with one :-)

You also need planning permission.

Rick

On Tue, 17 May 2005 15:54:16 +0100, Dave wrote:

Rick writes

I have a "garden" which has more nettles than anything else. Garden is
a sort of loose phrase, its a bit of a mess.

I want to start a multi year project, where year one is is get rid of
the nettles, year 2 is to do the landscaping and do the grass, and
then year 3 is to think about plants. I don't want my new grass filled
with nettles that I burried during landscaping.

Can I put a weedkiller down that kills nettles & roots ? Right now I
don't care if it kills everything, as long as I can grow stuff next
year I am fine.

Any recomendations ?

Yes, I'm afraid you can't treat it as a building project where each
stage is definite and fixed and follows logically from the others. I
think you should be aware that the weeds will not simply stop growing in
years 2 onwards simply because you weeded in year 1, and also 3 years is
a long time to wait before you start using the garden.

I'd do 1/3 of the area every year, or as much as I felt I could take on
and do all the stages. So, pick a spot, get rid of the nettles in that
spot, sort out some landscaping, and plant it.

Year 2, you will have to maintain what you have done in year 1, and you
will get some weeds back around your new plants, but at least they will
have started to grow and you will get some benefit.

In this way your garden will evolve and you will get new ideas or modify
existing ones. If you have grass, then keeping it and planting small
shrubs in it will make it easier to maintain. Each year I extend the dug
area round mine as they grow, until finally the earth circles meet up
and all the grass can be removed and the maintenance is very simple
because I'm dealing with mature plants.

The nettles all have runners under the soil, so I was hpoing to get
rid of the most of it, so when I started landscaping / planting I was
not fighting nettles all the time.

The most immediate need right now is to get rid of the nettles so the
kids can play.

I have virtually no other plants, its like 70% nettles 30% mud.

Thanks
Rick