Admittedly, it stinks like hell. But as a gardener you should be familiar with some unpleasant smells and not shy away from them. After all, stinging nettle manure has it all and is the ideal natural fertilizer!

Nettle manure is a great nutrient bomb for plants

Which plants can be fertilized with manure?

With nettle manure you can fertilize all plants that depend on many nutrients to grow. The liquid manure is good for them. It strengthens them, stimulates their growth and makes them more resistant to diseases. Only weak feeders such as peas and strawberries should not be fertilized too often with manure.

The following plants look forward to one or more gifts of nettle manure:

  • tomatoes
  • peppers
  • cucumbers
  • zucchinis
  • pumpkins
  • cabbages
  • potatoes
  • allium plants
  • celery
  • herbs
  • ornamental trees
  • roses
  • other flowers such as sunflowers, dahlias and geraniums

Pesticides were yesterday

Aphids can be incredibly annoying, as can spider mites, ants and the like. Nettle manure comes in handy here, because it can be used as a pesticide. It doesn't necessarily have to be a liquid manure. A nettle decoction against pests is also helpful. The acids that are contained in the nettle hairs and are released into the water during the production of the liquid manure (or the brew) have an effect here.

Prepare the nettle liquid manure

First, the nettles must be harvested. This is best done with a pair of leather gloves and a pair of scissors. You can cut off the shoots of the stinging nettles whole to just above the ground. If the harvest takes place in May, the liquid manure will be extremely rich in nitrogen. Later it contains less nitrogen but more iron, calcium, magnesium and sulphur.

What you need

To proceed further, you will need the following:

  • leather gloves
  • scissors or knife
  • Stick or long-handled wooden spoon
  • 10 liters of water (or more as needed)
  • 1 kg fresh nettles (or more as needed) or 150 to 200 g dried nettles
  • large vessel made of stone, wood, plastic or glass (at least 12 liters capacity)

Mix everything together and put in the right place

The nettles are crushed and placed in the jar. Then fill up the container with water. Stir vigorously once. Now put the container in a warm and preferably sunny place. The fermentation process for the liquid manure takes less time there. Remember to stir every day and, if necessary, stretch a net over the container to keep vermin out!

Phew, that stinks!

After about 3 days, a strong smell of ammonia sets in. It is strongly reminiscent of faeces and makes the production of nettle liquid manure a less attractive affair for some gardeners. Pour some rock flour (€14.13) into the jar - it counteracts the unpleasant smell.

Is the manure ready?

After 1 to 2 weeks the liquid manure is ready. You can tell by the fact that there are no more bubbles, the nettle leaves have decomposed and the liquid has turned dark. The whole thing still smells penetrating…

Strain and prepare to use

When the manure is ready, it can be sieved off. The decomposed plant parts can end up in the compost. The liquid now serves as fertilizer, which must first be diluted before it can be used:

  • older, established plants and heavy-feeding vegetables: 1:10
  • Young plants and seedlings: 1:20
  • Lawn: 1:50

How often can manure be used as fertilizer?

You can feed your plants with the manure once a week or every two weeks. Heavy consumers benefit from a weekly fertilizer application. This manure, rich in nitrogen and potassium, is poured directly onto the root area - best on cloudy days.

How are pests fought with manure?

Manure is not only used for fertilizing. It can also be used to combat pests such as aphids and spider mites. The liquid manure strengthens the structure of the leaves, making the leaves more robust and unattractive to pests. In addition, the liquid manure contains nettle acids, which render the pests harmless.

To do this, take a spray bottle and fill it with 1/10 liquid manure and the rest with water. Spray the foliage of the plants with it. This procedure can also be done preventively. It is recommended to repeat the spraying several times so that newly hatched pests also die.

Effect scientifically proven

A Swedish study has now confirmed the effectiveness of nettle manure on tomatoes, wheat and barley. The study presents the results:

  • better growth
  • stronger green coloring of the leaves
  • higher resistance to pests

An ecological, free, powerful fertilizer

The shelves in the garden center are full of all kinds of fertilizers. One fertilizer for the lawn, one for tomatoes, another for balcony plants, another for roses, etc. Save yourself the expense and use the manure as fertilizer for all your plants. You, your wallet and the environment will thank you!

tips

Take the correct dosage of nettle manure seriously! Otherwise growth inhibition and burns can occur.

Category:

Herbs