Benefits of Nettle Slurry - Learn How to Make Natural Nettle Fertilizer
Nettle is a plant of many valuable properties. It can be used in the kitchen, but not only. In the right form, it's a perfect fertilizer for vegetables, fruits, and flowers. You can easily prepare nettle fertilizer yourself – without paying a dime! Is it difficult? Not at all! Take a look at the recipe and learn all about the many benefits of nettle slurry.
What is nettle fertilizer?
Nettle fertilizer, also known as nettle slurry or nettle compost, is a natural fertilizer every gardener can make. It’s a unique recipe based on ingredients available everywhere. Nettle compost is a low-budget product – a great advantage of this solution. It’s made of stinging nettle which you can harvest e.g., in a field, by a road or next to the nearby woods. Preparing nettle fertilizer costs basically nothing.
What are the benefits of nettle slurry?
Nettle compost is a highly universal substance, and can be used in a number of ways. Most typically, it’s used as a fertilizer – it strengthens plants during their intense growth stage. Nettle compost in this form is used for watering garden plants. One can also spray plants of large leaves with it – this way, the nutrients get absorbed at a much quicker rate.
Interestingly enough, by spraying plants with nettle compost, you can also protect them from pests such as:
- aphids,
- scale bugs,
- spider mites,
- soft scale bugs.
Nettle slurry also protects against many fungal diseases such as botrytis, powdery mildew or clubroot.
What plants benefit from nettle fertilizer?
Fermented nettle is natural fertilizer – for this reason, it’s perfect for most garden plants. You can use it for ornamental shrubs and flowers growing in your yard, but also for vegetables.
Nettle fertilizer for parsley and other root vegetables
The natural fertilizer perfectly strengthens basically all root vegetables. You can use it to water plants such as:
- carrot,
- celeriac,
- beetroot,
- parsley,
- parsnip,
- turnip.
Are you wondering why nettle fertilizer has such a good influence on the mentioned vegetables? It results mostly from its ingredients. The substance contains plenty of nutrients that are necessary to the plants’ growth, including:
- manganese,
- sodium,
- zinc,
- copper,
- silicon.
Nettle fertilizer for cucumbers and other solanaceae plants
Nettle compost tea is a perfect fertilizer not only for root vegetables, but also other plants growing in your kitchen garden. This mixture is commonly used e.g., for cucumbers. But it doesn’t mean that fermented nettle can be used exclusively for them. You can use it for all solanaceae:
- tomatoes,
- peppers,
- potatoes,
- eggplants,
- ground cherries.
Nettle fertilizer for strawberries and raspberries
Natural nettle manure is perfect for vegetables, but it’s also a great fertilizer for fruits. The liquid compost is usually used for raspberries and strawberries. Many gardeners use it when watering fruit trees and shrubs such as:
- pear trees,
- apple trees,
- plum trees,
- peach trees,
- apricot trees,
- gooseberry bushes,
- honeyberry bushes,
- currant bushes.
What is nettle fertilizer not good for?
Despite the beneficial impact of nettle fertilizer on many fruits, vegetables, trees and shrubs, certain plants shouldn’t be fed with fermented nettle compost. This restriction includes Brassicaceae plants, plus vegetables such as:
- bean,
- pea,
- onion,
- garlic.
What’s more, some flowers shouldn’t be watered with nettle fertilizer, either. Avoid using fermented nettle for plants such as:
- heather,
- azalea,
- rhododendron.
Nettle fertilizer – how to make nettle compost tea?
Nettle fertilizer is quite easy to make. Depending on how big your garden is, and how many plants you want to feed, you can prepare the fertilizer in various quantities. But it’s better to make more in advance, to have a supply – which saves you a lot of time.
Nettle fertilizer should be made of young plants, harvested before they begin blooming. To prepare 20 liters of fertilizer, you need 2 kilograms of nettle and 20 liters of water. Follow each step of the instruction below:
- Prepare a large container – a bucket, a barrel, or a bowl.
- Chop nettle leaves and stems, and put them in the container.
- Pour water over them.
- Cover the container with a gauze or other breathable material.
- Place the container in a shaded spot.
- Stir the liquid every day.
The surface will get covered with foam after a few days. It’s a natural consequence of fermentation, so you don’t have to worry that something’s wrong. As soon as it disappears, your nettle fertilizer is ready to use.
Nettle fertilizer – how frequently to use?
Although nettle fertilizer is highly beneficial for plants, it shouldn’t be used too often. Water flowers, bushes, or trees with it regularly – every 2 or 3 weeks. The frequency is the same if you want to use nettle slurry as a spray to prevent pests from appearing.
How to use nettle fertilizer?
Fermented nettle is a highly concentrated substance – never use it directly from the container. Make sure to dilute the compost. Are you wondering about the correct proportions? Experienced gardeners recommend diluting one liter of the natural fertilizer in 10 liters of water. This way, you balance the strength of the substance.
How long does nettle compost tea last?
If the nettle fertilizer is placed in a shade, you can use it for 2 months. During this time, the compost keeps all its properties and doesn’t spoil. Afterwards, you have to prepare another batch.
📍 What is in nettle fertilizer?
Fermented nettle contains plenty of nutrients needed by plants. You can use it to treat calcium, magnesium, sodium, nitrogen and iron deficiencies. Nettle fertilizer is also a natural source of A, C, and K vitamins. What's more, it also contains antioxidants.
📍 Nettle fertilizer – how to use it?
You can use nettle slurry in two ways. The fertilizer is typically used to water flowers, shrubs, and trees. Some plants absorb nutrients through leaves – if so, one can spray the substance on them. This method also protects plants from insects such as aphids.
📍 How to make a nettle plant spray?
If you want to prepare nettle spray, first you need to make nettle liquid fertilizer. But don't use it directly on plants. The manure has to be diluted 1:10 in water. It means you have to add 1 liter of raw nettle fertilizer in 10 liters of water.
📍 Nettle fertilizer – what is it good for?
Nettle fertilizer can be used for watering fruits, vegetables, flowers, ornamental shrubs and fruit trees. It is commonly used for root vegetables, solanaceae plants and cucumbers. Nettle fertilizer is perfect for raspberries and strawberries.
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