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What plants benefit from Stinging nettle tea?
kenneth.green2009
Posts: 10
Hi.
About three weeks ago I started off my first ever batch of Stinging Nettle Tea in a spare Waterbutt and I think it will be ready to use in a week or so.
I know it can be used on leafy veg such as Brassicas but I am looking for more specific advice, as in a list of plants that will thrive on it and those that you should not give it too.
I have been making Comfrey Tea for years and I know Veg that flowers and then sets fruit such as Tomatoes love it and I also use it for Runner Beans as well as in my flower Borders. I have spent a frustrating couple of hours on google looking for a plant list for feeding with Nettle Tea but I am unable to find anything other than the generalized "use it on Brassicas and leafy Veg".
I grow a lot of salads such as Lettuce and the like so can I use it on them and as far as the Brassicas, which exact ones? This year I am growing Red Cabbage, Purple Sprouting Broccoli and Romanesco broccoli. I am worried about using Nettle Tea on the last two as it is the flower buds that we eat so do I feed nettle tea to get the plants growing big (they are only small at the moment) and then later feed Comfrey Tea to get them to set flowers or any combination of this?
I would also hazzard a guess that one should not feed either Comfrey or Nettle Tea to root crops such as Carrots & Parsnips but what about Garlic and Onions?
You can see my dilemma.
Also what about in the flower borders because obviously all of the Herbaceous plants are just starting their spring growth spurt so would Nettle Tea benefit them this early on in the season?
My final question would be can I use nettle tea as a lawn feed? I have an endless supply of Nettles in the field margins around here (I have permission to harvest as much as I like) and the large Waterbutt I am now using for Nettle Tea is 350 litres so I have a lot of Tea to use?
What does everyone think?
About three weeks ago I started off my first ever batch of Stinging Nettle Tea in a spare Waterbutt and I think it will be ready to use in a week or so.
I know it can be used on leafy veg such as Brassicas but I am looking for more specific advice, as in a list of plants that will thrive on it and those that you should not give it too.
I have been making Comfrey Tea for years and I know Veg that flowers and then sets fruit such as Tomatoes love it and I also use it for Runner Beans as well as in my flower Borders. I have spent a frustrating couple of hours on google looking for a plant list for feeding with Nettle Tea but I am unable to find anything other than the generalized "use it on Brassicas and leafy Veg".
I grow a lot of salads such as Lettuce and the like so can I use it on them and as far as the Brassicas, which exact ones? This year I am growing Red Cabbage, Purple Sprouting Broccoli and Romanesco broccoli. I am worried about using Nettle Tea on the last two as it is the flower buds that we eat so do I feed nettle tea to get the plants growing big (they are only small at the moment) and then later feed Comfrey Tea to get them to set flowers or any combination of this?
I would also hazzard a guess that one should not feed either Comfrey or Nettle Tea to root crops such as Carrots & Parsnips but what about Garlic and Onions?
You can see my dilemma.
Also what about in the flower borders because obviously all of the Herbaceous plants are just starting their spring growth spurt so would Nettle Tea benefit them this early on in the season?
My final question would be can I use nettle tea as a lawn feed? I have an endless supply of Nettles in the field margins around here (I have permission to harvest as much as I like) and the large Waterbutt I am now using for Nettle Tea is 350 litres so I have a lot of Tea to use?
What does everyone think?
0
Posts
Beechgrove did a trial on tomatoes feeding the same varieties in the same size pot and compost mixture with commercial tomato feed or home-made comfrey feed. The latter got the best results. Jim, the then main man was sceptical and did the test a second year. Comfrey was best that year too. Also good for roses, clematis, apples, pears, soft fruits.......