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Help! Am I growing stinging nettles!?

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  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,615

    Its pretty hard to kill a blackberry. BUT it looks like you've done it. By now it would have new shoots , even if you had cut it down hard.  Nettles are good for compost or as food crop for butterfly caterpillars, but if you want blackberries you will have to start again.

  • L BennettL Bennett Posts: 92

    Damn, quite gutted.

    I did add some bonemeal last summer, would that kill it?

    How do I use for compost please?

  • Alan4711Alan4711 Posts: 1,657

    Nettles ,are good for compost they love to nestle in and grow like hell ,so make sure they are dead or Nettle tea is easy and full of nitrogen ,our allotment ladies had the most wonderful compost heap last year nettles 5 feet high,and roots just as long ,

  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,615

    Cut all the nettles down or pull them out and cut off the root bit. put the leaves and stems in a bucket as much as you can get in. Fill with water, leave for a few weeks. It will stink and go brown.Dilute the brown stuff, a cupful to a 2 gallon watering can. Useful for brassicas or anything that likes a high nitrogen feed.  (use comfrey mix, made in same way for flowering plants.)

  • unfortunately if you get a crop of nettles they are veerrryyy hard to get rid of, but if you can afford the space let them be as they are good for butterflys and , if you know how, for a refreshing cuppa.

  • L BennettL Bennett Posts: 92
    I am tempted to keep them.. Do the spread easily as currently in a tub



    But thinking nice supply for the bucket
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,112

    They'll seed LB but if you want to keep them under control take the flowerheads off before they set any seed. You'll have to be vigilant -it happens very quickly!

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • yarrow2yarrow2 Posts: 782

    L Bennett - I've also been nurturing nettles thinking they were something else.  Ha!  I've decided to keep them unless they spread like mad.  I also have some willow herb being cossetted as I thought they were something else as well..doing well this year on mistaken identity.  But I'm going to keep them alongside the nettles and pretend that my intention all along was to have a 'natural' area for wildlife!!!!!!

  • L BennettL Bennett Posts: 92

    Thanks for advice all, very grateful.

    Going to keep them, they were approx 4 foot tall so i have halved them and chopped up into a bucket and think I will do the same when they reach that height again. Hopefully will give nice supply for the plants.

    Never made nettle feed - am I right in thinking this is used to promote leafy growth?

    IE - not for tomatoes etc as want fruit! image

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