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nettle fertilizer
waveydavey
Posts: 6
Hi I have been told that nettle fertilizer is a great way to fertilize your garden for free but would like to know if it is suitable to use as a general fertilizer or only as a specialist one ie could I use on my acer and azalea aswell as my apple and pear trees and sunflowers??
cheers dave
0
Posts
Nettles absorb lots of nutrients from the soil which you can then use to make a liquid fertiliser for general use or as a tonic for special plants according to how much you have available.
It takes 2 to 3 weeks to make the nettle "soup" before it's ready to dilute and use and it gets smelly so tuck the bucket away in a quiet corner of teh garden and keep a lid on it. The process and uses are well described here - http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/nettle-as-fertilizer.htm
Nettle tea is pretty high in nitrates so good for leafy things. A more balanced one is comfrey tea which works better on fruit and flowers. Both are very good though and if you don't have comfrey you can also use a high-potash fertiliser on your fruit & flowers in addition to the nettle feed.
I tend not to feed my azelea's and blueberry bushes but replemish the compost each year with a ericaceous compost and water them with rain water but if they look like they need a feed will buy something especially for them.
Silly Q but from the replies can home made fertilizer be used on them
Yes. Just make sure you make it with rain water and not tap water which may contain calcium and chemicals from the treatment plant.
Blueberries like a high-nitrate feed so nettle tea is good for them Zoomer. I also use an ericaceous feed which contains sequestered iron.
Is Nettle Fertilizer Suitable for All Vegetables?
Nettle feed is a rich fertilizer, and helps to promote all aspects of growth. Nettles are nitrogen-rich plants, but the fertilizer acts as a good all-round general fertilizer too. In particular, nettle feed will also benefit dark green, leafy plants such as brassicas. So it’s fair to say that generally, many plants will benefit in some capacity from a dose of nettle feed. But it’s also fair to say that different plants will thrive on different amounts of NPK, depending on their growing requirements.So check what is best for your requirements Nettles ,or Comfry as Bob says they are all good,one of the reasons is they are very deep rooted plants and get to nutrients that lots of others dont get to Seaweed tea is also very good, Good luck
.Sunny erein Muns
That makes sense to use rain water, I've always used tap water to make fertilizer but won't be doing in future.
Shall start feeding them nettle fertilizer, hopefully I'll get a better crop of blueberries
Hi, I've started making nettle feed this year and am waiting for my 2nd lot to 'brew'. Is it suitable to feed my lawn with it?
Thanks, Pam
As it is high on nitrogen, it will make grass grow faster. I hope you like mowing.
I checked my nettle soup and it looked to have tiny black bugs floating on the top, is this usual, there's never been bugs when making seaweed feed. Sorry no pics.