It's spring and that means that nettles can already be found everywhere. It is often referred to as a weed itself because of its rampant growth, but nettle spray against weeds is an excellent natural weed killer that is very effective against dandelions, groundweed and bindweed in the lawn.
Make nettle manure to combat weeds and use it in the garden
It is known that nettle is a plant with many beneficial properties, both for humans and plants. Nettle manure is a preparation that preserves all of these properties and enhances them through the fermentation process. It is non-toxic, chemical-free and environmentally friendly, making it the best weed killer for your garden.
How to make nettle manure
The nettle has extremely deep roots with which it can absorb a variety of nutrients and the manure is particularly rich in nitrogen, iron, magnesium, potassium and trace elements, but also in organic compounds such as enzymes, bacteria, proteins and ferments. They can be used diluted as fertilizer or against insects and both diluted and concentrated as a natural and inexpensive weed killer.
Be careful that the nettle manure smells, so we recommend that you make it outdoors and not in your garage or house.
What do you need to make it?
- 1 kg Brennnessel
- 10 liters of rainwater or dechlorinated tap water
- Gloves
- Bucket with lid (avoid metal containers)
This is how it's done:
- Pick young nettles on your daily walk through the local fields or in your garden. To harvest them, you can either pull them out by the roots or cut them off with scissors. Be sure to wear gloves to protect yourself.
- If you cannot collect rainwater, dechlorinate 10 liters of tap water by leaving it in the sun for 24 hours to allow the chlorine to dissipate.
- Crush the nettles and add them to the bucket.
- To avoid the bad smell, add 500 g of primary rock flour and mix everything well.
- Your manure will naturally be colonized by beneficial microbes, but you can speed up the process by inoculating it with preservative-free, fermented foods such as sourdough starter, sauerkraut, kefir, yogurt, or organic beer or wine.
- Mix them with the water and let the mixture ferment covered in a sunny place for one to two weeks.
- If possible, stir the nettle manure once a day so that bubbles form. It should be easy to stir and not too thick.
- If the manure does not form any visible bubbles after one to two weeks, this means that it is no longer fermented and has finished brewing.
- Filter the liquid and discard the nettle residue. You can spread them on the compost heap.
- Store the finished manure in a bucket with a lid and use it within about 6 months.
Use nettle manure against weeds
Use the manure to weed your garden naturally. The nitrogen content of nettle manure is so high that if you use it concentrated, it simply burns the weeds.
Water the unwanted plants with it and wait until they turn black and finally disappear. Always water the weeds from below rather than over the plants, being careful not to disturb the desired plants.
If you want to prevent weeds from spreading in the future, moisten the soil with manure before planting.
Do not abuse the use of manure as it supplies the soil with too much nitrogen. If the nitrogen is not absorbed by the plants, it is converted into nitrates and washed away by rain.
Where else is manure used?
- On the compost:You can use the remains of the nettle manure in the compost if they get too old. The nettle serves as a compost activator as it increases the compost temperature through its organic matter and bacteria content. Compost that is not very lively is brought back into balance with this addition.
- As fertilizer:Nettle manure is an excellent fertilizer for vegetables in the garden and especially for tomatoes because it has a very high nitrogen content. Dilute it with water by mixing one part manure with ten parts water and apply it to the soil like a liquid fertilizer. This way you provide your plants with all the nutrients they need.
- Against pests:Mix one part nettle manure with 20 parts water and add half a teaspoon of liquid detergent to every 4 liters of the solution so that the solution sticks to the leaves. Spray the plants in the garden to protect them from pests.
- Against fungal diseases:Nettle manure is often used against powdery mildew, black spot and other fungal diseases. To avoid them, spray the plants regularly with the diluted solution.
You can also use it against field bindweedin this articledescribed, proceed.
