Can you compost stinging nettles

Just cut some nettles and stuff them down into a watertight container, ideally with a lid as it can pong a bit. Weigh them down then fill the container with water and leave it to steep for about a month. To use it, just add one part of your nettle tea to ten parts water. You can also cut nettles to lay, as they are, around larger plants or shrubby fruits, where they will serve as a valuable mulch.

Their high nitrogen content also makes them a natural compost activator. Mix them in with a wide range of other compostable ingredients, including drier ingredients with a higher carbon content such as plain cardboard, dried leaves or woodier prunings.

Nettles are the food plant of choice for the caterpillars of all sorts of beautiful butterfly species. Click here to find out. Watch Now! Results of the Nation's Favourite Gardens Competition Illuminated gardens to visit this Christmas. Autumn tree colour: Why do leaves change colour? Autumn planting at Chelsea Flower Show. Citrus trees orange, lemon, lime : Plant profile. Skimmias: Plant profile. Hylotelephium ice plant : Plant profile. Subscribe Newsletter. The aphids might stunt the nettle growth, too.

Nettles are the number one destination for ladybirds with eggs to lay. These eggs turn into ladybird larvae, which predate on garden pests, including aphids, whitefly and red spider mite. Nettles are actually quite fussy about the soil in which they will grow.

They require a soil rich in phosphates and nitrogen to thrive. If you see a patch, grow plants alongside that thrive in similar conditions. Dig up nettles at the end of each season to prevent their fleshy roots spreading out of control. Chopped nettles act as a natural activator and speed up the decomposition process in compost heaps. For the best results, make sure the nettles are thoroughly mixed with lots of different materials — dry, wet, soft and woody — otherwise they become slimy.

When making a nettle feed, why not make double the amount? Use one lot as a feed and leave the second amount out in the open, without a lid. This will attract many insects, including breeding hoverflies, which will lay eggs in the stagnant matter. Browse the fantastic range of fully mature hardy perennials, shrubs, ferns, grasses and bulbs to create a spectacular garden to enjoy all year round.

Use code: GW Sheet mulching. White chocolate tromboncino cake. Chocolate Zucchini Cake. Charred Cauliflower on Tromboncino Puree. Impossible pie.

Grow Up construction. Spring Open Garden Grow Up Virtual Tour. Home Garden jobs Beneficial creatures Stinging Nettles — friend not foe. Blessed are the flexible….