Nettle manure for roses: experiences & criticism

Nettle manure for roses is often recommended as a fertilizer and to combat lice and other pests. But how can it be produced and are there any risks involved in using it?

What is nettle manure?

It is a mixture of water and nettles that have fermented. Occasionally the term nettle stock is also used. However, a brew is only an infusion that is comparable to a tea. So the fermentation process is missing.

Manufacturing

The production of the herbal manure is very easy. All you need is:

• 1 to 2 kilograms of nettle leaves
• Bucket with cover
• gloves
• scissors
• Stick or wooden spoon with a long handle
• 10 liters of water

Instructions:

1. Protect yourself: The nettle poison of the plant is not dangerous in itself, but will cause unpleasant to painful reactions if it comes into direct contact with the skin. Therefore, wear protective latex gloves or sturdy work gloves. It is also ideal if you use long sleeves as additional protection.

2. Cut and chop stinging nettle: Remove the leaves from the stems or cut entire stems straight away. Then chop them up and put the clippings in a bucket.

3. Fill up: Then fill the bucket with water. Rainwater or some other low-lime and therefore soft water is best.

4.Cover: For fermentation, the vessel must be sealed as airtight as possible. If a suitable lid is not available, you can also use foil, a board or another plate for this.

5. Stir: The mixture of green waste and water must be stirred once a day. This measure ensures good mixing and more even fermentation.

6. Maturation: The liquid manure takes one to two weeks to mature, depending on the current temperature. It is ready when no more gas bubbles rise from the liquid.

Tip: Choose a sunny spot for the liquid manure. This makes it ferment faster.

fertilizer

Nettle manure is ideal as a fertilizer for roses. It contains numerous important nutrients. The advantages include:

• easy to manufacture
  
• high nutrient density
  
• inexpensive
  
• easy application
  
• environmentally friendly

However, there are a few points to keep in mind when using it. These are:

• Frequency of use
  
• dilution
  
• time

Apply the fertilizer once a week. Then dilute part of the liquid manure with ten parts of water. Sieve off the leaves in advance. The natural fertilizer is used from the first shoot to the beginning of flowering. This is usually the case around June.

insecticide

In order to use the nettle against lice on the roses, you do not have to make manure. This means that fermentation does not have to take place.

1. You set up the mixture of crushed nettle and water and only let it soak for one to a maximum of two days. The broth must not foam when you use it to control lice.
   
2. Fill the liquid into a spray bottle and dilute the brew only slightly with water.
   
3. Spray the plant all around with the natural insecticide. Do not do this in the blazing sun.

Tip: To achieve a preventive effect, the roses should be treated with it every three weeks. A simple plant sprayer is sufficient for this.

odor

A frequent point of criticism against nettle manure is the intense odor that arises during fermentation. This can still be clearly perceived several meters further. Therefore wear latex gloves and avoid direct contact with the liquid.

Tip: Add rock flour to the liquid manure. This will reduce the odor.

Experience with nettle manure

Nettle manure as a fertilizer for roses divides the world of gardeners. Many swear by it, others avoid the liquid manure. Benefit from the experiences that other hobby gardeners have already made with fertilizing roses with nettle manure. We have researched for you.

Note: For reasons of better readability, small spelling errors (spaces, reversed letters, etc.) have been corrected in the quotations. The exact sources are linked under the specification of the respective forum.

Nettle manure is certainly too nitrogenous for roses. The liquid manure is suitable for. B. for tomatoes or other rocket-like vegetables like zucchini. But even with those you dilute at least 1:10. [Recommendation:] organic / organic-mineral fertilizers, as recommended by rose growers.

In addition: such manure stinks quite a lot and has to be stirred constantly. Quite a lot of effort.

Source: www.schmid-gartenforum.de; User: Calville; Date: 06.06.2012

I tried nettle manure for the first time and would like to seriously warn all other newbies against it. The stench is indescribable and in small gardens neither yourself nor your neighbors can be expected. In any case, I disposed of mine after the first use in the nearby field. But the problem lies in the detail: the stench on the hands did not go away even after frequent hand washing. My tip: use disposable gloves. I had to put all of my clothes in the washing machine after disposing of them and soak myself in the bathtub first. [...] Nettle manure will no longer be available for me either (organic or not). […]

Source: www.forum.mein-schoener-garten.de; User: Antigone; Date: 06/01/2006

Nettle manure doesn't have to stink. Put rock flour or valerian extract in the bucket with the decomposing nettles and the stench is gone. Then do not spray, but dilute with water so that it has the color of (thin) black tea and pour it on the ground. [Nettle manure] is a fantastic nitrogen supplier for all heavy consumers. My roses also get something from time to time. I have never used nettles against aphids. […]

Source: www.forum.mein-schoener-garten.de; User: roswitha; Date: 06/01/2006

You shouldn't give stinging nettle liquid to beans, peas, onions and garlic. Because these are weak resp. Central Eater. Nettle manure has a high nitrogen content and promotes leaf growth. So ideal z. B. in cabbage plants. But not only cabbage, other z. B. Tomatoes, zucchini, etc. like the liquid manure, but also want the fertilizer that is special for them. For plants where you want to encourage flowering, such as strawberries, currants, beans, Peas, tomatoes, a fertilizer that is predominantly phosphorus should also be used is.

Unfortunately, the nettle manure still stinks. Simply cover with an old pot lid or a nettle leaf. In my experience, a handful of stone flour does not have the optimal effect on binding the odor. I just ignore the scent and tell myself that the dung, which used to be much more common in the gardens, didn’t exactly tickle the nose either.

Since nettle manure is a pure nitrogen fertilizer, it promotes less the flowers than the leaf mass. Therefore I use a flower fertilizer for most flowers and special rose fertilizer for the roses. Of course, there is nothing wrong with fertilizing with the liquid manure from time to time. I also give my roses every now and then.

Source: www.forum.mein-schoener-garten.de; User: wildkrautfee (guest); Date: 06/19/2004

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