How to make nettle manure very easily?

During their growth, your vegetable plants may be confronted with pests or diseases. One of the solutions to prevent them is to water them with diluted nettle manure. This preparation has a double effect since it acts both as a natural fertilizer and an anti-parasite. Discover in this article the different stages of its manufacturing.

What are the virtues of nettle?

Nettle is a plant with many virtues. When it comes to gardening, she mainly has two. Thanks to its richness in nitrogen, nettle manure allows plants to grow better and be more resistant to certain diseases. In addition to being a good compost activator, this preparation repels mites and aphids. Above all, it is a natural product, therefore without risk for plants.

How to prepare nettle manure?

First of all, put on clothes with long sleeves and wear gloves, because nettles, although not dangerous, sting and are irritating. Be especially careful to choose those that have not yet gone to seed unless you want to sow them everywhere in your vegetable garden!

Once picked, roughly chop the nettles then pour what you get into a plastic bucket. After this step, you will need to add water to the contents of the tank. The dosage is 10 liters of water for 1 kilo of fresh nettles or 100 g of dried nettles. For my part, I simply fill the bucket with nettles to the top then I simply pour water to the brim!

Then cover your bin using a cloth or a plastic lid for example and mix the contents every two days, while the preparation ferments. Place your bin in a shaded area and sheltered from the rain.

Fermentation generally lasts one to two weeks, depending on the temperature of the surrounding environment. As long as you see bubbles appearing during brewing, fermentation is not complete.

When the liquid “no longer foams”, your mixture is ready. All you have to do is remove the leaves and branches and collect the liquid obtained.

To make an express manure, use the youngest nettle leaves. They are located at the end of the stem and are richer in nutrients. Then wash them and add lukewarm water to them. It will then be enough to leave the mixture for a day then collect the liquid which you can use the following days.

What are the uses of nettle manure?

1. Prevent disease

If your goal is to strengthen your plants against possible diseases, such as tomato late blight, you can water the base of your plant for prevention with nettle manure. Warning: you will need to dilute the product obtained beforehand, otherwise you risk burning the roots.

A manure that is too concentrated will have the effect of promoting the growth of leaves and not fruits because of the nitrogen content. If your goal is to strengthen your plants, we recommend diluting the manure at a rate of 1L to 2L per 10L of water. When your manure must be spread using a watering can, you can limit yourself to coarse filtration.

2. Eliminate aphids and mites

If you want to use nettle manure as a natural insecticide to eliminate aphids and other mites, you must first filter your manure. In fact, the nettle residue present in the liquid could clog your sprayer. This is why fine filtration is preferred. To do this, you can, for example, use a cloth or a very fine metal filter.

It should still be noted that the product obtained is quite concentrated. You will therefore not be able to apply it directly to the plant at the risk of burning it. The best is to dilute the manure obtained. For use against aphids, a second dilution is recommended. We recommend 5 to 10% maximum of manure for this type of treatment.

If you want to keep your manure for several weeks, I also advise you to filter the mixture beforehand. You can then store it in a 5L container away from light and heat and use it when necessary.

Where to find nettle manure?

Preparing nettle manure is quite simple. However, in the cities, it is not so easy to obtain the nettles essential for the preparation. Failing to plant them in your garden, which we don't always want, you can go to the countryside and scan along the ditches where nettles are sometimes present. If this commodity is too rare in your region, some garden centers also sell ready-to-use manure. It can be in liquid form or in powder form to be diluted.