Content
- 1 Composition and value of liquid nettle fertilizer
- 2 Beneficial properties of green nettle supplement
- 3 For which plants is nettle used as a fertilizer?
- 4 How to prepare nettle fertilizer
- 4.1 Recipe No. 1: Classic nettle infusion for plant nutrition
- 4.2 Recipe No. 2: How to make fertilizer from nettles and dandelions
- 4.3 Recipe No. 3: Liquid nettle fertilizer for plants with yeast
- 4.4 Recipe No. 4: Infusing nettle fertilizer with bread
- 4.5 Recipe No. 5: Preparation of nettle infusion with ash
- 5 Timing, rules and regulations for fertilizing
- 6 How to use nettle infusion against diseases and pests
- 7 For which plants should nettle infusion not be used?
- 8 Conclusion
Fertilizing from nettle infusion is included in the arsenal of almost all gardeners. They use organic fertilizer when growing vegetables, berries, and garden shrubs. Such fertilizing does not require financial costs, but gives excellent results: crop yields increase.
Composition and value of liquid nettle fertilizer
Gardeners and gardeners have been using nettle as an organic fertilizer since ancient times.The thing is that the green mass contains many useful elements, which turn into liquid during the fermentation process. They contribute to the active growth and development of garden crops, which allows you to count on an environmentally friendly harvest.
Nettle composition:
- 34-35% potassium. Thanks to this microelement, which is responsible for the movement of nutrients, plants become powerful and strong.
- 37-38% calcium. This component is responsible for metabolism and photosynthesis. Its deficiency can cause growth retardation.
- 6-7% magnesium. With a sufficient supply of this substance, photosynthesis improves, and, therefore, plants become strong.
- There is little iron, sulfur, nickel, copper, manganese and silicon in the culture, but they are also necessary for the normal development of other plantings.
In addition to these microelements, nettle and its infusion also contain tannins, phytoncides, and tannins that can repel harmful insects.
Beneficial properties of green nettle supplement
Green fertilizer has many beneficial properties. Nettle infusion is great for vegetables, berries, fruit trees and shrubs, garden flowers and indoor crops.
The benefits of nettle as a fertilizer for plants:
- Enhances the growth of garden crops, stimulates flowering, promotes the accumulation of simple carbons in fruits, and improves their taste.
- You can fertilize at the root or along the leaves.
- Increases chlorophyll synthesis.
- The infusion promotes active growth of the root system, increases resistance to diseases and pests.
- The effect of weed fertilizer on weak plants is especially noticeable. After some time the foliage will turn green.
- Soil watered with nettle infusion is an excellent home for earthworms.
For which plants is nettle used as a fertilizer?
Experienced gardeners know which garden crops are suitable for fertilizing with nettle infusions. Beginner gardeners may have problems.
For these crops, fertilizing is important:
- potato;
- tomatoes;
- cucumbers;
- cabbage;
- peppers;
- roses and flowers;
- houseplants.
How to prepare nettle fertilizer
Green mass grows in all summer cottages or vacant lots. No special knowledge is required. You just need to follow some rules:
- For infusion, nettles are collected before the seeds appear on them.
- You only need to cut off healthy shoots that show no signs of disease.
- Fill half or a third with water to allow room for fermentation.
- You need to infuse the liquid from three days to two weeks.
- To ensure that the microelements are evenly distributed, the mixture must be stirred several times.
- It is better to prepare nettle fertilizer in the sun to speed up the fermentation process.
There are many options for preparing nettle-based fertilizers. Some of them are given below.
Recipe No. 1: Classic nettle infusion for plant nutrition
To feed garden crops, it is recommended to use a liquid infusion, which is watered at the roots or over the leaves. Of course, the concentration of the solution will be different.
To prepare the fertilizer you will need:
- chopped green mass – 1 kg;
- cold water – 10 l.
The base is placed in a non-metallic container, the size of which is at least 20 liters.Pour in cold water and place the container with the infusion in the sun. The fertilizer is stirred every day to speed up the fermentation process.
After 10-15 days, the nettle infusion for plant nutrition is ready for use. If root injection is carried out, then filtration is not necessary.
Rules of application:
- To fertilize cabbage, parsley, and lettuce, 1 teaspoon of the nutrient composition is diluted with the same amount of water.
- To feed the remaining plants, add 5 hours of water per 1 hour of infusion.
- For foliar feeding, the proportion is 1:10.
Recipe No. 2: How to make fertilizer from nettles and dandelions
The nutritional value of nettle infusion can be enhanced by adding dandelions. It is also recommended to pour granulated sugar or old (not fermented) jam into the container. Pour warm water over the grass. The infusion is prepared for 10-15 days.
Not only dandelions are used to produce organic fertilizer. Stepchildren after pruning tomatoes and other weeds growing in the garden (but not cereals) are suitable for feeding:
- shepherd's purse;
- comfrey;
- sagebrush;
- yarrow;
- coltsfoot;
- chamomile.
In addition to cereals, you should not add bindweed, hogweed or any poisonous herbs to prepare the infusion.
Recipe No. 3: Liquid nettle fertilizer for plants with yeast
To speed up the fermentation process, fresh or dry baker's yeast is added to the green mass.
For the first option you will need:
- granulated sugar – 100 g;
- warm water – 2 l;
- fresh yeast – 100 g.
Pour half the warm water into a glass jar, add sugar and yeast.When the ingredients are dissolved, add the rest of the liquid. The container is placed in a warm place for fermentation. When the process stops, the yeast infusion is ready for use.
For the second option, starters are taken:
- granulated yeast – 10 g;
- sugar – 2 tbsp. l.;
- water – 2.5 l.
The yeast additive is introduced so that it has time to ferment by the time the plants are fed with nettle fertilizer.
Add 1 liter of nettle infusion and 200 g of yeast starter to 10 liters of clean water. First, water the soil well, and then fertilize the plantings.
Recipe No. 4: Infusing nettle fertilizer with bread
Fresh bread or crackers are often added to green fertilizer made from nettles and grass. You can add baker's yeast, although this is not necessary.
Nettles and bread are cut into a container and filled with water at room temperature. The container is filled ¾ full to leave room for fermentation.
After 10-14 days, the nettle infusion will be ready. It is bred in a ratio of 1:10 to feed various vegetables, flowers, berries and fruit trees and shrubs.
Recipe No. 5: Preparation of nettle infusion with ash
For root or foliar feeding, you can add 1 tbsp to the nettle fertilizer. ash per 10 liters of infusion. After filtration, the solution is suitable for spraying garden crops against pests, as well as late blight.
Fertilizing with nettles and ash increases the yield of cucumbers, tomatoes, and sweet bell peppers. Cabbage is not against it either, you just need to use a concentrated infusion.
Timing, rules and regulations for fertilizing
Watering with nettle infusions is carried out once every seven days, not more often. No more than 1-2 liters of nutrient solution are consumed per plant. As for foliar feeding, it can be applied once a month.
Tomatoes and peppers are watered already at the seedling stage and before flowering begins (weekly). An adult plant will need about 1 liter of infusion. Nettle fertilizing for cucumbers can be applied throughout the growing season every two weeks.
For vegetable crops
Potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers are crops that require nitrogen fertilization. It is this element that is contained in nettle infusion. Particular attention should be paid to weak plants; in this case, the number of fertilizing needs to be increased. Prepare a solution according to any of the recipes and water the plantings during the growing season.
Flowering of nightshade crops will be abundant, fruit set will be 100%. In addition, the taste of the crop improves. For cabbage, it is better to use an infusion with dandelions.
For fruit and berry crops
It is useful to fertilize any fruit and berry crops, including grapes, with nettle infusion. You can cook it according to different recipes and water it one at a time. Root and foliar feeding of garden plants is carried out, starting in early spring.
At least 20 liters of nettle infusion is poured under each apple, cherry, plum or apricot tree. Feeding is repeated after 10-15 days. For raspberry, grape and currant bushes - 10 liters each. For each strawberry bush or garden strawberry, 500 ml will be enough.
The cake remaining after watering does not need to be thrown away.They can be used to mulch the soil under raspberries, apple trees, plums, and grapes. Such a cushion of leftovers is necessary for plants. This is additional feeding, creating a loose layer, therefore, the root system will breathe successfully. In addition, beneficial soil insects develop in nutritious soil.
For indoor plants and flowers
It’s not just vegetable and fruit crops that need feeding. It is useful to water indoor plants and flowers in flower beds with infusion. Fertilizing with nettles makes them stronger, and therefore the formation of buds increases. It needs to be watered after 14 days.
Rose bushes are also fed with nettle infusion. Wood ash is added to it and applied at the root to pre-watered soil. After the procedure, rose bushes must be spudded.
As for indoor plants, they need to be fed in early spring. Most often there is no greenery in the garden yet. In this case, you can prepare a fertilizer from dry nettle leaves.
How to use nettle infusion against diseases and pests
Green fertilizer contains tannins and phytoncides that can repel pests. Spraying with infusion will save plantings from aphids, snails and slugs. To prevent the solution from being washed off immediately, laundry soap is added to it. You need to work in dry, windless weather.
It is useful to water the soil on the ridges with nettle infusion to destroy pathogens and fungal spores. If late blight appears in the greenhouse, you can dig the green mass into the rows to a depth of 5-7 cm. In addition, this is also fertilizing.
For which plants should nettle infusion not be used?
Not all crops growing in the garden can be fed with nettle infusion. It is not recommended to water beds where any types of onions, garlic, peas, and beans are planted. Organic fertilizer is not only useless for them, but also harmful. It suppresses these cultures.
Conclusion
Fertilizing with nettle infusion is beneficial not only for the plants themselves, but also for the soil. The soil becomes nutritious, loose, and earthworms settle in it. Many gardeners refuse mineral fertilizers in favor of natural organic infusions.