Nettle liquid feed

Couple of months back I shredded up some nettles into a bucket..topped it up with water and put it away in the corner of the garden..I suspect its now ready to use. Question is, by how much do I dilute this by to use as feed, is there any way of guaging this?

Many thanks!

Steve...

 

Anyone?

Steve...

 

here ya go steve
http://www.nettles.org.uk/nettles/activities/nettlemanure.asp

 

I did mine 1 to 10 as that's what Alice Fowler suggests in her book. I just got a bucket with measurements n the side and went from there

 

Steve's question intrigued me as I brew comfrey fertiliser with the odd nettle chucked in.
I had a google looking for the NPK of nettle fertiliser but found nothing apart from the fact that it is high N.
What I did find though was this post on another site relating to the trace elements in home brewed fertilisers. Like anything found one the web I can't vouch for the accuracy though.

"Nettles: Ca, Cu, Fe, K
Comfrey: Ca, Fe, K, Mg
Dandelion: Ca, Cu, Fe, K, MG, P "

 

Thanks catztail, thats exactly what I was looking for "dilute to tea coloured"

Dave, my chemistry memory is not what it was but if I remember correctly Mg is magnesium, making Comfrey a good feed for tomatoes (I suffered magnesium deficiency earlier in tthe year) Do you use your comfrey feed on all plants?

Steve...

 

Steve Bob feeds all his veg with comfrey it's stinky stuff but works wonders!:wink:Hel.xxx.

 

I'd be interested to read the post on the other site, could you supply a link, please?

 

Here's the site Terrier the post is the second one down
http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...-comfrey-fertilizer-confused-again_34178.html

Steve yes I use comfrey as far as I can for just about everything, though I do have to use bought tomato feed too as my one square metre comfrey bed does't produce enough comfrey to keep me going all season. Comfrey is reckoned to be an excellent feed for tomatos and potatoes.

 

Yes it smells vile, but I reckon that anything that smells that bad has to be good :D:D

 

Thanx Dave W. Trouble is I browse so many sites that I miss loads of stuff. :dh:

 

Nan used to pour boiling water over the nettles, that, if I understand, kills the rotting but of course doesn't alter the elementary nutritients. Then again, the decomposing bacteria do add value to the potion as soil improvement but if it's stinky buckets in my tiny gardenette or bacteria, I personally turn on the kettle.

Nettle water is great for hair as well, filter it and use as the last rinse. Also, the young shoots are super as a soup... sorry, I'm trying hard to stay in topic. :o

 

"making Comfrey a good feed for tomatoes (I suffered magnesium deficiency earlier in tthe year)"

The proprietary Tomato feeds have Magnesium, and I have read that a proprietary feed won't cure Magnesium deficiency. I don't know what the relative amounts are, but whilst I am sure, like proprietary feeds, it will help, I suggest its worth having some Epsom Salts in the cupboard - just in case :thumb:

 

I have a tub fof epsom salts from this year that will last the next few seasons, what I find strange though is that by putting tom plants into growbags they suffer magnesium deficeancy in the first place. Growbags have been around for many years...one would think (hope) that feed contained within them would alleviate that problem (it seemed that quite a few had the same problem as myself). Even though we know that any feed in growbags is used after 6 weeks and that we must then feed when we water. Surely it would make sense that the feed used would have more magnesium within them?

Steve...