Top dressing from nettle infusion for plants: rules for use

Top dressing from nettle infusion is included in the arsenal of almost all gardeners. They use organic fertilizer when growing vegetables, berries, garden shrubs. Such top dressing does not require financial costs, but gives an excellent result: crop yields increase.

Burning crop is an excellent source of readily available nitrogen and silicon for top dressing

Composition and value of liquid nettle fertilizer

Nettle, as an organic fertilizer, gardeners and gardeners have been using since ancient times. The thing is that the green mass contains many useful elements that turn into liquid during the fermentation process. They contribute to the active growth and development of horticultural crops, which makes it possible to count on obtaining an environmentally friendly crop.

Nettle composition:

1. 34-35% potassium. Thanks to this trace element, which is responsible for the movement of nutrients, plants become powerful and strong.
2. 37-38% calcium. This component is responsible for metabolism and photosynthesis. Its deficiency can cause stunting.
3. 6-7% magnesium. With sufficient intake of this substance, photosynthesis improves, which means that plants become strong.
4. 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 trace elements, nettle and infusion from it also contain tannins, phytoncides, tannins that can repel harmful insects.

Carbonates, which are part of the nettle infusion, increase the immunity of horticultural crops

Useful properties of green top dressing from nettle

Green manure has a lot of useful 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:

1. It enhances the growth of horticultural crops, stimulates flowering, promotes the accumulation of simple carbons in fruits, and improves their taste.
2. You can fertilize under the root or on the leaves.
3. Increases the synthesis of chlorophyll.
4. The infusion promotes active growth of the root system, increases resistance to diseases and pests.
5. The effect of weed fertilizer on weak plants is especially noticeable. After a while, the leaves will turn green.
6. Soil watered with nettle infusion is an excellent home for earthworms.

The place on the site where the nettle grows contains a large amount of humus

For which plants is nettle used as a fertilizer

Experienced gardeners know which garden crops are suitable for fertilizing with nettle infusions. Beginning gardeners may have problems.

For these crops top dressing is important:

• potatoes;
• tomatoes;
• cucumbers;
• cabbage;
• peppers;
• roses and flowers;
• houseplants.

How to prepare nettle fertilizer

Green mass grows in all summer cottages or wastelands. Special knowledge is not required. You just need to follow some rules:

1. For infusion, nettles are harvested until seeds appear on it.
2. You need to cut only healthy shoots that do not show signs of disease.
3. Pour half or a third with water so that there is room for fermentation.
4. You need to insist the liquid from three days to two weeks.
5. In order for the microelements to be evenly distributed, the mixture must be stirred several times.
6. It is better to cook nettle top dressing in the sun to speed up the fermentation process.

To get rid of the pungent odor, you can add a little liquid valerian

There are many options for preparing nettle-based dressings. Some of them are listed below.

Recipe number 1: Classic nettle infusion for plant nutrition

For feeding horticultural crops, it is recommended to use a liquid infusion, which is watered under the roots or along the leaves. Of course, the concentration of the solution will be different.

To prepare top dressing you will need:

• chopped green mass – 1 kg;
• cold water – 10 liters.

The base is placed in a non-metallic container, the size of which is at least 20 liters. Pour in cold water, expose dishes with infusion in the sun. Every day, top dressing is stirred to speed up the fermentation process.

After 10-15 days, nettle infusion for plant nutrition is ready for use. If a root injection is carried out, then filtration is optional.

Application rules:

1. To fertilize cabbage, parsley, lettuce, 1 teaspoon of the nutrient composition is diluted with the same amount of water.
2. To feed the rest of the plants, 1 hours of water are added for 5 hour of infusion.
3. For foliar feeding, the proportion is 1:10.

Recipe #2: How to Make Nettle Fertilizer with 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 the grass with warm water. The infusion is prepared for 10-15 days.

Not only dandelions are used to obtain organic fertilizer. Stepchildren are suitable for top dressing after pruning tomatoes, other weeds growing in the garden (but not cereals):

• a shepherd’s purse;
• comfrey;
• sagebrush;
• yarrow;
• coltsfoot;
• chamomile.

In addition to cereals, you should not add field bindweed, cow parsnip and any poisonous herbs to prepare the infusion.

Dandelions contain a large amount of minerals that will enhance the beneficial properties of nettle infusion.

Recipe #3: Liquid Nettle Plant Fertilizer 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 liters;
• fresh yeast – 100 g.

Half of warm water is poured into a glass jar, sugar and yeast are added. When the ingredients are dissolved, pour in 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, starter cultures are taken:

• granulated yeast – 10 g;
• sugar – 2 st. l .;
• water – 2,5 l.

The yeast supplement is introduced so that it has time to ferment by the time the plants are fed with nettle fertilizer.

In 10 liters of pure water, add 1 liter of nettle infusion and 200 g of yeast starter. First, water the soil well, and then fertilize the plantings.

Top dressing with yeast is especially fond of garden strawberries.

Recipe number 4: Infusion of nettle fertilizer with bread

Fresh bread or crackers are often added to green manure made from nettles and herbs. You can add baker’s yeast, although this is not necessary.

Nettles, bread are cut into a container and poured with water at room temperature. The container is filled ¾ to leave space for fermentation.

After 10-14 days, the nettle infusion will be ready. It is bred in a ratio of 1:10 for feeding various vegetables, flowers, berries and fruit trees, shrubs.

I especially like the green dressing of strawberries and wild strawberries, the berries become larger and sweeter

Recipe number 5: Cooking nettle infusion with ash

For root or foliar top dressing, nettle fertilizer can be filled with 1 tbsp. ash per 10 liters of infusion. After filtration, the solution is suitable for spraying garden crops from pests, as well as phytophthora.

Nettle top dressing with ash increases the yield of cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet bell peppers. Cabbage is not against him, only you need to use a concentrated infusion.

Terms, rules and norms for fertilizing

Nettle infusions are watered once every seven days, not more often. The plant consumes no more than 1-2 liters of nutrient solution. With regards to foliar feeding, it can be applied once a month.

Tomatoes and peppers are watered already at the seedling stage and before flowering (weekly). An adult plant will need about 1 liter of infusion. Nettle top dressing for cucumbers can be applied throughout the growing season every two weeks.

For vegetable crops

Potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers are crops that need nitrogen supplementation. It is this element that is contained in the nettle infusion. Particular attention should be paid to weak plants, the number of dressings in this case should be increased. Prepare a solution according to any of the recipes, water the plantings during the growing season.

Flowering of nightshade crops will be plentiful, fruit set is 100%. In addition, the taste of the crop improves. For cabbage, it is better to use infusion with dandelions.

It is useful to lay nettle branches in the aisle, they will scare away slugs and snails

For fruit 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 in turn. Conduct root and foliar top dressing of garden plants, starting in early spring.

At least 20 liters of nettle infusion are poured under each apple, cherry, plum or apricot tree. Top dressing is repeated after 10-15 days. Under the bushes of raspberries, grapes and currants – 10 liters each. For each bush of strawberries or garden strawberries, 500 ml will be enough.

Strawberries need to be watered with nettles during growth and fruiting.

The cake left after watering does not need to be thrown away. They can mulch the soil under raspberries, apple trees, plums, grapes. Such a cushion of leftovers is necessary for plants. This is an additional top dressing, the creation of a loose layer, therefore, the root system will successfully breathe. In addition, beneficial soil insects develop in the nutrient soil.

Covered with nettle mulch, the roots survive the harsh winter more easily.

For indoor plants and flowers

Not only vegetable and fruit crops need to be fed. It is useful to water houseplants and flowers in flowerbeds with infusion. Top dressing with nettle makes them stronger, therefore, the formation of buds increases. Watering is necessary after 14 days.

Rose bushes are also fed with nettle infusion. Wood ash is added to it and brought under the root into the previously 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 top dressing from dry nettle leaves.

How to use nettle infusion against diseases and pests

Green top dressing contains tannins, phytoncides that can repel pests. Spraying with infusion will save plantings from aphids, snails and slugs. So that the solution is not immediately washed off, laundry soap is added to it. You need to work in dry calm weather.

It is useful to water the soil on the ridges with nettle infusion to destroy pathogens, fungal spores. If phytophthora appeared in the greenhouse, you can dig in the green mass in the row-spacing to a depth of 5-7 cm. In addition, this is also top dressing.

For which plants you can not use nettle infusion

Not all crops growing in a garden or vegetable garden can be fed with nettle infusion. Ridges where any types of onions, garlic, peas, beans are planted are not recommended to be watered. Organic fertilizer for them is not only useless, but also harmful. It suppresses these cultures.

Conclusion

Top dressing from nettle infusion is useful not only for the plants themselves, but also for the soil. The soil becomes nutritious, loose, earthworms settle in it. Many gardeners refuse mineral fertilizers in favor of natural organic infusions.