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NETTLE TEA - BREW YOUR OWN LIQUID NATURAL FERTILIZER

1/14/2015

36 Comments

 
Submitted by Alexis Baghdadi

When the rain season started this year, I brewed my first batch of "nettle tea". With just one bucket of nettles picked from my neighbors' abandoned plot, I got 10 times that amount of liquid natural fertilizer, with a lot left over to give away.

The common or stinging nettle (Urtica dioica - القرّاص) is a beneficial weed that is quite widespread so it is easy to gather. It is rich in nitrogen, which makes it a good activator for compost. Nettle tea supplements plants with nitrogen, chlorophyll, magnesium, sulfur, iron, potassium, copper, zinc and calcium. You can also find recipes for nettle soup, drinks and other culinary uses online if you're feeling adventurous.

Like many new "permies" I know, I had read about nettle tea online and in books but I had never actually gotten around to try it for some reason. This year, I was lucky to be able to spend more time in the garden and observe the changing of the seasons, so I was ready when the first nettles started sprouting. When I found how easy it was to make this fertilizer, I decided I would make it every year and encourage more people to do so too.


All you need is a bucket with a lid, pruning shears or scissors, gardening gloves and some rainwater. Here's what to do:
1. Cut enough nettles to fill a bucket. You should choose plants that aren't carrying any seeds and cut them at the base so you don't get any roots or soil. When I gathered my second batch (Dad accidentally knocked over part of my first batch while it was brewing), I had to watch out for snails who had eaten through most of the patch and were still hanging on (I didn't want to risk killing them unnecessarily).
Attention: Use gardening gloves to protect your hands (stinging nettles sting!)

2. Trim the plants inside the bucket with pruning shears or scissors. You can leave the plants whole and get the same results, but it is much easier to handle the brew later (stirring and filtering) if the cuttings are trimmed short.

3. Fill the bucket with clear rainwater a little under the top and cover. As the nettle tea brews, a layer of foam might develop, so you need to leave some room for it. The tea will smell unpleasant during brewing, so you don't want it to spill and overfill.
Attention: It is better to use rainwater as it doesn't contain chlorine, fluoride or other chemicals that may inhibit the beneficial qualities of nettles.
Alternative: You can put the trimmings inside a cloth bag and tie it closed before adding water. This works like a tea bag and makes it easier to filter the tea later.

4. Place the covered bucket in a warm sunny place and stir every 2 days or more. I stirred mine every morning because it only took a few seconds.
Your nettle tea will be ready after around 2 weeks when it stops bubbling (in cold places with little or no sunshine, the brew might require an additional week).

5. Filter the nettle tea over a wide container using an old cloth (or, if you used the "tea bag" method, simply squeeze it dry) and use only the clear-ish liquid.

How to use your nettle tea
Brewed nettle tea will last up to 6 months, enough to get you through the growing season (spring).

To use as a fertilizer, mix 1 part nettle tea with 10 parts water (1:10) and pour the mixture at the base of plants where roots will absorb them more easily.

This fertilizer works best on plants that have a high demand for nourishment such as fruit trees and bushes, roses, annuals and perennial flowering plants. It works for tomatoes, leeks, brassicas, cucumbers and courgettes. However, it is not meant for beans, peas, onions, potatoes and root vegetables. Apply nettle tea to your plants every 3 weeks in the growing season.
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Note: You will still need to add compost and mulch to adjust the soil’s Nitrogen-Carbon ratio.

To apply on leaves, mix 1 part nettle tea with 20 parts water (1:20) and add 1/2 a teaspoon of liquid detergent to each 4 liters so the tea adheres to the leaves.

Undiluted nettle tea is great for making compost, as it speeds up decomposition. The leftover green mush from the tea can go right onto your compost heap.
36 Comments
Robin
5/23/2016 04:08:35 pm

Why is this not suitable for roots, beans, peas, onions, etc.?

Reply
Meg Mitchell link
4/29/2018 06:54:13 pm

I don't know if it's true but my guess would be -- root crops and onions don't like to stay too wet and beans/peas are nitrogen fixers so they get it from the air and don't need the tea.

Reply
Luca Marchetti
4/15/2019 09:08:59 am

If you give too much nitrogen to the root crops, they might do too much "greenery" and not enough root development

Alexandria
4/17/2019 02:43:46 pm

You mentioned adding liquid detergent to the diluted mixture when using as a foliar spray. Personally, I would feel uncomfortable putting chemical-filled soap on my vegetables...Is this step necessary? If so, do you recommend any particular kind that is less toxic for using on vegetables?

Reply
Joe
5/10/2020 05:26:43 pm

Dr. Bronner's is a natural soap that works well in foliar sprays.

Reply
Alan
6/9/2019 08:08:36 am

Is it good for houseplants?

Reply
John
7/3/2019 11:04:24 am

You can use ordinary soap as a wetting agent. Soap is biodegradableYou only need to add a couple of shavings equal to about the volume of a pea per gallon, if you have used rainwater. If you have had to use ground water or tap water it may be contain calcium and/or magnesium ( hard water ) which will require more soap. Also soap contains sodium ions but some contain potassium so you could be adding additional fertilizer. If you use Fairy Liquid type detergents as wetting agents then these contain phosphates. One drop per gallon shouldn't do any harm though. The rest of the detergent ( including soap) consists of long chain fatty acids eg palm oil and lanolin (sheep fat, found in wool), both of which are biodegradeable.

Reply
Robert
1/25/2020 02:29:27 pm

Any suggestions for similar plants common in zone 9/10 California? Nettles are very hard to come by here.

Reply
Anika link
2/5/2020 08:20:33 am

feel free to get in touch with me. I live in the Inland Empire and have stinging nettle to share 😉

Reply
Inani
4/8/2023 10:17:48 am

Comfrey, horsetaill have benefits in a liquid tea. Comfrey can also be used as a "chop and drop", but sometimes a piece can root where you "drop" it.

Reply
Mena
5/14/2023 09:34:01 am

You might want to try Comfrey. It works pretty well too! 🙂

Reply
Claire Hilton
4/20/2020 01:47:02 am

Hi
I followed this last week but the brew has an oily film over the top - is this normal or does it suggest the nettles were contaminated?
Cheers

Reply
Bob
5/8/2020 01:26:36 pm

Hi Claire, yes, totally normal, it's the biological breakdown of natural oils within the plant

Reply
peter Mulholland
4/28/2020 12:26:53 am

See here - nettle slurry has little or no effects https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5944444/

Reply
Ricardo
5/12/2020 12:06:14 am

That article is relating to potatoes, this fertliser is a high-nitrogen feed that promotes leafy growth and fruit growth, and so isn't supposed to be that effective on potatoes. The study would be more relevant if it studied the effects of nettle slurry on tomatoes or lettuce etc

Reply
Rob Hoff
5/13/2020 08:54:51 am

My wife and I have a small organic farm in NW Washington and have been picking nettles a lot this Spring, mainly for our own consumption and the garden's but we've been looking at possibly wildcrafting more next year to market, would anyone that can't get nettles easily be interested in maybe ordering some? as a matter of fact we're headed out here in a bit to pick more.

Reply
Denise
9/18/2020 08:42:26 am

If I’m using aerobic worm tea and nettle tea. Can they be combined and at what point can I do this? Can I stir in nettle tea diluted 1:10 in the beginning of the worm tea setup? Or should I wait till after worm tea has finished brewing?

Reply
Cooking Katie link
12/20/2020 10:51:53 pm

Great blog yoou have here

Reply
lorna
5/11/2021 08:44:08 am




hi this was very helpful thank you
lorna

Reply
Khin Thandar Sint
5/29/2021 10:21:48 pm

While foraging nettle I have accidentally cut one with young flowers... And I have started the compost tea batch with it. Now i'm really worried it will spread in my garden. Is it easy to spread? Should I toss the compost tea batch? Thanks!

Reply
Nina
6/23/2021 12:44:42 pm

Hi, I’ve been making nettle fertilizer and using it poured around the base of the plant. This year I am experimenting with foliar feeding. I have been diluting it 1:20 but am unsure how often to use it. Do you have suggestions? Would too much be harmful and what is too much? I know it’s a short term boost not something that will help build good soil and fertilize the plant for a longer period. I will still be using it around the base of the plant but more like every 4-5 weeks or less if that’s recommended when doing foliarfeeding.

Reply
Arnold link
10/22/2021 12:07:51 am

I like to take care of my health, both physical and mental. To avoid deficiencies, I had to adopt a balanced diet and above all use a specific food supplement. It is on this article that I found the product that allowed me to relive and enjoy optimal well-being without health concerns.

Reply
Nano-Carbon Bio-Stimulant link
12/26/2021 12:11:28 am

Would love to try this! Thanks for sharing.

Reply
Süleyman Koseoglu
5/12/2022 09:35:11 am

Hi! How can I keep the leftover tea for the next spray? If I keep it in a closed container, I am afraid it would grow aneorobic bacteria. What would you suggest?

Reply
Mazarin Grey
6/3/2022 11:49:16 am

If you are making a liquid organic fertilizer it is recommended to use several other plants, not just nettle. I for example add chamomile and marigold as well.

Reply
Inani
4/8/2023 10:23:09 am

Biodynamic gardening practice uses chamomile, so good for you! But how do you harvest the chamomile? I am daunted at the thought of picking tiny flowers that grow low to the ground. I never thought of using marigold! What is their benefit?

I posted earlier that I also use comfrey and horsetail to make tea...and "chop and drop" comfrey. I wonder if marigold would work in this way, too.

Reply
abera gudisa
6/17/2022 12:27:15 pm

is that nettle fertilizer is packing and supplying for sale

Reply
Alice Pettit Miller
7/4/2022 11:03:55 am

Great dialogue I'm using nettle tea fertilizer today for the first time. The tea has been life-changing for me for my lifelong allergies. Questions trying to figure in a small backyard how to safely grow some I have little Sun, may do in a container.

Reply
Inani
4/8/2023 10:24:41 am

I'm growing in 15 gallon containers and considering a metal horse trough. Will you fertilize the nettle in containers?

Reply
Inani
4/8/2023 10:27:42 am

This is such a wonderful discovery! And it touches me deeply, also, because I spent three of the best years of my life in the 60's as a teen in Saida and Beirut, loving the people and the country! Shukran!

Reply
Marissa A Vennstrom link
4/15/2023 12:20:04 pm

Wow, I never know about this nettle. I heard about nettle tea but I was not paying attention until now I started my little garden and looking for a more organic way of fertilization.
I've been pulling these nettles growing around my wild raspberries as it mimic it's leaves too. I got stinged many times.🙄 Now I know what to do with it.
Thank you so much for sharing this article. Have a bless day.

Reply
Jump
8/11/2023 03:13:28 pm

If the nettle that I used to make the liquid fertilizer was already flowering and had seeds on it would the seeds spread when I added the fertilizer to my garden ?

Reply
Turkish Real Estate Residence link
12/1/2023 07:21:44 am

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In order to obtain a residence permit by purchasing a real estate (house), the value of the real estate (house) must be worth at least 75,000 USD in metropolitan cities and at least 50,000 USD in other cities.

The value of the real estate is determined by the person selling the real estate by requesting an expertise report on the Webtapu website. In this case, officially, the value of the residence is determined.

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Reply
guncelhaberler link
12/23/2023 09:02:10 pm

Is it appropriate to mix banana peel powder and nettle powder and use it as fertilizer?

Reply
Rock link
9/11/2024 10:38:53 pm

Thank you for sharing the informative article.

Reply
marine airconditioning link
2/23/2025 10:49:20 pm

Specialized marine AC service to keep your cooling units running efficiently, ensuring comfort on every voyage.

Reply



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