Nettle feed

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Nettle feed

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grinning grunny

Joined: 11 Feb 2012
Posts: 23
Location: N. Cumbria

Posted: Sat Apr 21, 12 7:29 pm Post subject: Nettle feed
I produced rarther a large amount of nettle feed last year, is it OK to keep using it this year? Could it cause problems? Does it go off? Does it improve with age (Like wine)? Chris

TimNeo

Joined: 06 Jul 2006
Posts: 636
Location: Ashingdon, UK

Posted: Sat Apr 21, 12 8:36 pm Post subject:
It always smells off. Can't see that it has a best before date imho.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45500
Location: yes

Posted: Sat Apr 21, 12 10:19 pm Post subject:
see mixture +dpack in the archives it will be a good starter culture (and spring feed)

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Sat Apr 21, 12 10:21 pm Post subject:
Why do you need to feed your nettles?

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Sun Apr 22, 12 6:01 am Post subject:
IMHO most of the moulds & bacteria you are likely to culture will already be present in the soil, so not a problem & quite likely beneficial . Maybe make a fresh batch for young seedlings & use the old on the soil not as a foliar feed.

oldish chris

Joined: 14 Jun 2006
Posts: 4148
Location: Comfortably Wet Southport

Posted: Sun Apr 22, 12 8:46 am Post subject:
There is a basic law of science that reckons that the NPK content will remain constant - could loose some N as ammonia. The problems arise from the products of fermentation (guessing the pH and the aroma will alter). I'd use it. The cautious as a compost heap accelerator, the anti-social as a foliar feed.

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Sun Apr 22, 12 9:00 am Post subject:

oldish chris wrote:

I'd use it. The cautious as a compost heap accelerator, the anti-social as a foliar feed.

Might stop the rabbits from eating my lettuce.
Doubt it would stop the slugs though.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15598

Posted: Sun Apr 22, 12 9:07 am Post subject:

Don't think I would fancy lettuce with nettle feed over the leaves, so I can see the rabbits point of view.

You might have lost some nitrogen over the winter, and you may have some interesting bugs and organic compounds in there. I would be inclined to use it direct on the soil rather than as a foliar feed, and as has been suggested, if all else fails it will make an amazing accelerator for the compost heap.

grinning grunny

Joined: 11 Feb 2012
Posts: 23
Location: N. Cumbria

Posted: Sun Apr 22, 12 9:49 am Post subject:
Thanks for the advice everybody, thinks I will bottle some up and spread the rest around the patch to hopefully kick start things when we get some warmer weather, and put the remains in the compost, which is struggling in the cold, new nettles will be ready for harvest later for a new a batch. Maybe feed the nettles also, thanks for the suggestion HL.

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