How to Turn Stinging Nettles Into Fertilizer

To most people, weeds are just something annoying they have to deal with in order to get a nice garden. But did you know, that some of these plants are actually full of nutrients and have other beneficial uses? The stinging nettle is one such plant - in addition to being a mineral-packed superfood, it can also be turned into a cheap and very strong fertilizer, to give a boost to the overall appeal of your garden.

Without any wirther ado, let's get started!

Step 1: Cut the Nettles

Cut the nettles and collect them in a pile.

Step 2: Crumpling the Leaves

To make sure we get all the juicy stuff out of the nettles, crumple the leaves to break their inner cellular structures. A quick way to do so is to take a bouquet of plants and twist them, just like when wringing out laundry. Then, place those rolls of crumpled plants in a large bucket.

For this step, put on a pair of thick leather gloves to protect yourself from the nettle leaves. Do not use fabric gloves, as the fine hairs on the nettles causing the stinging sensation will easily slide themselves between the fabric fibers, making the whole process a bit unpleasant...

Step 3: Water

Fill the bucket with water and place it in a sunny place. Don't fill your bucket up to the brim, as the mixture will likely produce some foam when brewing. Then, place a brick on the nettles to keep them underneath the water level.

Make sure that you place it far enough from your home, to avoid having to breathe in the nasty odors coming from your new experiment - after a few weeks, the bucket will have a pretty strong and characteristic odor. If you're using a very big recipient, you could fill it up in its new location to avoid having to transport the whole thing.

Step 4: Wait

Leave the mixture to do its thing for at least a week. Every two days, stir the hodgepodge.

Step 5: Diluting

After a week, your fertilizer should be ready to use! You could also leave it for a few more weeks if you desire to do so or can't find the time to deal with that project at that moment.

To use the fertilizer, first dilute it with water, with a ratio of 1:10. As you will see, adding the water will make the mixture foam. Then, use it to water the plants you wish to give a little boost to. If you wish to spray the fertilizer on the leaves, use a ratio of 1:20 when diluting.

Don't use this fertilizer for onions, beans, peas, and potatoes, as the nitrogen countenance of the liquid is too high. However, you can use it on fruit trees and leafy vegetables.

The nettles themselves can be put in the compost to enliven the microbiologic life there as well.