Vegetable and fruit plants need not only good care, but also feeding. And the gardeners are marching in formation to the store for chemicals. Do they know that the best means are under their feet? For example, the ubiquitous nettle as a fertilizer surpasses all synthetic counterparts. You just need to know how to use it correctly.
Valuable properties of nettle
As a source of vitamins (C, K, A), trace elements and valuable organic acids (iron, copper, potassium, nitrogen, manganese, etc.), this indestructible weed is widely used in home cosmetics, as well as in cooking, as additives to spring salads and green borscht and soups. For feeding vegetable and ornamental plants, nettle as a fertilizer is especially valuable because of the high content of potassium and nitrogen. Moreover, it is equally useful for nutrition and for protecting plantings from pests and diseases. Experienced gardeners always stock up for future use How fertilizer is prepared and applied - more on that below. First, it will be useful to learn how to use fresh nettles on the site.
Burning Defender
Her character, of course, is burning, which scares many away from her. Is it possible to use this very property for good? For example, change your attitude towards a weed and leave it as a strip along the perimeter of the site like a hedge? It will be easier for uninvited guests to overcome a prickly fence than such an obstacle. Well, if such an extravagant method is not suitable, you can mow the nettle and spread it under vegetable plants - tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes. First, it is a mulch that prevents weeds from germinating. Secondly, it repels pests - leaf-eating insects, slugs. Decaying, nettle as a fertilizer nourishes the plants. Many gardeners successfully practice mulching with chopped nettles, enriching the soil and protecting it from erosion.
How to prepare nettle fertilizer
The process is very simple. Fresh or slightly dried grass to reduce biting should be chopped or cut, put in a bucket or barrel (it is advisable to use plastic containers, not metal ones) and pour settled or rain water. All this will wander for ten or fourteen days. The smell, I must say, is not pleasant, so you need to determine the right place for preparing fertilizer. With the resulting infusion, you can fearlessly water all plants, with the exception of beans, onions and garlic - for some reason they do not like nettle as a fertilizer. But such top dressing is gratefully accepted by all others, and even flowers, both garden and indoor. Fertilizer works very well on berry bushes - currants, blackberries, raspberries. You can water strawberries with nettle infusion. After such feeding, the plants literally come to life, their leaves become shiny and rich green, the growth and ripening of fruits are accelerated.
It will be useful to learn about one more way to prepare nettle fertilizer. Grass and stems can be burned and valuable ash can be obtained, the content of nitrogen and potassium is several times higher than that of wood. This is such a valuable plant - a stinging nettle weed.
Summer residents have long noticed: where nettle grows, fertile healthy soil, on which all crops grow well, including decorative ones. You can plant your plants in such soil without any fertilizers and they will grow very strong and strong.
Benefits of Soil Under Nettles
Decaying, the leaves, stems and roots of the nettle form a neutral thin humus. Next to nettles or after it, plants are very resistant to disease. Many fragrant plants, under its beneficial influence, enhance the aroma (for example, mint - almost twice), attracting beneficial insects, pollinating and destroying pests.
Ideal mulch - nettle
Nettle is rich in trace elements, primarily iron. Even a small amount of nettle leaves significantly improves the quality of the compost. Noteworthy is the positive experience of English gardeners using nettles as mulch: vegetable plants develop better and are under reliable protection from slugs, aphids and snails.
Nettle liquid fertilizer
The experience of European gardeners who use nettle infusion as a liquid fertilizer is interesting.
Finely chopped nettles are filled with polyethylene, wooden (but not metal) containers by 0.5 volume, water is poured to a level 10 cm below the upper edge of the dish, covered and placed away from housing (an unpleasant odor is released during fermentation).
After two weeks, the infusion is ready. For foliar top dressing, it is diluted 20 times and sprayed on plants, for watering under the root - 10 times.
Nettle infusion promotes the growth and development of most plants and heals the soil. But there are exceptions: garlic, onions, beans and peas do not like nettles.
In addition to nettle, infusions of a mixture of herbs are very effective: chamomile, shepherd's purse and horsetail (infusions from these herbs are rich in trace elements), and comfrey quickly compensates for potassium deficiency.
Nettles protect plants from aphids
The number of aphids increases sharply in dry summers. Fresh nettle leaves (1-2 kg per bucket of water) insist for a day, after which the affected plants are treated with undiluted infusion - the aphid dies from the action of formic acid contained in the burning hairs of the nettle.
Protection against phytophthora of tomatoes
It is known that spraying tomatoes with fermented nettle infusion (1 kg per bucket of water) prevents late blight outbreaks. Nettle is able to turn uncultivated, abandoned soils into suitable for crops.
Vitamin value of nettle
Nettle also heals a person. It saves from a lack of vitamins in early spring: young leaves and shoots are used to prepare green cabbage soup, salads, mashed potatoes, side dishes. For the winter, nettles are salted, sour, or powder is prepared from dry leaves.
Stuffing for pies is made from young nettles
(preferably in a 1:1 mixture with sorrel). Fresh juice is used to prepare cocktails with carrot and lemon juices. Since ancient times, nettle juice has been used as a nourishing and healing agent in cosmetics; it is included in many creams, shampoos and balms.
Probably no one will dispute the benefits of mulching the soil over conventional loosening, cultivation and hilling. Of course, we are not talking about collective farm fields - we are talking about our own garden.
September 27th, 2016 at 1:28 pm
Thank you. Will you have white zucchini seeds?
September 27th, 2016 at 5:29 pm
October 5th, 2016 at 9:17 am
Good afternoon. Is it possible to mulch a cucumber bed with a forest substrate?
October 10th, 2016 at 4:58 pm
February 18th, 2017 at 1:08 pm
Hello! Please tell me, is it possible to mulch the beds with last year's foliage and branches from a willow tree? We live near a small river, there are a lot of willow trees, in spring the area around the house needs to be put in order, we rake from foliage and branches, and all this remains near the river, like a side. Can this be used in the garden? I read that willow and oak have some kind of tannins, will they damage root crops and tomatoes?
February 20th, 2017 at 9:50 am
It is better to mulch with grass, and the foliage in compost.
February 28th, 2018 at 9:42 pm
Hello! Recently I began to read your articles and watch videos, everything is very useful and informative, better than any movie or TV ... As for straw mulch, my husband says that a neighbor covered potatoes with straw last year in 1917 and the mice ate a lot of potatoes, they are comfortable to live under straw... What do you think can be done so that they do not live in potatoes under straw?
March 7th, 2018 at 12:25 pm
Cats are the best protection, mole repellers also helped me, they didn’t scare the moles, but the mice didn’t touch the potatoes.
The most unloved weed of all gardeners is nettle. It grows rapidly, it is quite difficult to remove it completely, and even burns. But, if part of your site is overgrown with nettles, then you should not immediately show dissatisfaction with this fact, at least indicating that you have got quite rich soil. Experienced and competent gardeners have long found ways to turn this stinging weed into the first friend of their noble neighbors. You can use nettle as a useful substance in different ways:
- as mulch,
- Prepare a feed
- As a herbicide
- Like a pesticide
- Fertilizer for indoor plants.
Preparing and using mulch
The benefits of mulch are undeniable, and here nature itself makes it possible not to wrap up with the search for organic material - nettles can be mowed up to 3 times over the summer. To use a free, but very useful lotion in the form of cut nettles, the owners of summer cottages are motivated by several reasons:
- Mulch provides the roots with nutrients for growth and harvest;
- A layer of nettle weed becomes a barrier to the sun, which keeps the soil from overheating;
- A large layer of nettle does not allow moisture to evaporate, retaining it in the ground for a long time and nourishing the plants;
- Mulch prevents weeds from hatching, which means that you do not have to often weed the beds;
- Under a layer of nettles, worms and other living creatures useful to the garden actively breed;
- They do not like a burning plant and slugs with snails, as well as aphids.
The cut grass is placed between the rows of useful crops. In the process of decomposition, nettle stems and leaves release a huge amount of nitrogen, which enriches the soil and prevents plant diseases. There is also a lot of iron in the nettle, which is necessary for the rapid growth of any crop. The only drawback is that in a couple of weeks you will have to repeat the mulching, since the nettle decomposes very quickly under the sun and the effect is only enough for 10-14 days.
If the season is rainy, then a thick layer of nettle mulch can become moldy. The way out of this situation is to chop the nettle and use it in a thick layer. It is convenient, besides, chopped nettle smells good.
Use as top dressing and fertilizer
nettle ash
As you know, the ash obtained by burning herbaceous plants is the most valuable. The value of nettle ash is determined by the presence of more than 30 trace elements in it (after all, nettle grows exclusively on rich soils), of which 40% is potassium. The ash contains: 10 - 20% of the volume of ash obtained from burning nettles is potash. But what it does not contain is chlorine. A very useful quality when growing crops sensitive to chlorine, let me remind you that these are: potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, raspberries, strawberries, grapes, gooseberries, red currants, alfalfa, cotton, wheat, sunflowers, onions, tobacco, linden, maple, pine .
The rich composition of nettle ash makes it an excellent fertilizer. Poor sandy, soddy-podzolic, marsh soils can be significantly improved by adding no more than 100 g of Ash per 1 m 2 to them, microelements will do their job. Remember? Up to 20% of the volume of nettle ash is potash - an alkali that perfectly neutralizes the acidic environment, which means that nettle ash can be successfully used to correct acidic soils, it will take about 600 - 700 g / m2. In the future, in smaller quantities, they are used when planting seedlings and as top dressing for various crops.
Infusion for plant nutrition
There are many known recipes for making liquid top dressing from nettle today. This fertilizer is suitable for both garden and domestic plants. After watering and spraying with the prepared tincture, indoor flowers and fruit crops become strong, overgrown with bright foliage, and are immune to all diseases.
Indoor plants react to such nutrition in three days. This immediately becomes noticeable in the color of the leaves - they seem to be filled with greenery, and the stems become thicker. Such "full" flowers bloom profusely and many times. Their root system develops and grows stronger. Young sprouts are gaining strength and give a lot of leaves.
Let's talk about some liquid supplements, such as herbal brew, nettle and dandelion infusion, and a simple liquid supplement.
For all three recipes, we need a lot of nettles and a wooden barrel. As a barrel, you can use any vessel of large volume, not made of metal.
Simple liquid top dressing
To prepare such a fertilizer, you need to take nettles and water. Nettles must be mowed before they have seeds. Make sure that all plants are healthy, without damage. Cut the plant, put it in a barrel or any container of your choice so that there are more than half of the nettle in it. You can pre-rinse the nettle with boiling water or dry it a little in the sun to avoid burns. And fill with warm water to the very top of the container. We cover with gauze or a film so that midges and direct sunlight do not penetrate inside. During fermentation, gases are released. It must freely leave the container. But at the same time, the vessel must be placed on the sunny side of the site. Once every three or four days, it is necessary to gently stir the fermented potion.
Keep in mind - a strong odor is inevitable. As an option to combat it, you can use valerian root, which is added to the barrel.
After 14 days, top dressing is ready. But since this is a concentrate, dilute the tincture with water to use it. 1 liter of the mixture is taken per bucket of water. Such an infusion can be used for all plants, except for the legume family, garlic and onions. It is allowed to feed vegetable and berry crops with a frequency of 1 time in 14 days.
Herbal mash
The process described below is similar to the preparation of bread kvass. Only in our case, favorite plants will consume the drink. This recipe is described on the site Supersadovnik.ru. We put the chopped nettle in a barrel, filling the volume by 2/3. For quick fermentation, crumble a few loaves of rye bread, add crackers, leftover kvass, pieces of rolls, or add two or three packs of dry yeast. Pour all this with warm, settled water, so that at least 10 cm remains to the edge. The swollen mass seriously increases in volume. Experienced gardeners, in order to avoid a terrible smell, add valerian infusion, bought at a pharmacy. After 5-7 days, the mash is ready. This will become clear from the resulting foam and a significantly lightened shade of the solution.
For 1 liter of mash you need to take 10 liters of water. By mixing the concentrate and water, we get a nutrient liquid. This fertilizer is very fond of tomatoes and strawberries. Before watering the beds with fertilizer, make abundant watering with water. So the benefits of tincture to plants will last for a longer period. Use fertilizer as needed, no more than once a week.
Nettle-dandelion infusion
This recipe is considered both the most difficult and the most useful. Dandelions and nettles are harvested before the seeds appear. The crushed plants are placed in a barrel, about ¼ of its volume. Filling is prepared: humate solution is mixed with water: 1 tsp. for 10 liters. Plants are poured with the resulting mixture. For greater benefit, you can add ash or ready-made organic fertilizers from the store to the solution. So the infusion will become more effective for all fruit and vegetable crops and give maximum nutrition to the roots and stems. Fertilizer needs to be infused for 4-5 days.
The resulting liquid can be fed, including garden flowers and capricious indoor plants. Nettle and dandelion liquid top dressing favors the acceleration of the fruiting of berry crops, such as currants, strawberries, strawberries.
Nettle infusion as a herbicide
With the help of a weed, it is quite possible to successfully clear the soil of ... weeds! And the main assistant in this is again nettle. It is already clear that nettle makes good mulch and mulch is an excellent means of prevention in the fight against weeds. In addition, Professor N. Sokolova writes in her articles that nettle infusions are good to use as a strong herbicidal agent against weeds.
Due to the high nitrogen content in liquid concentrate, such as grass mash, weeds can be successfully controlled. When watering the soil with weeds with undiluted concentrate, the roots and stems are burned. This method allows you to completely clean the soil from all living things. A significant drawback of this method: nothing will grow on the burned area until next year.
Disease and pest control
To combat the well-known disease of tomatoes - phytophthora, experienced gardeners use the following method: at the end of the fruiting of tomatoes, after cutting the tops, it is necessary to dig narrow grooves about 7-10 cm deep. Place the cut nettle in the grooves and sprinkle with earth. According to Professor N. Sokolova, this procedure will give fresh seedlings a strong immunity against all garden sores in the spring. If you insist 1 kg of grass in 20 liters of water, then with this solution you can cure tomatoes that have already fallen ill with late blight. Spraying tomato bushes will give a positive result.
Infusion (2 cups of ash per 10 liters) is used as a prophylactic against gray rot that affects strawberries.
A solution that helps in the fight against powdery mildew on gooseberries, currants and cucumbers is prepared as follows: 300 g of ash is poured into 3 liters of water and boiled over moderate heat for 30 minutes, the settled solution is filtered into a 10 liter bucket, 40 g of soap and Top up with water until full. I spray the plantings with the resulting solution.
Nettle ash contains potash (as it turned out earlier, from 10 to 20%), it has long been used as a substance that prevents the reproduction of pests. Accordingly, nettle ash is not only top dressing, but also to some extent a pesticide.
So, a solution of nettle with water in the ratio of 1 kg to 10 liters, infused for a day, will save from the invasion of aphids. Formic acid, contained in the stinging hairs of the plant, passes into the water. The infusion must also be diluted in proportions: 1 liter of solution per 5 liters of water and spray fruit crops affected by aphids. The aphids will die.
Almost all gardeners use soil mulching on their plots, which helps them control weeds and allows them to reduce the frequency of watering, and in some cases serves as fertilizer.
Article plan
Soil mulching
Mulching is an inexpensive and simple way to protect and maintain soil. In this case, the soil surface is covered with any suitable material, especially next to the planted plants.
What is soil mulching for?
- the soil stays moist and loose longer;
- plant roots are not exposed to hypothermia and overheating, that is, the temperature balance is maintained;
- nutrients in the soil are not washed out;
- there is no hard crust on the soil surface;
- weeds die, especially annuals, and weed grass that has broken through the mulch is easier to remove;
- berries and vegetables do not have contact with the ground, so they remain clean;
- earthworms breed better under mulch, which has a beneficial effect on the condition of the fertile soil layer;
- if the mulch has decorative properties, then it is also just beautiful, the garden looks very neat.
All of the above properties of mulch give the gardener the opportunity to relax more, and not work constantly in the beds. Materials for mulching are divided into types: organic and inorganic. Each of these materials is very good as a mulch, the most important thing is the right choice of the scope of this or that mulch, since one type is suitable only for beds, and the other, more decorative, for a flower bed.
When mulching is carried out, it is important to ensure that the mulch does not come into contact with the stem of the plant or with the trunks of fruit bushes and trees. It is important not to cover the neck of the root, you need to step back from it for some distance. In trees, especially seedlings, this place is the most vulnerable, so it should be as open and dry as possible.
It is not necessary to strive to start mulching as early as possible in the spring, it is better to wait for the soil to warm up well. Under mulch, the soil temperature is always slightly lower than without it. And if you mulch the unheated earth, then this factor will not benefit the plants, they will lag behind in growth.
Organic mulch at the end of the summer season will be an excellent fertilizer, it is only necessary after harvesting, in the fall, to close up its remains in the beds. This will improve the structure of the soil and enrich it with nutrients.
How to make mulch
To make a quality mulch you need:
- mature compost - 1 part;
- shredded waste from the garden or garden - 2 parts;
- stone flour, wood ash, algal limestone - a little.
Mix everything well, mulch the soil, making a layer of 5 to 10 cm.
Briefly - what is mulch and why is it needed
Organic mulch - how to make and apply
The best materials for mulching are organic, so to speak, natural substances: humus, needles, tree bark, etc. Even wet newspapers or cardboard, laid out next to the plants and sprinkled with soil, can serve as mulch, although not for long, since the decay process of such material occurs quickly.
It must be borne in mind that organic mulch, rotting and turning into fertilizer, at the same time can change the acidity of the soil. Therefore, the use of organic mulch should be carefully considered.
Sawdust or wood chips
It is better to mulch with sawdust or wood chips in those parts of the garden where soil is rarely cultivated and dug up, that is, in furrows or between ridges, since both sawdust and wood chips will take 1.5-2 years for final decomposition.
This mulch is well suited for raspberries or for beds with crops in the winter, on which it is applied late in the fall. It should be noted that if the sawdust was somewhere in the corner of the garden for a long time, they managed to cake or “turn sour” due to lack of oxygen in the depths of the heap. Such a mulch will not do any good, but only harm the plants. To avoid this, it is necessary to simply dry this material before use, scattering it in a thin layer.
If sawdust, small shavings or tree bark are used as mulch, then nitrogen disappears from the fertile layer, as the wood mulch takes it away during decay. Of course, this negatively affects the plants.
In order to avoid nitrogen starvation of the soil, before scattering sawdust and other similar materials, water the soil, or dilute it in a bucket of water.
One of the important advantages of mulching the soil with sawdust is that slugs do not like to crawl on such a surface, they prefer smooth and moist. Accordingly, sawdust mulch solves the problem with slugs. But there is also a small drawback.: sawdust and small chips tend to cake over time.
This can harm plants - due to lack of air and excessive moisture, root and basal diaper rash may occur. Therefore, large wood chips are better suited for such a mulch.
straw mulch
Straw, like sawdust, also repels slugs. Moreover, it is better to mulch the beds with straw, and not with sawdust, laying it in a layer, about 15 cm high. Do not be afraid that this will interfere with the plants in the future, the straw will settle to a height of 5-7 cm in a short time.
Straw mulch is very good for tomatoes and potatoes. It will help protect tomatoes from a number of bacteria that are in the soil, prevent early rot, anthracnose and leaf spot from diseases of the bushes, and save potatoes from the main enemy - the Colorado potato beetle. It is also good to mulch with straw and beds with basil, garlic, strawberries and blackberries.
Bark of coniferous trees for mulching
Mulching with tree bark is perhaps the most durable. The bark does not absorb water, so the process of decay is delayed for a very long time. Due to the duration of use, this mulch is best suited for fruit trees and shrubs, it is also good in any flower bed and in the berry garden. But for tomatoes, such a mulch is hardly suitable because of its volatile substances, which will not benefit tomato bushes.
The bark can be scattered under coniferous plants. They will like acidified soil, which is obtained by mulching with bark. Quite often, mulch from the bark of coniferous trees is used to decorate the landscape.
Mowed grass, weeds after weeding as mulch
Grass contains a lot of nitrogen and other nutrients that help plants develop fully. After weeding the beds, mowing the lawn or removing stepchildren, tomatoes usually have quite a lot of grass. It should be dried in the sun for a couple of days, since, firstly, freshly cut grass serves as a haven for snails and slugs, and secondly, the process of decay in damp grass begins very quickly, and then cover the soil under the plants with it.
Mulching cabbage beds with tomato leaves will drive away such a pest as cabbage white from cabbage.
Raw cut grass can be used to mulch the soil in the garden after harvest, when it starts to rain. In the period before the onset of frost, this mulch will have time to rot and turn into fertilizer over the winter. And one more plus: the soil in the garden will be additionally protected from the winter cold.
Mulching fallen leaves
It will be very good to mulch cabbage and beans with leaves. Tomatoes, peppers and eggplants will also benefit from mulching with fallen leaves after the soil has warmed up well.
Needles, coniferous needles for mulch
Pine needles as mulch are very fond of eggplant and strawberries. Many do not use pine needles for mulching, believing that soil is oxidized due to needles. But the experiments carried out prove that when covering the soil with a seven-centimeter layer of needles from needles for two years in a row, the acidity of the soil does not change.
Coniferous mulch looks very nice on a flower bed, as well as chopped pine cones or reeds.
Nettle for mulching
It turns out that nettle is not present in all gardens. This weed only thrives on good soil that is rich in humus and well structured. In general, if nettles began to grow in the garden, then you need to rejoice: everything is in order with the soil on the site!
This plain-looking weed grass contains so many useful trace elements and vitamins, especially iron, that not every medicinal plant can compare with nettle! And in terms of nitrogen content, it is ahead of even mowed grass, straw and peat, not to mention manure.
In the process of decay of any parts of this miracle plant, humus is formed, which is suitable for all crops. Mulching the soil with nettles gives an amazing result - everything grows like yeast dough. For mulch, it is better to use young nettles.(this is just the beginning of summer, when the mulching process begins).
Moss for mulch
Mulching with moss can only be done on non-acidic soil, as such mulch increases acidity. It is absolutely not suitable for strawberries and strawberries, these crops can simply rot in the bud. And for peppers, blueberries, radishes, raspberries and potatoes, such a mulch is just a godsend.
It is also good to mulch with moss conifers, some flowers, such as roses and azaleas. Seedlings of apple and pear trees can be overlaid with moss, this will protect them from excessive moisture, as the moss will absorb it into itself, and during a drought it will give it to the plants. In addition, moss is an excellent antiseptic.
Also, the use of humus, oilcake or sunflower husks and pumpkin seeds can be an excellent mulch for beds and a garden.
Advantages and disadvantages of different mulching materials
Mulching the soil in the greenhouse
Novice gardeners are wondering: is it necessary to mulch the soil in the greenhouse? The answer is unequivocal: of course, yes. Mulch retains its useful properties in the greenhouse. In addition, tomatoes and cucumbers, which are usually grown there, do not tolerate high humidity, as fungal bacteria quickly develop in the soil, which causes fungal diseases of these plants.
When using mulch, the seedlings are separated from the moist soil by a sufficiently large layer of mulch, which allows the plants to remain healthy during the entire growth period.
With the use of mulch, planting care is simplified, watering is many times reduced and tillage in the beds is significantly reduced. Literally in a year, it will be possible to see the result of the regular use of mulch - the soil in the greenhouse will become much more fertile and enriched with microelements.
How to mulch tomatoes in a greenhouse
inorganic mulch
The most commonly used inorganic materials are:
- small pebbles and gravel;
- non-woven materials for the garden;
- ruberoid;
- black film.
Film for mulching
Many people use a dark film in their garden to control weeds and preserve the structure of the soil. It should be spread on the desired area and secured with thick wire brackets, or lay boards, or simply pour earth on the edges.
To plant a plant, you need to make cuts crosswise or in the form of a gap above the landing site and, having made a hole, carefully plant. After that, carefully pour through the slots. The soil under the film mulch remains moist for a long time, which significantly reduces the frequency of watering. But you need to keep in mind that with a long break between watering, the soil under the waterproof material dries up, since rain does not penetrate the film.
If a perennial crop is grown under such a mulch, for example, garden strawberries, then there is no need to remove the film every time at the end of the season. She can stay in the garden for as many years as strawberries grow in this place, that is, about three or four years.
True, film mulch has one significant drawback - since it is not subject to decomposition, there is no nutrition from it for the soil. Therefore, before laying it on the soil, it is recommended to mulch the beds with humus.
Everything you need to know about soil mulching
