How to use nettles in the garden? Mulch for tomatoes and other uses

In any country house or agriculture there is always no shortage of food and plant waste, which, as a rule, is simply thrown away and taken away from the site. Regular weeding of beds, pruning trees and shrubs, pinching vegetable crops, and the formation of climbing plants is invariably accompanied by the formation of a large amount of unnecessary greenery. In this regard, many owners of garden plots and vegetable gardens are wondering about the use of plant waste for good. This article explains the benefits of nettle for tomatoes.

Both food and plant residues successfully rot over time and form a nutritious substance that is used by many gardeners as an organic fertilizer for the soil.

A nutrient mixture obtained from soaked and subsequently rotted greens, often referred to as “slurry,” is very popular. The basis for the “slurry” is, as a rule, the grass remaining after mowing and the weeds pulled out during the weeding process. The herbal mixture is usually infused for 7 days in a large container, leaving it right in the yard, in the fresh air.

After a week, the infused substance acquires a characteristic pungent odor and extraordinary nutritional qualities. For a long time, owners of rural and summer cottages used any herbs to prepare green fertilizer, without being interested in the beneficial properties of each component individually.

However, gradually interest in increasing the efficiency of green fertilizers forced us to pay more attention to the constituent parts of the “slurry”. In this article we will talk about the useful qualities of such a common and familiar plant as nettle in gardening, and how nettle is useful for tomatoes.

Is it possible to make mulch for tomatoes from the plant?

Mulching has long been used when growing tomatoes. Such a “blanket” of plant residues allows you to retain heat and moisture. And the use of nettle for these purposes may well replace plant nutrition.

It has long been noted that plants develop better in places where nettle grows, and the soil after it is fertile. Nettle is used to fertilize vegetable and flower crops, except:

• garlic;
• Luke;
• legumes

There is only one drawback to using nettle - it is stinging. But this problem is being solved. You just need to leave the nettles in the sun to wilt. The pungency is reduced.

What can and cannot be fed with nettles

Nettle fertilizers are suitable for almost all plants. Fruit-bearing trees, berry bushes, various flowers, and even green pets are welcome to feed nettles.

As for vegetable crops, nettle is very good for tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, and bell peppers. Fertilizing with nettles guarantees an excellent harvest of these vegetables. Of the berries, strawberries and grapes are especially fond of “biting” grass.

However, as with every rule, there are exceptions. Experienced gardeners do not recommend fertilizing onions, garlic, peas, beans and other legumes with nettles - due to excess nitrogen, these crops grow tops to the detriment of fruiting.

Benefit

Nettle mulching of tomatoes has many benefits.

Valuable fertilizer

• Nettle is rich in microelements and organic acids in a form accessible to plants, especially in large quantities it contains potassium and iron.
• The nitrogen content in fresh nettles exceeds the amount of nitrogen in poultry, pig and cow manure, grass clippings, manure and peat.
• Vitamin K, contained in nettle leaves, is involved in photosynthesis and improves the immunity of tomatoes.

Pest Control

Using crushed nettles protects tomatoes from pests, aphids, slugs and snails. And even if slugs start under a layer of chopped grass, they have enough nettle nutrition and do not come out.

Disease Prevention

If you mulch tomato beds with nettles, the plants will not be afraid of brown rot and late blight. The bushes will also acquire good immunity to some other diseases.

Method 3. Disease prevention

The organic acids, tannins and phytoncides contained in nettle suppress the activity of some pathogenic microorganisms. For example, pathogens of late blight and powdery mildew. To combat late blight, use an infusion prepared from 1 kg of grass (per 10 liters of water), left for a week in a warm place. In order to prevent various diseases and strengthen the immunity of plants, make a weakly concentrated instant infusion: 1 tbsp. l. dry herbs are poured into 1 liter of hot water and allowed to brew while cooling. Eco-friendly nettle treatments, unlike chemicals, can be used at any stage of the plant growing season, including during fruit filling and ripening.

Nettle treatment of tomatoes against late blight can be carried out even during fruit ripening

It is recommended to “clean” the soil in areas infected with late blight, as well as in greenhouses, with nettles, adding drops of it for the winter. To do this, prepare shallow trenches in the fall, lay a layer of grass (fresh, withered or dried) 8-10 cm thick in them and sprinkle with earth. Nettle, decomposing, turns into vermicompost, further structuring the soil, making it looser.

How to cook with fresh weeds?

To prepare mulch, plants are cut and crushed together with sticks:

• scissors;
• pruning shears;
• shovel;
• with a hoe.

The process can be automated using an electric silage cutter. The unit produces finely chopped grass, convenient for mulching, with a pleasant aroma.

Recently, lawn mowers with a shredder function have appeared - such machines are very convenient and allow you to quickly process grass and make mulch.

Beneficial features

The benefits of the plant are difficult to overestimate. It contains a number of important substances at high levels:

• minerals,
• vitamins,
• phytoncides,
• tannins,
• organic acids.

The plant is distinguished by an excellent complex of macro- and microelements:

• 37% calcium;
• 34% potassium;
• 6% magnesium.

The vitamins it contains are:

1. To the group . Important for proper growth.
2. And the group . Improves development, stimulates maturation.
3. E group . Nourishes all organs of tomatoes, increases product and taste criteria.
4. K group . Necessary for photosynthesis. Strengthens protective properties.

How to properly mulch the soil with chopped grass?

• You need to mulch with finely chopped grass in a fairly thick layer of up to 10 cm. Such a layer will not allow weeds to break through and will retain moisture and heat. And thanks to the fine fraction, nettle will decompose faster. Water the soil well and then lay a layer of grass on top.
• Mulch the plants when the ground warms up enough. Do not forget that mulch does not allow sunlight to pass through.
• When mulching, do not place the grass close to the stem to prevent rotting and the development of fungal diseases.
• Regularly replenish the mulch layer so that the height is at least five centimeters. During the season, mulch is added five to six times.

The influence of microclimate on nutrient absorption

The intensity of seedlings’ consumption of nutrients from the soil depends on the temperature in the greenhouse.

It is important to know at what temperature the tomato root system stops absorbing nutrients from the soil

Important! To control the temperature regime, the greenhouse must be equipped with thermometers. There must be at least three of them

One should be located near the soil surface, the second at a height of 1.5 m, and the third under the ceiling.

According to experts, an air temperature of 10°C should be considered critical if it is kept in a greenhouse for more than 3 days. Young seedlings stop absorbing the nutrients they need.

The soil temperature in the greenhouse is no less important for adequate nutrition of young plants. The lower limit of comfort is 13 °C, the upper limit of comfort is 25 °C. It is optimal if there are no sharp changes between day and night temperatures.

What herb should you not use?

• You should not use sick, infected plants so that diseases do not spread to tomatoes.
• Do not take treated weeds, since the substance glyphosate contained in the treatment agent reacts with the humus part of the soil and does not decompose for a long time, from 55 days to 3 years. Glyphosate harms earthworms, reduces the activity of nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and makes plants vulnerable to disease. And instead of benefit, you can ruin your tomato plantings.

Method 5. Preparing feed

If there are animals or poultry in the household, nettle is used as fresh food and when preparing hay and silage for long-term storage, since formic acid slows down the processes of decay and rotting.

Stinging nettle has long been considered the earliest and most valuable vitamin food for poultry.

Experienced owners know that young nettle, introduced into the diet of birds and animals, protects them from many diseases, increases appetite and promotes the absorption of nutrients. In chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys and quails, it stimulates egg production and improves the incubation quality of eggs. At the same time, the taste characteristics of meat and eggs and their biological value increase significantly. In industrial poultry farming, feed with the addition of dried nettle and nettle flour is widely used, which contains:

Finely chopped nettle greens can be used as poultry feed from the first days of growing

For the preparation of fresh green food, young nettles from the spring harvest (before and in the budding stage) are recommended, since the level of biologically active substances and the concentration of carotenoids after flowering are significantly reduced, and the amount of fiber increases. Young nettle, compared to traditionally used alfalfa, contains 3 times more manganese and iron, and 5 times more zinc and copper. It is better to feed the crushed herbal mass to birds immediately after preparation; for ducks, geese and turkeys it is usually mixed with feed or moistened bran.

After flowering, only plant tops, young shoots and leaves should be collected for green food. For silage, nettle grass is mowed during the period from the beginning to full flowering.

When brewing the leaves and young inflorescences of nettle, a healthy herbal tea is obtained.

In the old days, nettle saved many people from hunger. In terms of nutritional value, it was compared with legumes, and in terms of the content of essential amino acids - with black currant, sorrel, sea buckthorn, green onions and carrots combined. Nowadays, few people use nettle for culinary purposes in their kitchen, but salads, soups, and various drinks prepared from it cleanse the blood well and promote weight loss, so they can easily serve as part of a healthy and dietary menu.

Important nuances

When using nettles as mulch, many gardeners are satisfied with the results. Plants respond positively to such actions, grow well and produce a bountiful harvest. But there are a few points worth paying attention to:

1. Take your time to lay down the mulch. The soil must warm up, since the mulch layer does not allow the sun's rays to pass through. In central Russia and Siberia, you need to wait for the return of spring frosts and only then start mulching.
2. Do not place a layer of grass close to the stem of tomatoes. This will cause rotting and various diseases. Leave a small distance around the plant so that there is no contact with the stem and it can be watered.
3. Be sure to use biological preparations such as Siyanie-1, Siyanie-2, Vostok, and Baikal. Before laying a layer of grass, water the soil with Baikal or water, lay a layer of mulch, and “salt” it with Siyanie-2 on top. This way the grass will begin to be processed faster by bacteria and will not rot.

Spray no more than once a month

How else to use this weed in the garden?

Nettle is used not only as mulch; there are several other options for using this miracle weed.

Infusion

The most famous use of stinging weed as a fertilizer is the preparation of nettle infusion.

For this:

1. Fill 1/3 of the bucket with chopped grass and fill it with warm, settled water.
2. Keep covered for 7–10 days.
3. Water the bushes, diluting with water (1 glass per 5 liters of water).

To get rid of a strong odor, you can add a handful of ash or valerian to the infusion.

Laying in the soil

1. Mow the second crop of nettles and spread them around the area.
2. Sprinkle with a layer of peat or soil.

In the spring, this piece of land will be much more fertile thanks to fresh organic matter.

To obtain good results, it is necessary to use microbiological preparations that trigger the work of beneficial bacteria.

Compost

It is recommended to use nettle when creating compost. Due to the content of nitrogen and other valuable compounds, the compost mass matures faster.

To do this, finely chopped nettles are placed in the compost heap, sprinkled with a layer of fertile soil and watered with Baikal.

Ash

Nettle ash is rich in micro and macroelements. It contains more than 30 microelements and almost 40% potassium. Preparing ash is very simple:

1. the cut grass is dried in the sun for 2–3 days;
2. in the evening they are raked into a heap;
3. burn;
4. In the morning you get cooled ash, ready for use.

Using an accessible plant such as nettle for mulching will enrich the soil composition and increase the yield of tomatoes. But in order for its use to be only beneficial, it is necessary to follow some mulching rules.

Feeding mode

Often, when using nettle infusion, tomato bushes begin to fatten, so to avoid such consequences, other plants, such as comfrey, are added to the solution. The feeding procedure is carried out after planting the seedlings in the ground, using a working solution at the rate of 0.5 liters per bush. If young shoots, even before they are assigned to a permanent place, have an unhealthy appearance, grow and develop poorly, then they are fed with green fertilizer. In order for the crop to ripen faster, the organic composition is applied every month by spraying on the leaf. The organic composition is applied to the root 1-2 times every 7 days, combined with watering, where 1 liter of working liquid is used per adult plant.

If you fertilize cucumbers with fermented nettle infusion, you can increase the percentage of ovary formation and speed up the ripening period of the crop. The feeding procedure is carried out as when growing tomatoes. By adding comfrey to the solution, the content of potassium and phosphorus, which cucumbers so need, increases.

First recipe, standard

The best option would be: watering directly at the root, or thoroughly spraying the foliage. But different procedures require different concentrations.

First cooking method

He looks like this. One kilogram of fresh nettle needs to be chopped and placed in a large container; it must not be made of metal. Then fill it with ten liters of cold, clean water and place it in the sun. You need to stir every day so that the infusion has access to fresh oxygen. The approximate fermentation time is ten to fifteen days. If you want to use the infusion as a foliar feeding, then you need to filter it and dilute it in a ratio of one to ten. If you decide to fertilize directly at the root, then filtration is not necessary. For leaf crops, the dilution ratio should be: one to one, and for vegetables: one to five.

Second cooking method

A suitable amount of raw material needs to be crushed. Fill the container thirty percent with it, and fill the rest of the space with water; you need the water to be warm, clean and settled. The container must be tightly covered with plastic wrap. Every day you need to stir the infusion. If you want to carry out foliar treatment or spraying, then you need to dilute it in a ratio of one to twenty. If root feeding is needed, then the ratio should be one to ten.