Nettle Tea

[MJBadger]

I have used nettle tea from my drums thats been out there all winter with no ill effect to the growth of the plants . In fact i do this every year if theres any left over , just add more leaves & water to fill the drum & carry on .
Indoor plants , i know 1 indoor grower using organic ferts including nettle tea in compost at the usual rate of 10-1 & another couple that use it in there NFT but i`m not sure what strength they use , interesting point these guys grow Cheese & all they use for odour control is a cold water tank . Pump the air direct to the bottom of the tank 1.2mt deep , they have a pump to empty the tank out regularly & a ballcock valve all plumbed in to refill . This was done because they could`nt fit a carbon filter on any exterior wall because of nosy neighbours . No signs of a grow & no smell !!

ps; wheres all our reputation gone ? no button to send any either .


Stay green .

 

[3rdEye]

Excellent info jay and badger. Thanks so much.

jay - Do you refrigerate your stored teas then? Or just cool dark place? Seeing as you mentioned the positive effects of nettle root tea could one make a tea out of the whole plant? This would only be done in places where the nettles weren't desired. Otherwise it wouldn't be sustainable right?

Is there a difference in benefits to the soil and plants by using the teas versus the dried powder?

badger that water filtration system sounds great! What an ingenious way to tackle the smell issue. thanks for the tips.

 

[jaykush]

i just store the teas in a cool dark place like you said. store the dried powders the same way. they last a while. i usually only store material over winter when i cant get any, use fresh stuff in spring and summer, start collecting late summer and dry for use until next spring.

i have made it from the whole plant, and you can if you want. but i find its best to do all the brews separately because they all have different uses, so this way i can use them when i want to fine tuning of a strain for the highest quality.

nettles can be harvested sustainably easily, all plant ferts can. its just a matter of how, where and when you do it. if you went to a patch and pulled every nettle for a few years, chances are your going to deplete that resource, and have to find a new one. if you manage the patch properly you will have nettles as far into the future as you would need and possibly your kids needs.

i find the teas faster, but the powders/amendments more efficient to use all of it. i often use dried nettles as mulch in the early season as well as soil drenches and foliar sprays. to get the best of both worlds.

 

[3rdEye]

Fine tuning sounds like something i want to do, so i'll be making the teas separately. Seems like having a combination of application techniques is the best way to approach it. Thanks again for all the great tips. Hopefully i can go out and harvest some this weekend.

 

[MJBadger]

A word of warning , i mentioned earlier in the thread about me feeding my plants when they have their 2nd set of true leaves . 3 of my smaller plants are now showing nute burn so i will feed these with a weaker mix for a while as i have a feeling my n tea may be a bit stronger than usual . The bigger plants are thriving on it though .

Stay green .

 

[Spok]

i found a few nettles and im wondering if i should let them fully mature until i pick them or can i take cuttings now and let it regrow?

 

[jaykush]

harvest the tops just as if you were topping your cannabis plants. if you leave a few nodes, they will grow bushier giving you better harvests later on.

 

[dargo]

Is it possible to concentrate/reduce the nettle tea? could I do it the same way as making something like lemon squash? (lemon juice, suger, microwave on 1 min bursts untill most of the liquid is evaporated, then your left with a small amount of concentrated lemon syrup)

 

[DARC MIND]

the fermented nettle is a concentrate, u dilute the heck out of it with water before applying to plants or spraying. u also dont have to make 5gal, can easily use a liter or gallon jug to ferment small batches.
im also confident u can boil water with some nettle, strain and use that but im guessing fermenting is more commonly used (/w netlle) and isnt hard to do at all.

 

[dargo]

ok, can I super concentrate the nettle concentrate? so my 1L of nettle consentrate becomes 100ml? or something like that?

 

[DARC MIND]

i dont understand,
why u would want to super concentrate? and ur question
little but often is what i was recomended on how to use this and its been working great. my 5gal fermented nettle last me about a year or most likely longer at the rate i dilute it and im not just growing ganja with this.
imo follow the directions first then experiment or tweak to ur liking

 

[BORNaSMOKER]

i just store the teas in a cool dark place like you said. store the dried powders the same way. they last a while. i usually only store material over winter when i cant get any, use fresh stuff in spring and summer, start collecting late summer and dry for use until next spring.

i have made it from the whole plant, and you can if you want. but i find its best to do all the brews separately because they all have different uses, so this way i can use them when i want to fine tuning of a strain for the highest quality.

nettles can be harvested sustainably easily, all plant ferts can. its just a matter of how, where and when you do it. if you went to a patch and pulled every nettle for a few years, chances are your going to deplete that resource, and have to find a new one. if you manage the patch properly you will have nettles as far into the future as you would need and possibly your kids needs.

i find the teas faster, but the powders/amendments more efficient to use all of it. i often use dried nettles as mulch in the early season as well as soil drenches and foliar sprays. to get the best of both worlds.

I've beem looking for a replacment for guano in my veg mix. do you reckon i could make some sort of nettle meal to replace it?

BaS

 

[jaykush]

I've beem looking for a replacment for guano in my veg mix. do you reckon i could make some sort of nettle meal to replace it?

BaS

yes you can, i used to use guanos all the time. they were my main staple as far as ferts go. i used nettles to slowly get away from them, because they can be used in basically the same ways. now i prefer nettles to guano( would have been hard for me to believe that years ago) if you want to use as an amendment, dry them slowly, when they are dry and crumbly, you can crush them into a meal. if you are drying them and they turn brown, you dried too much. you can also just top dress the nettle meal as well. i suggest a use with a mix of nettles and guanos until you get the nettle system down, then transition away from the guanos.

 

[3rdEye]

Great info and questions again everyone.

Jay so if overdrying is a problem should the nettles be dried out of direct sunlight then? Or do you know of an approximate upper limit for temperatures while drying? I imagine ideal conditions might be similar to those for drying cannabis also? Relative humidity is a factor also? yes?

The nettle teas are really ideally suited for vegetative growth though and not as a flowering nutrient; is this more or less accurate?

mjbadger thanks for that information. I don't normally add any strong nutrient teas during the first month or so of growth as my soil mix is pretty rich already. The nettle teas act as a biostimulant though also don't they? Not just as a direct to roots nutrient application yes? I did give my seedlings some actively aerated compost tea to good effect though.

 

[Spok]

would adding nettles into a bucket with water work without a net, or would using a net create a more concentrated tea? i just topped some nettles and im thinking of just throwing some nettles in with water to let soak.

Also is it important that the nettles soak in water for 2-3 weeks or can i soak for less time?

-thanks

 

[xmobotx]

The nettle teas are really ideally suited for vegetative growth though and not as a flowering nutrient; is this more or less accurate?

+1

 

[MJBadger]

would adding nettles into a bucket with water work without a net, or would using a net create a more concentrated tea? i just topped some nettles and im thinking of just throwing some nettles in with water to let soak.



Also is it important that the nettles soak in water for 2-3 weeks or can i soak for less time?



-thanks

I may have already answered this one with my method earlier in the thread , i hav`nt the time to skim back through so i may be repeating myself .

Yes it will work without a net , if you do bucket/drum/wheelie bin pile in the nettle leaf/tops (no stalk) & press it down then add enough cold water to just cover it . Place a lid on & ideally place container somewhere in the sunshine as the warm water will break it down a bit quicker . It always takes at least 3wk to break down by bacterial? action , ideal time i have found is 4wk any less time than this will just mean a weaker solution .

Is it possible to concentrate/reduce the nettle tea? could I do it the same way as making something like lemon squash? (lemon juice, suger, microwave on 1 min bursts untill most of the liquid is evaporated, then your left with a small amount of concentrated lemon syrup)
__________________

Theres a post earlier in the thread from freefields about using a large plastic bottle to make a concentrate .

If your thinking on putting it in the microwave you`d better get a gas mask coz the neighbours will think your cooking dog shite , IT STINKS REAL BAD


My runner beans are really loving it .



Stay green .

 

[jaykush]

Jay so if overdrying is a problem should the nettles be dried out of direct sunlight then? Or do you know of an approximate upper limit for temperatures while drying? I imagine ideal conditions might be similar to those for drying cannabis also? Relative humidity is a factor also? yes?

yes dry in the shade. doesnt need to be like cannabis and all exact. i just lay it out on some cardboard or or a tarp for a few days. its best to do all your collecting and drying BEFORE winter gets there for one reason. chances are there are going to be no more nettles as they are annuals, and you will want to have a nice dried stash for over winter use

The nettle teas are really ideally suited for vegetative growth though and not as a flowering nutrient; is this more or less accurate?

yes nettles is a veg fert and can be used lightly in early flower, specially for long flowering sativas.

The nettle teas act as a biostimulant though also don't they? Not just as a direct to roots nutrient application yes? I did give my seedlings some actively aerated compost tea to good effect though.

its a bio stimulant as it stimulates the microbes already in the soil as a food source, this is not a replacement for compost tea, but goes very well with compost tea applications.

would adding nettles into a bucket with water work without a net, or would using a net create a more concentrated tea? i just topped some nettles and im thinking of just throwing some nettles in with water to let soak.

you dont have to use a net, i dont. never have. but i do strain before diluting so i dont clog my watering can.

Also is it important that the nettles soak in water for 2-3 weeks or can i soak for less time?

the longer you soak the stronger it gets, a strong tea undiluted actually acts as an herbicide to kill weeds, it basically burns them do death with nitrogen. you can make extracts that are only a few days old. the basic rule is the longer you soak, the more you will have to dilute. technically if you wanted to you could soak overnight and apply that liquid without diluting, but you wont be making the most out of the nutrients in the plant matter. i usually wait 3-5 days depending on temperatures.

like darc mind said, there is an even faster way if you need something asap, just make some on the stove like you would some tea. simmer in hot water, then cool, dilute and apply. but do not BOIL.

 

[gaiusmarius]

wow what an awesome thread. very interesting stuff.

was wondering, has anyone tried using cannabis fan leaves to make teas?

 

[jaykush]

i have, worked ok. i prefer to compost them or use them as mulch.