Stinging Nettles help

Jay2804

Hi, i have around 1/4 acre garden which is full of stinging nettles in summer, i cant even walk any part of the garden its that bad

Whats the best way to get rid of these? Sprays etc?

Far to many to pick out :rotfl:

Mojisola

Jay2804 wrote: »

Hi, i have around 1/4 acre garden which is full of stinging nettles in summer, i cant even walk any part of the garden its that bad

Whats the best way to get rid of these? Sprays etc?

Far to many to pick out :rotfl:

What else is in the garden - all grass, shrubs and other plants?

unrecordings

heat wand/flame gun might provide a temporary solution you just need to wilt them to render the stings harmless

or go picking (with gloves) nettle soup is quite nice - that's what I do - then cut back once I've got the nice leaves - guaranteed to be free of dog wee

sheramber

unrecordings wrote: »

heat wand/flame gun might provide a temporary solution you just need to wilt them to render the stings harmless

or go picking (with gloves) nettle soup is quite nice - that's what I do - then cut back once I've got the nice leaves - guaranteed to be free of dog wee

Not at all. My dog frequently used a nettle patch as a toilet. It amazed me how he didn't get stung but he never as much as flinched.

Arthog

They have such a large root system that Roundup is the only answer. Spray on a completely calm day. For in among plants you want to keep, use the 'dunking' method. Collect small containers eg from those yogurt drinks, cut off the end of a nettle stalk, push it into the container and secure with a clothes peg so the stalk can take up the liquid. Fill the bottle with made-up Roundup. One stalk per nettle plant will do. Leave for 2 days then move the bottle on to another plant. After a few days you'll see the leaves going pale, then the nettles will die off..
Remember that you need some nettles, as useful creatures lay their eggs on them. As others have said, the Spring leaves !re extremely nutritious and give us a tremendous boost after a long Winter.

Justagardener

Whats the best way to get rid of these? Sprays etc?

Roundup is a lose term. There is garden centre Round-up and there is professional Round-up they both contain the chemical glyphosate but are very different strengths. In order to kill perennial weeds like nettles you must use a weed killer containing professional strength glyphosate which will be marked '360g/l glyphosate' or more. There is good info here:
https://theperfectgarden.co.uk/the-best-weed-killers-for-your-garden-and-how-to-use-weed-killers-successfully/

Davesnave

Justagardener wrote: »

you must use a weed killer containing professional strength glyphosate which will be marked '360g/l glyphosate' or more. You can buy it on Amazon...It will do the job.

Yes, but not at this time of year. To be most effective the plants need to be growing strongly, so wait till April next year. And I agree, don't waste money on ready mix; buy a decent professional backpack sprayer if you have a lot to do.

Although glyphosate is good, don't expect intant results or total eradication in one go. It's far quicker to give a couple of hits in the growing season, then tackle what hasn't died manually. It can take 1 year- 18 months to get complete control, and even then you will get seedlings.

My garden was created on a totally weed infested, plot full of couch, bramble and nettles, so I have a reasonable understanding of what's involved.

moneyistooshorttomention

Several pairs of rubber gloves and several kids wanting to earn some "pocket money"???

Kids put on rubber gloves and go and pull out the nettles. You feed them refreshments and pay them for it = job done.

I've found that I can land up pulling out nettle plants accidentally - when all I'm trying to do is take the top few leaves from them for myself and I'm a woman with low physical strength.

martinthebandit

Buy a decent mower and run it over them once a week, jobs a good 'un

Davesnave

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Several pairs of rubber gloves and several kids wanting to earn some "pocket money"???

I've found that I can land up pulling out nettle plants accidentally - when all I'm trying to do is take the top few leaves from them for myself and I'm a woman with low physical strength.

Oh,we didn't realise it was as simple as that.


Perhaps these children could also clean the chimney or saw up some logs if they finish quickly?

unrecordings

sheramber wrote: »

Not at all. My dog frequently used a nettle patch as a toilet. It amazed me how he didn't get stung but he never as much as flinched.

I meant to add 'in my garden'