Urtica dioica
Nettle
Common names: Stinging Nettle, Great Nettle
At a glance
- Light
- Partial shade
- Spacing
- 40 cm, rows 50 cm
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Sowing
- Apr–May
- Harvest
- Apr–Sep
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −25 °C
- Water need
- Medium
- Origin
- Native to Germany
Photo: CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
The Great Nettle (Urtica dioica) is more than just a weed, its young shoots are a spinach‑like, mineral‑rich vegetable, its leaves make a strong tea, and its compost can fertilize half a garden bed. A wild patch of nettles also serves as a nursery for butterfly caterpillars.
Care instructions
Provide a separate, nitrogen‑rich, moist area in the garden, as it spreads readily via root runners. Wear gloves when harvesting and cut off the upper shoot tips before flowering. For compost, mix one kilogram of fresh plant material with ten liters of water and allow it to ferment for about two weeks.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingApr–May
HarvestApr–Sep
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 8 °C, ideally 18 °C
- Days to sprout
- 10 to 28 days
- Light
- Needs light to sprout
- Sowing depth
- Press in, don't cover
- How to start
- Sow straight into the bed
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
loamy, humus-rich, moist, nutrient-rich
You need nutrient-rich, humus-rich to loamy soil that stays evenly moist but does not become waterlogged. The stinging nettle is a classic indicator of nitrogen: where it grows vigorously, the soil is particularly rich in nutrients.
Feeding
Heavy feeder
Months
Mar–Apr
In spring before new growth, work mature compost shallowly into the soil surface. On poor soils, a nitrogen-rich organic dose such as horn shavings helps in addition; on nutrient-rich garden soil the annual dose of compost is usually enough.
Overwintering
The stinging nettle is completely hardy and needs no protection. Cut the above-ground shoots back close to the ground after the first frost. The deep-reaching rhizome survives the winter in the soil without difficulty and reliably regrows in spring. So that it does not spread uncontrollably, you can keep the runners in check with a rhizome barrier or by regularly digging them out.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
- Cuttings
- Division
The stinging nettle can be propagated in three practical ways: by sowing, by cuttings and by dividing the roots.
Sowing: Nettle seeds are light-germinating. Press the fine seeds only lightly onto the soil surface, without covering them. The sowing season is from the end of March to mid-May; you can sow directly in the bed or start them in small pots. An autumn sowing outdoors also works. Germination starts from about 10 °C, most evenly at around 15 to 20 °C, and takes about 10 to 14 days. Keep the seed moist during this time. You collect ripe seeds between July and autumn, when the panicles turn brownish, ideally before they fall naturally.
Cuttings: In spring to early summer, when the plant is growing strongly, cut shoot pieces about 10 cm long just below a leaf node. Insert the cutting into a moist, free-draining substrate so that the node is covered; the roots form there. With even moisture and warmth, the cuttings root quickly within around two weeks. (Wear gloves when cutting.)
Root division (rhizomes/runners): This is the quickest method if you already have a stand. In spring or autumn, dig up a piece of rhizome and cut it into sections about 8 to 10 cm long with a few root nodes. Plant these shallowly and around 40 cm apart in the soil and keep them moist until new shoots appear. Root divisions almost always take. Be aware that stinging nettles spread strongly through root runners and ground shoots; a buried root barrier helps to limit the stand.
Companion planting
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
For your garden
Grow Nettle yourself
Gartenkern tells you when frost is coming, when to sow and when to harvest, for your location.
Free, no time limit
Notes from real gardens
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