Stinging nettle is a plant that can irritate skin . Here ’s how to get disembarrass of this unpleasant weed safely .
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Stinging nettle(Urtica dioica)lives up to its name . Brush against the teasing plant , and you ’ll forthwith know you ’ve encountered it . A campaign - in with stinging nettle leave of absence skin red and fiercely itchy . from time to time , blisters form , and the aggravation can last for several hours . Growing everywhere from cold , snow-covered regions to tropical zones , stinging nettle is prevalent across North America . If it is n’t in your landscape painting now , it could well appear in the time to come . Get to know sting nettle so that you’re able to egest and avoid its sting when it tries to take up mansion in your garden .
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What Is Stinging Nettle?
The “ stinging ” of stinging nettle get along from minuscule , needle - same hair on the folio of this tough repeated plant . The hairs pervade the skin as before long as you sweep against it . A persistent grower , bite nettle thrives in avariety of soilsand endure all kinds of rough farm condition , oft come out up in veg garden , landscape painting beds , and lawn .
In born areas , sting nettle is most prevalent in moist sites . You ’ll find it growing along stream , in meadows , and in ditches . It speedily intrude on disquieted area , making a menage anywhere that has mystifying , racy , moist soil .
sting nettle has been identified as a noxious weed in many area ; when leave unchecked , it can choke out native plants and disturb raw habitat .
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How Stinging Nettle Grows
Understand how stinging nettle multiplies , and you ’ll have a better chance of thwarting its facing pages and eventually exterminate it altogether if desired . Stinging nettle spread by rhizomes and seeds . Rhizomes are underground shoots that crawl out from the female parent plant , creating colonies . A flora with a vigorous mesh of rootstalk can easily expand 5 foot or more in width a twelvemonth . In the wild , noxious stinging nettle is known to make colonies covering an Akko or more of earth .
Stinging nettle has small gullible and white flowers in outflow and summer . The insignificant blossom form copious sum of money of seeds that full ripen in evenfall . Stinging nettle ’ cum are distributed by wind , razz , and animals . Prevent the seeds from fully ripen to slow the plants ' bed covering .
Ways to Get Rid of Stinging Nettle
While there are multiple ways to eliminate stinging nettle from the landscape painting , some methods take more time and energy than others . For example , non - chemical weed remotion methods may take several year to completely eradicate a prominent colony of stinging nettle , but it can be done . Here are 5 way to eliminate stinging nettle , along with suggestions for when to use them .
1. Mow
mop weakens bite nettle by lessen foliage quite a little and specify etymon maturation . It also eliminates spread by seed . mow is an effective method for controlling stinging nettle growing in turfgrass or meadow preferences . Mow stinging nettle - infest areasto about 3 column inch tall . In addition , promote strong growth of nearby plants so they can give to crowd together out the stick nettle .
2. Hand-Pull
Gloves are a must for this mastery method , and long arm and gasp are strongly send word to protect your pelt from rash . well suited for single invaders or humble colonies of prick nettle , hand - pulling is just what it sound like . Working when the soil is slimly moist , dig the plant at dirt level and pull it from the ground . Pull slowly and softly to remove as many roots and rhizomes as possible .
Be ready to repeat paw - pull in the infested area every couple of workweek for at least one growing time of year . Stinging nettle is a pertinacious gage that will regrow from even the smallest root or rootstock left in the territory .
Somewhat surprisingly , bite nettle is an edible plant . If you want to try feed some of the nettle you ’re deal - pluck , blue-ribbon youthful , tender leaves from plants that have n’t yet flowered in spring , and always cook them first to destroy the bite hairs . Then practice them like you would use othertypes of cooked greensin soup , stews , and even pesto .
3. Cultivate
It is possible to get free of a patch of bite nettle by repeated cultivation . When you oftentimes commove the root organization with amanual hoe or rototiller , you weaken the plant but count on the tenacious smoke to regrow promptly from severed root . architectural plan to continue the cultivation practice weekly for an entire growing time of year or even two to vanquish stinging nettle with this method .
4. Spot Spray
Glyphosate - basedweed killer can eradicatestinging nettle . berth spray each industrial plant , being deliberate not to allow for the spray to roam to nearby plants . Glyphosate kill anything it contacts . Spray on a unagitated solar day , give the chemical directly to dry foliage and following all recording label directions . treat works will wilt within 48 hours and wither to the dry land within a few days . After two week , revisit the area to guarantee all the cutting nettle flora were killed .
5. Fertilize and Aerate Lawn Areas
If sting nettle has invaded your lawn , it is a signaling that the turfgrass is shin to fly high . A healthy lawn will cursorily push out stinging nettle . Promote sound drainageand healthy dirt byaerating the lawn . Take a filth test andimplement a fertilizer planas indicated by the test . Soon , the lawn grass will take off , sending out new roots and shoots , and stinging nettle wo n’t be able to compete .
Bhusal KK , Magar SK , Thapa R , Lamsal A , Bhandari S , Maharjan R , Shrestha S , Shrestha J.Nutritional and pharmacological importance of stinging nettle ( Urtica dioicaL. ): A review . Heliyon . 2022 Jun 22;8(6):e09717 . doi : 10.1016 / j.heliyon.2022.e09717 . PMID : 35800714 ; PMCID : PMC9253158 .
