Hi
I would like to create a nettle patch down in my wood. It would be for the benefit of wildlife. I already have several small scattered patches, too small to be much benefit, I think and also in quite shady locations. I was thinking of something grander.
I have found a source of native British seed were I can get about 70,000 seeds for less than a tenner. Does anyone have any tips or experience of doing this?
Ground preparation, I have read that nettles need nitrogen enriched soil but I am loathe to bring chemicals into the wood, in fact I wouldn't do that. Any suggestions?
Also they would have to compete with existing bracken and brambles, pretty tough competition.

Thanks
Colin

In article ,
oaks writes:
|
| I would like to create a nettle patch down in my wood. It would be for
| the benefit of wildlife. I already have several small scattered
| patches, too small to be much benefit, I think and also in quite shady
| locations. I was thinking of something grander.
| I have found a source of native British seed were I can get about
| 70,000 seeds for less than a tenner. Does anyone have any tips or
| experience of doing this?

Not deliberately :-) And nettles are not woodland plants - they
prefer disturbed soil in open positions (i.e. with full light).

| Ground preparation, I have read that nettles need nitrogen enriched
| soil but I am loathe to bring chemicals into the wood, in fact I
| wouldn't do that. Any suggestions?

Yes. It's not nitrogen, but phosphorus. Bones, dung etc. Dig
up some skeletons and grind them up :-) The well-known company of
Burke and Hare springs to mind ....

More seriously, I don't know, but it's still phosphorus.

| Also they would have to compete with existing bracken and brambles,
| pretty tough competition.

In suitable conditions, nettles ARE pretty tough competition!
They won't compete successfully in the shade under trees, but will
out in the open.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On Fri, 7 Mar 2008 18:25:52 +0000, oaks
wrote:


Hi
I would like to create a nettle patch down in my wood. It would be for
the benefit of wildlife. I already have several small scattered
patches, too small to be much benefit, I think and also in quite shady
locations. I was thinking of something grander.
I have found a source of native British seed were I can get about
70,000 seeds for less than a tenner. Does anyone have any tips or
experience of doing this?
Ground preparation, I have read that nettles need nitrogen enriched
soil but I am loathe to bring chemicals into the wood, in fact I
wouldn't do that. Any suggestions?
Also they would have to compete with existing bracken and brambles,
pretty tough competition.

Thanks
Colin

Many years ago, I read in an archaeological treatise that you can
always tell that a particular place has been inhabited by humans,
because the nettles grow particularly well there. Perhaps a few pints
of your favourite tipple followed by a walk in the woods?

Regards
JonH

Thanks Nick,

Thanks for the phosphorus tip, ground up bones, now that's possible. Also dung, plenty of boar lesses.

Fully understand about sunshine. It is the clearings in a wood that make it interesting and this one is a coppice. The wildlife love that kind of thing, woodland edge habitat.

Best regards
Colin

In message , oaks
writes

Nick Maclaren;777866 Wrote:
In article ,
oaks writes:
|
| I would like to create a nettle patch down in my wood. It would be
for
| the benefit of wildlife. I already have several small scattered
| patches, too small to be much benefit, I think and also in quite
shady
| locations. I was thinking of something grander.
| I have found a source of native British seed were I can get about
| 70,000 seeds for less than a tenner. Does anyone have any tips or
| experience of doing this?

Not deliberately :-) And nettles are not woodland plants - they
prefer disturbed soil in open positions (i.e. with full light).

| Ground preparation, I have read that nettles need nitrogen enriched
| soil but I am loathe to bring chemicals into the wood, in fact I
| wouldn't do that. Any suggestions?

Yes. It's not nitrogen, but phosphorus. Bones, dung etc. Dig
up some skeletons and grind them up :-) The well-known company of
Burke and Hare springs to mind ....

More seriously, I don't know, but it's still phosphorus.

| Also they would have to compete with existing bracken and brambles,
| pretty tough competition.

In suitable conditions, nettles ARE pretty tough competition!
They won't compete successfully in the shade under trees, but will
out in the open.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Thanks Nick,

Thanks for the phosphorus tip, ground up bones, now that's possible.
Also dung, plenty of boar lesses.

Fully understand about sunshine. It is the clearings in a wood that
make it interesting and this one is a coppice. The wildlife love that
kind of thing, woodland edge habitat.

A possible alternative that you may wish to consider for a woodland
setting would be Hedge Woundwort, Stachys sylvatica. Although it has
some similar characteristics of the stinging nettle it is not of the
same family. The reddish purple flowers are quite interesting and
attractive to bees. It has flourished in the wooded part of our garden
along with a variety of other native woodland/woodland edge plants.
--
Robert

robert wrote:
(snip)
A possible alternative that you may wish to consider for a woodland
setting would be Hedge Woundwort, Stachys sylvatica. Although it has
some similar characteristics of the stinging nettle it is not of the
same family. The reddish purple flowers are quite interesting and
attractive to bees. It has flourished in the wooded part of our
garden along with a variety of other native woodland/woodland edge
plants.

The main disadvantage of Hedge Woundwort is its awful smell when bruised.

I suggest that you check what the food plants are of British caterpillars &
moths, and see if any of those (other than stinging nettles) might suit the
situations you have in mind. However, my feeling is that most of those -
like stinging nettles - will not like shade.

Of course, it may not be possible to source the seed in large quantity even
if you find something suitable.


--
Jeff
(cut "thetape" to reply)

In message , Jeff Layman
writes
robert wrote:
(snip)
A possible alternative that you may wish to consider for a woodland
setting would be Hedge Woundwort, Stachys sylvatica. Although it has
some similar characteristics of the stinging nettle it is not of the
same family. The reddish purple flowers are quite interesting and
attractive to bees. It has flourished in the wooded part of our
garden along with a variety of other native woodland/woodland edge
plants.

The main disadvantage of Hedge Woundwort is its awful smell when bruised.

We have a few plants that are deemed to have an unpleasant smell, the
woundwort, Helleborous foetidus and Iris foetidissima but the only time
we notice any pong is during any cutting back and even that is fleeting.
--
Robert

"oaks" wrote in message
news ....
Thanks for the phosphorus tip, ground up bones, now that's possible.
Also dung, plenty of boar lesses.



Boar LESSES ??

Is this yet another English word for the dung of one particular species?

Hi Duncan

Yes, exactly right. Although I have heard that lesses can also be used to describe bear or wolf droppings.

We don't have any bears or wolves in our wood but we have plenty of wild boar and their droppings are very distinctive. I shall be collecting them for my nettle patch.

I would love to be part of a program to re-introduce wolves to East Sussex but fear the neighbors might complain.

Thanks for all the comments
Colin

oaks writes

Hi
I would like to create a nettle patch down in my wood. It would be for
the benefit of wildlife.

Which particular wildlife were you seeking to benefit?

I already have several small scattered
patches, too small to be much benefit, I think and also in quite shady
locations. I was thinking of something grander.
I have found a source of native British seed were I can get about
70,000 seeds for less than a tenner. Does anyone have any tips or
experience of doing this?
Ground preparation, I have read that nettles need nitrogen enriched
soil but I am loathe to bring chemicals into the wood, in fact I
wouldn't do that. Any suggestions?
Also they would have to compete with existing bracken and brambles,
pretty tough competition.

Thanks
Colin




--
oaks

--
Kay

Hi Kay

The answer is:

My birds probably, they like the butterflies (and their offspring). It's kind of an holistic approach and hard to be species specific. What benefits one, often benefits many. There is a lot of evidence that many species benefit from the odd nettle patch and some are totally dependant on them.

Some birds are very fond of the seeds as well.

Regards
Colin

oaks writes


Hi
I would like to create a nettle patch down in my wood. It would be for
the benefit of wildlife.-

Which particular wildlife were you seeking to benefit?
-

The answer is:

My birds probably, they like the butterflies (and their offspring).
It's kind of an holistic approach and hard to be species specific. What
benefits one, often benefits many. There is a lot of evidence that many
species benefit from the odd nettle patch and some are totally
dependant on them.


If you're looking to benefit the birds indirectly through the
caterpillars that feed on nettles, my understanding is that the
butterflies lay on nettles that are in the sun, not in full shade.
Therefore some other wildlife friendly use for the woodland might be
more effective.
--
Kay

On Fri, 7 Mar 2008 18:25:52 +0000, oaks
wrote:


Hi
I would like to create a nettle patch down in my wood. It would be for
the benefit of wildlife. I already have several small scattered
patches, too small to be much benefit, I think and also in quite shady
locations. I was thinking of something grander.
I have found a source of native British seed were I can get about
70,000 seeds for less than a tenner. Does anyone have any tips or
experience of doing this?
Ground preparation, I have read that nettles need nitrogen enriched
soil but I am loathe to bring chemicals into the wood, in fact I
wouldn't do that. Any suggestions?
Also they would have to compete with existing bracken and brambles,
pretty tough competition.

Thanks
Colin

In view of what's been said about nettles preferring sunny patches,
how about transplanting some from shade to somewhere more sunny. They
have such strong (yellow) roots, I'm sure they'll move easily.

Pam in Bristol