Butterflies and Nettles

Question:

I want to encourage butterflies in my garden and have a patch of nettles. At which time of the year is it best to trim the nettles as they do spread about a bit and I don’t want to ruin the butterflies by chopping the nettles down at the wrong time of year for them?

Answer:

The best time to cut back the nettles is March and again in October. Visitors to nettles are the Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock and Comma butterflies. The eggs and larvae of these butterflies are present on nettles between April and June, with adults emerging between May and October. Adults either hibernate in sheds, attics or shrubs and hedgerows through the winter.

I don’t know if you are aware that nettle leaves can be used to make liquid manure which is great for your garden. The best time to start is in the Spring so that you can use the feed throughout the summer period.

You will need four things:
• nettles
• watertight container such as a large bucket
• water
• a weight

Here’s what to do:
• Cut down the nettles bruise them slightly then chop or tear them into pieces
• Fill your container with water and immerse the nettles
• Place the weight on top of the stems to keep the nettles under the water
• Leave to brew for three to four weeks
• The brew will get quite smelly so you may want to place it away from the house
• Before using, the brew should be diluted around one part liquid to ten parts water
• Just water it around the base of your plants throughout summer
• Continue to top up your container with more nettles and water throughout the year
• In autumn put the remainder of the feed and the sludge in your compost heap and start again next spring

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