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How to get rid of stinging nettles
They're not only painful to touch but also a persistent weed that can be hard to
kill
Ceri studied horticulture at the University of Reading and RHS Wisley. She edits Which? Gardening magazine and our online gardening content.
Why are nettles a problem weed?
Although nettles' presence is a flattering indicator that you have well-cultivated, fertile soil in your garden, there’s nothing lucky about coming in from the garden covered in tingling blotches caused by their tiny stinging hairs. Nettles' tough stems bear small white flowers in late summer, which produce long-lived seeds, and the horizontal creeping stems can form new plants by rooting from the nodes where their leaves emerge.
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What is the best method for controlling nettles?
Two treatments with Vitax SBK weedkiller saw off the majority of nettles in our herbaceous border for the rest of the summer. This made it slightly more effective than glyphosate weedkiller sprays, which also worked well. Both treatments caused damage to ornamental plants though, where the sprays missed or splashed off the nettle leaves.
What is the best organic control for nettles?
Digging up the nettles was as effective at controlling their numbers as hoeing, but gave better results for reducing the reappearance of nettles in our trial bed the following spring.
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Can a weed burner control nettles?
Nettles became stunted after being repeatedly burnt, but any part of the plant not treated will send out new shoots.
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Can pulling up nettles control them?
Pulling the stems off left us treating nearly as many stems at the end of the summer as the beginning of our trial.
