I need some weeds

ok, people I need help... I need some weeds.... it's called stinging nettle... where can I get it??? does someone has that and is willing to mail me a bunch so I can prepare a magic potion for my roses????
I will pay postage....thanks
comfrey and horstails also...

Kass - summertime I could round that up. Not now though.

No eyes of a newt??

I'm hoping I've eradicated my horsetail, but it will probably be back. If so, you're welcome to it.

Grampapa...that's a story in itself I bet! A hardware store near me thought it would be nice one year to put horsetails in their little pond in front of the store. Not much of a pond there anymore.

Kassia....if no-one has what you are looking for, you might consider Seed Savers Exchange affiliated group the "Flower and Herb Exchange". The 2007 book came out this month. Two members list Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica) and three list Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) . FHE is smaller than Seed Savers ("164 Listed Members offering 1671 listings"). Cost is less too--$10 a year. Seeds are $2.00 for non-listing members, $1.00 for listing members. I joined the first week in March and the 2007 book was in my mailbox 10 days later.

(one other person has Urtica dioica but a limited supply available only to others who are listing this year).

This message was edited Mar 29, 2007 10:34 PM

thanks.... I will make the potion for my roses.... if I can go all natural I will.... I feel like since I am investing on compost and good soil it makes no sense to spend the money to just destroy it with chemicals... so I will try to do the right thing!

I am going to check that Flower and herb exchange... I like the concept!!!!

thanks

Kassia...haven't tried them but Artistic Gardens in Vermont offers a Stinging Nettle sample pack (30-50 seeds) for 35 cents. Their 50 herb sample package special is $14.00. Don't know if Nettle is included in that or not.

http://www.artisticgardens.com/catalog/index.php?osCsid=95343851997dcd35dfa51316540fdf2a

David, You are a credit to our name and our shoreline area!
David47

thanks David... really appreaciate!!!!! I want tons of herbs and plants I grew up with!!!! I think I am turning into my grandma!!! she grew every herb known in Brazil.... her solution for any pain was some sort of tea!!!!

Okay never have I heard of someone asking for weeds LOL Sort of sounds funny to me but I guess I will have to research that one.

Dave47...heh...heh...with seed packages of herbs and what used to be called "weeds" going for 28 cents, what self-respecting swamp yankee can resist? I see with mesclun prices at wholesale collapsed and regular mesclun mix common at restaurants, upscale places are going for "wild salad mixes"...i.e...weed mixes. Wouldn't that be fun? Don't mulch or toss away your weeds, sell them to fancy restaurants at premium prices. The National Sustainable Agricultural Information Service has a list of salable weeds here:

http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/specialtyveg.html

This message was edited Mar 31, 2007 1:18 AM

Funny! And thanks for the link.

Um, Kassia, what kind of potion are you going to make with stinging nettle? I have it popping up in my garden occasionally and it really DOES STING! Ouch! I got it on my face once. Since we live so close, you are welcome to come over and take any that does come up this year.
BTW< how are your roses doing? My outdoor roess are starting to show little leaf buds and the ones that were in the garage have real leaves!
Spring is coming!
Tamberlin

HI... good to hear from you!!!! well my friend from France gave me his secrets ....
here is his email to me!!!!

"To avoid black spot and powdery mildew, the best way is not to use chemicals, because chemical will make your roses more fragile. I suggest you to strengthen your roses with feuillage spray, that you can make from a simple soultion of Epsom salt to additional of herbs like stinking nettles, comfrey and horsetails. If you are lucky enough to have a woods nearby your residence, look out for stinking nettles, they are the best cure for all sorts of diseases. Simple soak them into rainwater, and let them stay for a week, before they turn really mixed, and break down. Use one part of the herbal solution to 15 part of water as spray, or one part of herbal solution to 50 part of water as fertlizer.

As preventive spray, I usually use Savon Noir, togather with silver fern solution. I spray my roses every 14 days, and I have noticed this spray suits me the best. For the fern, make sure you choose only the male, which has a lot of seedlings under the leaf. Soak the fern into water, and wait for a week or two. It is extremely effective, as this fern carries a mild toxic that is sifficiant to kill the small pests and discourage ants.

To grow company herbs or plants near to your roses, you must make sure these herbs will be be affected by your roses demand of nutirents and water level. For example, do not grow bulbs like tulips, crocus near your roses, as they need certain dry soil to avoid rotting.

Lastly, before you plant your roses, consider soaking them into good nutrients overnight, that will gives them a very goos start. If you do not have the herbal solution yet, Espom salt will do, add in some heavy soil and make a stinking solution, coding up the roots with all nutrients. If you have bare roots, and the leaf is not growing yet, trimming the rose roots to 25cm long will provoke a more vigor growth. if the leaf has started to grow, just soak the plant into the nutrients and becareful not to injure the root system."

so I am trying to give my roses a good start...

the roses inside the garage did really well.... tons of new leaves... outside it all look dead .... the only thing green is under the mulch.... so much dieback... next year I am covering way more than I did this past winter!

Hi, Did you get any comfrey yet? I got lots and you can have it for postage. Just let me know. Sandy

absolutly.... I will dmail you my address!!!!! thanks Sandy!!!!

I don't think you want to grow stinging nettle but then maybe I have a phobia about it from when I was a kid.
This happened in France when my dad was in the AF. My brother probably six at the time fell into a ditch of it and my mom jumped in to rescue him. They both were pretty miserable from it. Mom spent a lot of time applying vinegar to the "stings", actually huge red, itching welts all over their bodies. I know any time I got in contact with it it was very uncomfortable.

Aline

ouch.... I can just imagine!!!! I will be careful if I find it!!!

That plant is very unforgiving. It will get you everytime. I was weeding the other day and didn't see a small one. Within a minute, my fingers were stinging, and itching. Then for 3 days more, they felt weird on the tips when I would touch something.

I remember running through some of it barefooted, as a child. Not a good memory at all. : )
~Lucy