Red Dead-Nettle › Managing red dead-nettle in the garden
Managing red dead-nettle in the garden
Red dead-nettle is easy to control, but it comes back from seed. Here is how to keep it where you want it and remove it where you don't.
Decide what you want
Red dead-nettle is a shallow-rooted annual that spreads by seed. In a vegetable bed or a new border it can crowd out seedlings, but in a wild corner it feeds early bees (see bees and wildlife). Decide where you will tolerate it and where you will not, and manage the rest.
Why it keeps coming back
Annual weeds like this one set a lot of seed and take advantage of bare soil. It can flower throughout the year in mild weather, so seeds can be produced in many months, and more than one generation may appear in a season. If you let it seed once, you may be pulling the offspring for several years.
Removing it
- Hand-pull young plants when the soil is moist. The roots are shallow and come out easily.
- Hoe on a dry, sunny day so cut plants wither. Hoe regularly, before plants flower, for best results.
- Remove before seeding. The key is to act before the seed ripens. Flowering plants can still ripen seed after being pulled, so put those in the green waste, not left on the soil.
- Mulch. A layer of organic mulch or membrane on bare soil cuts down germination. Leave it thick enough to block light.
- Cover bare ground. Plant ground cover, sow green manure or crop closely so that there are no gaps.
- Use no-dig methods to avoid bringing buried seed to the surface.
Composting
Plants pulled before they flower can go in the compost heap. Plants with ripe seed are best put in council green waste, where hot composting is more reliable, or burned or bagged, to avoid spreading seed.
In lawns
Red dead-nettle usually turns up in thin lawns, particularly after scarifying or bare patches. Regular mowing and a thicker lawn from over-seeding in autumn will discourage it. It is not generally a long-term lawn weed because it is an annual, and it struggles to compete with a dense turf.
Chemical control
For most gardens you do not need weedkillers. If you are considering any product, read the label, follow the instructions, and check whether it is approved for use in your situation. Keep chemicals away from flowering plants that bees visit, and from water.
Keeping some on purpose
- Choose a quiet spot such as the base of a hedge, an orchard edge or a wild patch.
- Allow it to flower in spring for bees, then cut it back before seeds ripen if you want to limit its spread.
- Leave some stems if you want it to seed and return next year.
On the allotment
On an allotment, the plant is an easy weed to manage if you hoe regularly. It can also act as living cover over winter on bare beds, protecting the soil from heavy rain. Chop it in before it flowers if you use it as a green manure. Check your allotment rules about weeds, since many sites expect plots to be kept tidy.
Identify first
Before pulling, make sure you know what you have. Several similar plants grow in gardens, including henbit and spotted dead-nettle. The same methods work for most of them. For identification help see how to identify red dead-nettle.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get rid of red dead-nettle?
Hand-pull or hoe young plants before they flower, mulch bare soil and cover ground with plants. Remove flowering plants before seed ripens.
Does red dead-nettle harm lawns?
It appears in thin lawns and bare patches, but as an annual it struggles in dense turf. Mowing and over-seeding in autumn help.
Can I compost red dead-nettle?
Plants pulled before flowering can be composted. Plants with ripe seed are better put in green waste.