Non-Toxic Ways To Get Rid Of Stinging Nettle In Your Yard

If you've ever had the misfortune of brushing up against stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) with your bare skin, you know exactly how painful it can be. This reaction is caused by the acid contained in the tiny hairs on the leaves and stems of this pesky weed. For this reason, you may want to pull this white flowering weed from your grass or garden. Despite the sting of this plant, it's not inherently bad. Stinging nettle is great for attracting butterflies and moths, it's a plant you can grow for homemade herbal tea, and it can also be used as fertilizer for your other plants. Even so, you may still want to remove stinging nettle if you have kids or pets, if the weed is taking over the rest of your yard, or if it's creeping into your walkways. There are a variety of non-toxic ways to remove stinging nettle from your yard, including different ways to physically remove the weeds by hand, along with more hands-off approaches like pouring boiling water onto the weeds or spraying them with a homemade vinegar solution.

Fortunately, if you take action, stinging nettle is quite easy to control with these methods. However, no matter which way you choose to remove stinging nettle from your yard, you should take care to avoid harming other plants or your grass in the process. Even though these methods maybe be non-toxic, some of these solutions for getting rid of stinging nettle might also take out other plants in the vicinity if they aren't used responsibly.

The most straightforward way to remove stinging nettle from your garden is to pull the plants out by hand or with a tool like the Garden Guru Stainless Steel Hand Weeder. If you are pulling the weeds, be careful not to overly upset the soil, as this can spread the rhizomes of stinging nettle in your yard. To keep the stinging nettles from coming back, you'll need to prevent them from seeding, which can be achieved by trimming the plants back and cutting off their flowers. Additionally, the stinging nettles won't last if you continue to mow them. If you do choose to use your hands, it's important to note that gloves are an absolute must-have for weeding stinging nettle. Covering up with long sleeve and heavy-duty gloves like the Velway Long Gardening Gloves will help you avoid the painful itch of stinging nettle.

Another way to eradicate these weeds from your yard is to smother them with a biodegradable weed barrier topped with mulch, bark, or wood chips. Without any sunlight, the weeds will likely die. Keep in mind, this isn't an instant fix. You'll likely need to keep the weeds covered for years and continue to add mulch. Although, whether you choose to pull the stinging nettle plants or smother them, you'll likely have to follow up to ensure those weeds stay gone for good.

If you don't want to get your hands dirty, so to speak, there are a few other solutions for removing stinging nettle from your yard that don't involve using harmful, toxic herbicides. One of the best non-toxic ways to kill weeds, including stinging nettle, is to use acetic acid. Spraying acetic acid on plants will cause them to dry out and die. Household white vinegar contains acetic acid, and it can be used to get rid of stinging nettle in your yard. You can spray the vinegar directly onto the weeds for a more intense approach, or you can dilute the vinegar with water first. Either way, this should kill the plants at least temporarily. You may have to repeat this process a few times to completely kill the stinging nettle, especially if it comes back. If you'd prefer to purchase an official organic herbicide rather than mix one at home, Green Gobbler 20% Vinegar Weed and Grass Killer is highly effective at removing all types of weeds from your yard and is derived from natural ingredients.

Be aware that using too much vinegar can alter your soil pH. While some other natural herbicide recipes call for mixing a concoction with salt, you'll likely also want to avoid doing this because the salt can damage your soil and cause problems for future plants. A better solution to getting rid of stinging nettle in your yard is to try pouring boiling water on the plants. As with other natural approaches, you may have to repeat this process to have lasting results, but this option won't alter your soil.