Stinging nettle (504) — a portrait of the iron preparation

The stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is the third compost preparation and bears the number 504. It holds a special position among the preparations: it is the only compost preparation that matures without an animal sheath. Steiner attributes to it the ability to make the manure, and with it the soil, "reasonable". This portrait sets out the plant, how it works and how it is made.

The plant

The name Urtica dioica describes the plant well: urere means "to burn", dioica "dioecious" — there are male and female plants. The stinging nettle is remarkably versatile: edible, usable as a fibre plant, as a dye plant, as a liquid manure for fertilising and as a medicinal tea. Botanically it is also rich in iron — a connection that is central to its role as a preparation.

How it works: iron and "reason"

In the Agriculture Course (GA 327), Steiner singles out the stinging nettle as particularly rich in iron. The stinging nettle preparation ensures that everything in the compost decomposes "in the right way", and gives the soil fertilised with it the ability to attune itself to the plants grown and to supply them specifically with what they need. It therefore acts less on a single substance than on the order and sensitivity of the whole conversion process — hence the image of the soil becoming "reasonable".

Not to be confused: the stinging nettle preparation 504 is a compost preparation. Nettle liquid manure is a separate plant extract for fertilising — more on this in Nettle liquid manure.

Making it without a sheath

The stinging nettle needs no animal sheath and matures for a whole year in the soil. The whole plant is collected while it is in flower. After that there are two ways: either let the plants wilt for just one day and bury them in early summer, or dry them and bury them in autumn together with the other preparations. The yearly cycle is shown in the article Making the preparations yourself in autumn.

Use in compost

The stinging nettle preparation is added in small quantities to the maturing compost — alongside yarrow, chamomile, oak bark and dandelion. It brings order to the decomposition process and is also contained, in combined form, in the barrel compost.

Frequently asked questions

Why does the stinging nettle preparation not need an animal sheath?

Unlike the other compost preparations, the stinging nettle matures without a sheath — it is buried directly in the soil as a whole plant for a year.

Is the stinging nettle preparation the same as nettle liquid manure?

No. Preparation 504 is a compost preparation. Nettle liquid manure is a separate plant extract for fertilising and strengthening plants.