How to Grow False Nettle

Start false nettle from seed in spring in a seed flat or a greenhouse seed-starting bed. Fill the seed flat with soilless seed starting mix. Prepare the greenhouse bed by removing plant debris and raking the soil flat.

Sow the seeds about 1 inch apart. Sprinkle 1/8 inch of the seed starting mix over the seeds. In a greenhouse bed, rake the seeds into the soil. Water until the seed flat is evenly damp or the nursery bed is damp 1 to 2 inches deep.

Transplant false nettle seedlings into individual 2- to 3-inch pots when they grow 1 to 2 inches tall. Fill the individual pots with potting soil.

Slide a butter knife or your fingertips under the seedlings and lift them from the soil. Gently pull the false nettle seedlings apart with your fingers and plant one in each pot.

Keep the false nettle seedlings in the greenhouse until the following spring. Water when the soil on top of the pots starts to feel dry under your fingertips.

Plant false nettle out in spring after the ground thaws. Select a spot that gets partial to full shade and has moist soil. Dig holes 2 to 3 inches wide, or slightly wider than the starter pots. Space the plants 6 to 12 inches apart.

Pull the false nettle out of the starter pots and plant one in each hole. Keep the base of the stem, where the stalk meets the roots, level with the natural soil line. Push extra soil around the root ball and press it down with your fingertips.

Water the plants after you get all the false nettle in the ground, or within six hours of planting. Water during hot, dry weather or whenever the soil starts to feel dry 1 inch down.