What is your Nettle or Sticker Story?

20 years ago

I have looked around these forums for stuff on stickers and nettles, but didn't find what I wanted. So here is a place to put all those rather embarassing stories of That Time When I-

While walking around my grandparent's three acres,I came across a large thing I thought was a small wild cactus. It was kind of viny, and covered in spines...

Vaguely, the sensible, I-have-been-here-before-and-this-looks-bad part of me said, NETTLE! but I didn't listen. The thing was already mowed down mostly and, with thoughts of the little siblings' bare feet in mind, I thought I would just crush it a bit further to ensure no regrowth. So with my mind full of thoughtfulness, and my heart full of, well, big-heartedness, I attempted to smush it.

Surely those very mean-looking spines would not slip around the edge of my FLIP-FLOPS!

Well, I should have listened to myself.. After I stopped seeing stars and pulled out all the spines, I spent THREE WEEKS nursing a line of

stingy blisters and, towards the end, their corresponding itchy scabs. Bad, very bad.

Then there was the time I SAT on one of those inncocent looking nettles...

And the time I ran/backed (don't ask how!) into a Prickly Pear Cactus..

Well let's just say, I don't grow cacti over six inches tall anymore!

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Comments (5)

Wendy_the_Pooh
20 years ago
When I was six, I had to go to the "bathroom" in the woods, so I pulled down my plants and sat smack down on a stinging nettle with my little bare bottom. I will never forget it.
Wendy_the_Pooh
20 years ago
Not plants (Freudian slip), pants!
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Hello everyone. How is everyone? I have been away from the garden web a long time. Been too busy this year to even think much about my yard. That being said...... I was getting a good chuckle as I read all the posts. You guys are just the greatest on earth and I appreciate you so much!!! But...... Dawn the stickers are not on MY property at all....they are miles and miles away out east of town on my niece's place.She has them in a ditch out by the road. She has been going NUTS over them all summer so as I was speaking on the phone with her last week I just posted the question. Her stickers are not the tiny seed like stick tights but the larger grass burr type. But not goat heads. And they do not make huge plants just small plants which grow profusely along the ground. I told her just what you are saying she should do....use pre-emergent and weed killers until they are gone. Now as to my mystery tree.....it has never produced any kind of "stickers" and when it blooms the blooms are a grape-like cluster of white blooms which hang from one stem....like grapes. That photo of stickers you posted Dawn, do look like some wild plants which tend to come up in our dirt pile out behind my DH's barn. But they are easily pulled up so don't pose much of a problem as long we don't allow any of the trash which comes up there to spread. After looking at the photo and knowing my mystery plant so well after all these years I am sorry to say but my mystery is not solved yet.....ugh.....hahaha. But I don't really mind....it is funny to have a weird plant with no identity and it just gets cut down to the ground each fall. He is still with us for now...but soon he will be gone again. I will miss it if one day it gives up and doesn't come back in the spring....it has been with us for so long. haha Thanks for all the good info...as I said you guys are just wonderful and I so appreciate you. Anyone plan to garden in this cool spell we are about to get? NOT ME! haha Thanks! G.M.
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No place on God's green earth will you find earth that is not green - unless of course it is covered with oil, glyphosate, or some other deadly witches brew. There is a product made from corn that is natural and is a quality fertilizer that contains a substance that suppresses new seed growth but does not affect established rooted cuttings. Somewhat like my girlfriend was 5 years ago (5 long years of teaching preaching and showing), she just wanted that magazine cover garden without any learning, without any headaches or soul searching - she wanted it to be safe for her dogs and come in a bottle. Nettle is not a bad thing if you learn what it is telling you about your soil. Here is a link that might be useful: What Weeds Tell us
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I'm so sorry. I know you love your cat & want only the best for him; otherwise, you wouldn't have gone to the university, & you wouldn't have authorized $1500 in fees & expense. You might double check on the blood type info; Since my old vet used to keep an office cat who donated for her surgeries, I thought that any cat can donate to any other. Even with blood tests & everything else, I don't see how it all adds up to $2300, especially at a university. I thought the whole idea of using a university veterinary department was that you would get expert care for a lower fee, since the work is being done by students under the supervision of their professors. Here, I don't think you could spend $2300 on a cat (unless you had the thyroid irradiated; then you'd be looking at about $1500); blood work & such might run $300 if the condition were really obscure & baffling & every test under the sun had to be run. An amputation would probably be less than $300. I think I'd make a list of the items on my bill & ask my vet to list her charges for the same services. Don't ever be intimidated into not confronting the situation when you think you may have been over-charged. I wish you the best.
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nwrose
20 years ago
Stickers? As in briars?
I was about 14, an age when a young girl expects total fairness in the world.
We had about 5 head of horses in the back pasture. The pear tree was loaded with fruit for the picking, so I doled them out, one by one to the animals who waited ever so patiently. NOT!!!
Rocky, the biggest, wanted another pear out of turn. He didn't see the sense of my system of equality. I had chased him off several times.
I picked another pear and gave to Babes, the next to Pal, and out of the side of my eye, I saw Rocky. Engrosed as I was, I missed the warning signs. Then as if in slow motion, he connected both hind feet and my hip, catapulting me into the briars.
The creek was host to these massive vines which covered the 15 foot enbankment. In one way I felt lucky to have escaped being tossed into the creek. On the other hand, I had to figure how to sort out stickers and torned clothes and scratches all over me, to get myself out of this mess.

While I stayed in this animated state, knowing it would be worst getting out than it was getting in, I looked up to see Rocky looking over the bank at me. His look said it all, "That'll teach you."
Growin_Crazy
20 years ago
I have a sad one. One day at the beach, a little girl of about 3 was running along trying to catch up with her older brothers who were running off and leaving her behind. She ran right through a patch of sandspurs. I saw her stop and stand there screaming at the top of her lungs, so I put on my flip flops and carefully walked over and picked her up. I carried her back to our picnic table, and pulled every single spur out of her tiny little feet. Her mother had by that time come looking for her when her brothers came back alone, and got there just when we had them all pulled out. On that particular day I had three small boys in tow, so I had Bactine with me, with which I soaked the bottoms of her feet. Then I gave her some cookies, and her mom carried her off, chewing her brothers out all the way.
norar_il
20 years ago
It was in a greenhouse and the plant was marked "chamomile". I was curious to see what chamomile smelled like and stuck my nose on it. Seems it was a stinging nettle that some kid had switched tags on. My nose burned all the rest of the day.

You'd think that after walking around most of an afternoon, smiling back at so many friendly people, then finding out I had lily pollen all over my face that I would learn to keep my nose out of plants!

What is your Nettle or Sticker Story?

Comments (5)

Wendy_the_Pooh

Wendy_the_Pooh

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