Best time to harvest nettles for cordage

[bushcraftbob]

I plucked a few nettles last night to try and have a crack at nettle cordage. I found the nettles to be quite brittle and very wet inside (probably due to the recent heavy rain we've had).

I couldnt really separate the pith from the fibrous strands at all and all seemed a bit flaccid.

Are they best harvested later in the year, and after a spell of drier weather?

cheers

 

[norseman55731]

Harvest the nettles after the leaves have dropped in the fall, or you can collect the dead stalks of last years growth. I collected some from last years growth an Monday and I am working on making some cordage. I'll be posting it on my blog when I get done (possibly this weekend). www.midwestbushcraft.blogspot.com

 

[Eric_Methven]

So, if I understand, it's young nettles for eating and old nettle for cordage?

 

[Toddy]

Yes and no.... If you wait until the flowers have seeded and the leaves have fallen it's a pain to remove the fibres, they need to be retted and scutched.
This will give the fibres used for spinning and they are really only about 5 or 6 inches long, so for making cordage we usually take the fibre rich skin and ply that up.
The skin holds the fibres together enough for us to work with them but over time will dry and flake off leaving a very good fibrous strand.

I usually reckon that I can get good cordage from just before the flowers open up until the nettles go really woody and loose leaves. By then it makes a really good fibre for spinning but there's a problem in the UK it is because our damp climate allows the stems to rot, not just rett when we want them to, and they seem awfully prone to developing powdery mildew. If you keep them very dry then you can beat out the fibres too (exhausting ) but it makes great fire crackle to help a reluctant fire along

cheers,
Toddy