Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
drasaid

Human urine = seaweed emulsion nitrogen wise

drasaid
11 years ago

Just wondering . . . . is human urine, sterile and nitrogen filled, the fertilizer equal of expensive seaweed emulsion and such? Are we foolishly flushing away phosphorous and other micronutrients when we should be diluting them and adding them to our plants? Urine-Not Just For Compost Anymore? I've also been told that diluted pharmacuticals will migrate through one's micturation into the plants one tosses it on, thus getting micro doses in one's tomatos. Is this a crock? Is it true? I'd like someone who knows to tell me. All you who are grossed out by this, I just want to know the truth, sorry if I miff you.

Comments (13)

  • tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
    11 years ago

    This has been talked about off and on in the Compost Forum. Still best to compost it first.

    tj

  • Marches
    10 years ago

    It's good fertilizer, just don't do it too often as it contains some salt that will buildup if you do.

  • drasaid
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Really, if there was a way to conteract the salt I'd like to use it. I don't eat much salt anyhow . . . . but some might be from medication. I'm surprised about how many dirt cheap stuff there is that substitutes for outrageously expensive stuff. . . . old sweaters can hold moisture in the bottom of pots, or dog hair from the clipper, but that stuff gets tossed.

  • mzdee
    10 years ago

    Yeah.
    So look into Milorganite. About 12 bucks a bag and will last for ages.

  • drasaid
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    The Stuff being dried up cleaned up poop. However, we are all told not to use it in family veggie gardens. Still not pee. The Milorganite is saltless, how do they do that?
    I just want to know about using urine as a fertilizer. Is it safe? Does the medication go through? Just want to know.

  • keith242
    10 years ago

    How much urine can I add to gallon of water as a good fertilizer?

  • Yolanda
    9 years ago

    I use urine in compost and sometimes even diluted (about 1 part urine to 5 parts water or even 10 parts water) for ornamentals and fruit trees. I will soon begin using feces, too. Yuck, I know. But, I eat very little salt, oils/fats, or meat and take no meds. The compost from that will go to ornamentals and fruit trees that I will plant in the future.

    I hope to buy a cheap disabled-person's-toilet thingie so I can put a 5 gal bucket uner it and keep it in the garage... I have no money or patience for a compost toilet. Not yet anyway. Wanna try this the cheap and easy way to begin with, so if I change my mind, I am not out of much of anything.

  • mersiepoo
    9 years ago

    I got the book by Sandor Katz, "The Art of Fermentation". Excellent book, and he actually tounches on the subject of fermented wee wee. Apparently if you ferment it for awhile (not sure how long, I guess till it turns black), the plants are supposed to love it. I apply it over the fall/winter/early spring. A few caveats with fresh pee, be careful what you put fresh pee on, I killed my rose bush and two Manchurian bush apricot trees with it, but it was fresh and they were actively growing at the time. Some stuff loves it, like citrus, bananas, gardenias any acid loving plants seem to, bamboo, etc. Just don't use it on roses or bush apricots. Not sure if fermented would offend the plants or not, especially if it was applied over winter or during other dormancy.

  • KingsTable
    9 years ago

    I tried urine last year in the garden, and it seemed to work. Corn was the main crop I used it on. I diluted it, not with an exact ratio but anywhere from 1:4 to 1:10, and stopped applying it once the plant started producing fruit. I had no problem continuing to apply it, but out of respect for others involving the "yuck" factor, I wanted them to know no urine could have splashed on their food.

    I've heard medications go into the urine and not to use it on the garden if you're on certain things like antibiotics, birth control, etc., but I've never seen actual studies on it. I imagine some medicines wouldn't be a problem, like aspirin since some people recommend crushing it to use on tomatoes.

  • ScreenPrinter Joe
    8 years ago

    Plants in general so seem to like urine. I have always on the cool leaked on plants and I have seen growth versus none. However not to much as it will burn up foilage and or roots.

  • DixieGardner
    8 years ago

    If you are on medications you might want to wade through the package insert (available online) to see how the drug is metabolized or "cleared" by the body. Not all drugs go through the kidneys into the urine.

  • FastInk
    8 years ago

    Human urine is more comparable to chemical fertilizers which contain Urea. Urine can contain extremely high dosages of nitrogen, or very little it's not static at all. Best to dilute it. Other things can be excreted through urine, which could be harmful to plants but it doesn't mean the plants themselves will utilize such things. even if the plants did utilize let's say some form of medication passed through the urine, it doesn't mean you would be consuming the medication again when you go to eat the harvested plant matter.


    To me it's organic, some could argue that taking medications that aren't organic could pass through urine, and then be consumed by the plants and that it's not natural, I could argue that wildlife eat certain plants and fungi that are medicinal/poisonous that pass through urine and excrement and there for it's organic. Not sure where one draws the line. Nitrogen is Nitrogen to a plant, it doesn't really care which source it comes from but I wouldn't use urine simply because of the smell and there's better and cheaper ways of obtaining Nitrogen rather then saving up pee. Besides, it's bothersome, it would be like using water soluble MG every time you go to water which isn't very efficient for the grower.

Sponsored