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legless_marine

Question on using Urine as fertilizer

legless_marine
15 years ago

I've started using Urine as fertilizer. Normally I dilute the urine directly in a watering pot, but I find this is getting unevenly distributed across my garden.

To distribute evenly, I'd wish to put my Urine in my water barrels - it will be much more diluted, but will given a more even coverage when I irrigate using the water barrel water.

Will the Urine being left standing in the rain barrel cause it to lose it's efficacy? Will it break down into something harmful, or not useful to the plants?

Comments (9)

  • jroot
    15 years ago

    You should check out the compost forum. There has been a lot of talk about the use of urine.

    Fresh urine is supposedly fairly neutral in bacteria, apparently, or so I've been told. However, once it is sitting around ( as it would in your rain barrel ), the bad bacteria grow rapidly. Personally I would not encourage you to do that.

    Urine in a compost bin works wonders. It really heats up and composts much faster.

    Straight urine on plants will cause burning. Diluted urine gives good nitrogen to the plant, and acid for those acid loving plants like Rhodos.

    Check out the comopost forum for more information. ... and whatever you do, don't let your neighbours catch you peeing on your plants, ... or theirs.

  • medontdo
    15 years ago

    bad idea!! i do know that tha bad bacteria is not good, and that the distribution is 20/1 20 being water and 1 being urine. you could do that in one of those hose end sprayers. it'll break it down correctly for ya, i think. and you could put the urine in the "jug" and just dump it in as needed. i soooo need to get one!! LOL i keep needing to do that. and today we were supposed to do the urine in the compost, since i'm doing the compost tumbler, ihave to use the kid's, now you do know, if you take any kind of medications it's not good to use your own urine, especially if your using it on vegies and such.
    when i told my son i needed his urine for the compost, man he was grossed out, he's 12, my daughter is 6, i've been getting after her about urinating in things, so she was more than happy to do this for me!! LOL **big grinn** gotta love the kids!! LOL he'll make my flower beds but give me heck about urinating in a jug!! LOL but he'll pee behind a tree!! hmmmm.....somethings wrong!!! ROFL!!! ~Medo

    p.s. i hope i helped in ANY way even if it was to make ya laugh a LITTLE!! LOL **grinn** :')

  • kandaceshirley
    15 years ago

    you did make me laugh - i was imagining people squatting over their composter and hoping they didn't burn their behinds on the metal tumbler or fall off while trying to balance and keep the thing from rolling. What if you made your compost tumbler shaped like a tree or painted some branches and leaves on it, would your son be willing to "help" with the compost then?

  • legless_marine
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Thank you everyone for your replies... I will head to the compose forum.

  • jenny_3947
    15 years ago

    If I have been a member before, I would have told my helper...
    to "water" the plants and not the back of the shed!!!!!
    Thanks for the laugh, I needed it.

  • joshgibson_gmail_com
    13 years ago

    Urine stored in closed containers tends not to lose nitrogen, however if it is stored in open containers it loses about 60-80% of its nitrogen within a month or so

  • taxus_man
    13 years ago

    I knew a college professor once who kept a jug of "recycled beer" in his half bath. He had healthy plants.

  • SoTX
    12 years ago

    Many other countries are far more sophisticated about this with toilets designed to collect and save urine in holding tanks. LIQUID GOLD by Carol Steinfeld is packed with information.

  • robertz6
    12 years ago

    I've read that urine should be diluted 1 part to 100 parts water because of salt content.

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