Urine: the ultimate 'organic' fertiliser?

I only use it on my spinach and basil and cilantro.... The ones that really like the nitrogen.
Unless a person has a urinary tract infection, there are no pathogens. Human urine is sterile.

Lindacol wrote:

llama momma wrote:Ewwee- that go-girl contraption is gross. Never gonna find that thing in my purse! Nothing wrong with always without fail lining public seating with plenty of free t.paper!

But what about when there is no seat available?. I've been in that situation a few times and as I get older squatting is not an option.

Time to sign up for yoga classes!

Seriously, your post reminded me of all the older Asians I've seen squatting so low their butts could hit the ground. I couldn't do that when I was 20!

mollyhespra wrote:

donnainzone10 wrote:The only downside I can see in using urine as a compost additive/fertilizer is that traces of prescription medicines (if you take them) will be in it.

I was wondering the same thing about even vitamins. I've noticed that the colorant they put in the pills stains my urine a bright orangey color, or maybe that's the color of the vitamins that weren't absorbed. If it's just vitamins, then I don't think it would hurt anything, but if it's colorant or, like you mentioned, medication residue, then I'd be wary of using it in the compost pile.

The bright yellow is just vitamin B-2. I could be wrong, but I would be surprised if the "leftover" vitamins you might pass would be problematic. It's something that comes from foods normally anyway.

My neighbor today complimented me on my garden (his house overlooks my back yard) and asked when I fertilize with. I dodged the question and just said "organic fertilizer."

My garden is NUTS. Seriously nuts. Overflowing with produce and monstrous plants. I sure didn't have a year like this last year!

I confess to worrying about the salt build-up.

Marc Iverson wrote:

Lindacol wrote:

llama momma wrote:Ewwee- that go-girl contraption is gross.  Never gonna find that thing in my purse! Nothing wrong with always without fail lining public seating with plenty of free t.paper!

But what about when there is no seat available?. I've been in that situation a few times and as I get older squatting is not an option.

Time to sign up for yoga classes!
Seriously, your post reminded me of all the older Asians I've seen squatting so low their butts could hit the ground.  I couldn't do that when I was 20!

oh, my!
This thread is a scream, a scream!  I laughed... (good-naturedly of course). If ever someone had a bad day, point them here & they're guaranteed to cheer right up ;)lol
re Yoga & Pilates, the only position I can't YET achieve let alone hold is the plank  All others a piece of cake. - Adding to your Organic-compost, you could try it one-legged (  ) using fence for support. Aerobics & Ballet on the pile... LOL

But seriously, in Emergency-medicine it's documented that people are chronically dehydrated to varying degrees, & often don't know (overtly asymptomatic) with a continuous... unpainful UTI (urinary tract infection). Iow
how does such bacteria... interact ? with our favorite foods growing... &
more to the point How can someone know when the compost-pile has really done its thing to kill ? anything needful.
Once those concerns are answered, this added Nitrogen-source could be a useful practice.

Salt content in urine would need to be monitored or controlled in order to prevent soil failure, if that is even possible with small amounts of urine talked about in this topic. And not even sure of a monitoring process, aside from bluntly asking questions about salt content of their food. Anyway, more on that later.

The septic tank, on the farm where I grew up, had two drainfields. Flow stopped at least once, but I do not know why. I seem to remember an activator additive released the "clog". At the time, salt content never clicked in my mind as a contributing factor. But after reading this article, it all makes sense.

http://septictankinfo.com/Gayman_Soil_Failure.shtml

So, eating/drinking foods with high sodium content (beef jerky, canned food, drinks, etc) could be bad for your soil if you then add your urine to compost/soil. Conversely, all natural fresh produce would likely reduce the possibility of your urine additive causing soil failure.

"Brawndo, the thirst mutilator has electrolytes. It's got what plants crave."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1fKzw05Q5A

https://www.youtube.com/channel/HCNpK1LEfQ4LI
I apologize, but this movie is hilarious. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBvIweCIgwk

Just pee on the compost pile for no worries.  

Good link! Taught me a lot.

Dilution of urine may be helpful, but continued application is the same as not diluting it at all. And what of suggestions to pee on your compost. As a starter, perhaps great, but ... how many times will it be done? After a certain point, how salty will that compost become?

As the compost shrinks, as it does with cold composting, how much more concentrated still will the remaining compost become? This is analogous to a problem in cooking sauces or soups ... the salt level may be just right, but as the sauce/soup cooks down, the salt steadily concentrates in the remaining liquid, possibly making it taste much saltier than it started out as.

Marc Iverson wrote:
...what of suggestions to pee on your compost.  As a starter, perhaps great, but ... how many times will it be done?  After a certain point, how salty will that compost become?  

As a starter only. The garden and the compost pile is not meant to be a latrine.

Agreed.

One of the advantages of raised beds in general, not just SFG, is that salts are easily flushed out with normal watering, and don't accumulate like they can in soil.

I think it's time to BUMP this thread!

We use urine (neither of us is on any meds) and blend it 1 part to 10 parts water and it does WONDERS for boosting growth and vigor.  I noticed today some purple veining on an annual I put in a pot a few weeks ago, and started giving her some Dr. P. today so hopefully it will help clear up the problem.  I also use it on my indoor plants at work (everyone wonders how I keep them looking so healthy, LOL!)

  to "our little secret"  

Just don't let them know what you really use!

Dr. P! *lol*  I like that!

We call it P-fert at my house.  Annual flowering plants LOVE it!  I use it once every 3 or so waterings.

CC

It’s also the ultimate compost activator at my bins. I have now gone back to using the trusty old bed pan.

I do think that the key is NOT telling.
We find that it keeps away the deer as well

GWN wrote:I do think that the key is NOT telling.
We find that it keeps away the deer as well

Do you reckon it would keep the bears away as well?
I had a bear visit my car port yesterday at three in the morning. He/she was a young bear looking for food but would have found nothing as I keep all my stuff secure. This when I am glad my small dog Jazz is on the job.

I don't know about it keeping bears away; maybe it depends on the kind of bear that you have.  We have lots of black bears up my way.  One big one seems to do the rounds every two days or so and visits our compost pile.  DH is in the woods on a weekly basis and he's noticed a pattern with bears: they're curious about human activity and seem to go where he's gone, digging by a tree that DH has visited, etc.  Maybe it's a coincidence, but I think the bears might be attracted by human smells (association with food, probably) as opposed to frightened/repelled by them.

I don't count on anything keeping deer away from my garden, be it flowers or veggies, we're on the edge of a large small town U.S.A. people in their yards cooking, playing etc. dogs running cats roaming etc.
Deer are everywhere and anywhere they want to be, if something scares them or keeps them away, they will only try again.
After a few tries, no apparent danger so their free to go where they want..
A fence and lead is their only obstacles..
I have a 3 foot fence, they don't jump over, why ?
Inside I have angle irons sticking up and they detect the danger, irregular footing keeps them out also...
Now a bear is another thought, one that I wish not to think about..

I find that deer tenderloin smoking on the grill or smoker can be a deterrent 

jrfrommd wrote:I find that deer tenderloin smoking on the grill or smoker can be a deterrent 

  

Jimmy - it could be because your fence is right next to the garden beds.  Deer like clear space on both sides of a fence.

jrfrommd wrote:I find that deer tenderloin smoking on the grill or smoker can be a deterrent 

ooooo that sounds good.  When's dinner?

Kay

AtlantaMarie wrote:Jimmy - it could be because your fence is right next to the garden beds.  Deer like clear space on both sides of a fence.

Could be. My neighbor has deer all over the outside of his house at any random time, and they never jump his six-foot fence. He believes it is because they like a nice clear landing area and a reasonable space to be in, and his space is uncomfortably small and crowded for them. He believes if he had a bigger space and fences further from his boxes, he'd be more likely to have deer in his garden.