More than One Way to Utilize Human Urine as Fertilizer

Before reading this article be sure to review these articles first:

Unending Source of Free Fertilizer

Proper Application of Human Urine as Fertilizer for Gardens

Human Urine Application Possibilities

Diluted Urine

Apply diluted urine to the soil. Work it into the top layers of soil to prevent loss of nitrogen from converting to ammonia gas and evaporating away. The soil organisms help neutralize any rare pathogens that may be in the urine. Water the plants after applying the urine.

Undiluted Urine on a Layer of Mulch Around the Plants

The mulch helps convert the nitrogen in the urine to nitrates which is the useable form for the plants. Adding a second layer of mulch will help keep the nitrogen from dissipating as ammonia gas.

Composting with Urine

Because of its high nitrogen content human urine counts as part of the “greens” in a compost pile. So decrease the amount of nitrogen rich green plants and food scraps in your compost pile when incorporating urine into it. And be sure to add plenty of carbon rich sources such as straw, dry leaves and cardboard. Urine acts as a starter for a compost pile of dry leaves. We have a lot of dry leaves piled around. I can hardly wait to see how much faster they will break down with urine mixed into them. If it works well that will help solve our problem of not having enough green matter to mix with the dry matter.

Use a Bale of Straw as Your Bathroom

Undiluted urine on a bale of straw will decompose it. Later add the decomposed straw to your garden. One farmer actually plants right in the decomposed bale of straw.

The Hugely Beneficial Factor

I love the fact that this free source of liquid fertilizer is so readily available and so easy to apply. Every morning I take it out to the garden, dilute it with water and pour it on top of the straw mulch around our plants. I was sold on it after the first application on ½ of our asparagus bed, which greened up immediately compared to the ½ without the urine application.

But there are some other big ecological advantages. First you save water by not flushing so frequently. Second harvesting human urine on a large scale, keeps large amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus out of the sewage treatment plants and subsequently the ground water and rivers.

Sewage treatment plants spend a significant amount of money in the process of removing nitrogen and phosphorus before the treated water is dumped into the soil or rivers. Without that removal these minerals cause an algae bloom in the rivers that sucks up all the oxygen in the water resulting in the suffocation of other water organisms.

To me this “liquid gold” is just so easy to use, easier than carrying buckets of compost and spreading under the plants while they are growing.

However, don’t depend solely on human urine as the only soil builder for your garden. Diluted urine is a fast acting fertilizer. Your soil still needs lots of organic matter for diversity of life forms in the soil, for aeration and tilth. So continue to add compost and mulch to your soil. Urine and organic matter work together since urine helps break down the organic matter such as dry leaves, straw and cardboard.

So now using your urine to fertilize your own garden doesn’t seem so “icky” does it? In fact in sounds down right economical, sensible and beneficial to your garden and when you follow the prescribed precautions and guidelines for its use.

Enjoy creating your lush green garden and landscape the easy, economical way with the addition of human urine to your soil in balance with other organic matter. Your land will be the envy of the neighborhood.

References:

Scientific American 7-23-2010

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/human-urine-is-an-effective-fertilizer/

Modern Farmer

http://modernfarmer.com/2014/01/human-pee-proven-fertilizer-future/

Vegan Culture Network

http://www.goveganic.net/article217.html

http://www.ecosanres.org/pdf_files/ESR-factsheet-06.pdf

http://www.theecologist.org/green_green_living/gardening/605742/urine_the_ultimate_organic_fertiliser.html

http://akvopedia.org/wiki/Application_of_Urine

Blessings,

Dr. Jo