farming with wee anyone?

[catalyst]

mentioned in another thread that we get great results with onions by weeing on them.
anyone else tried this?
anyone else wee on specific veg for the nitrogen?

[Silver Ether]

No ... but my fella wees in the composter ...

[Clara]

Yep mine too, bless him.

[magnuscanis]

I've heard of weeing on compost heaps, and in fact I used to do it quite regularly when I had a compost heap (actually, I used to wee in an empty plastic milk bottle and then take it up to the heap, as my back garden was fairly exposed. )

However, I'm not quite so keen on applying such fertilizers directly to food crops. I've certainly read that grey water should only be used on non-food parts of the garden, so I assumed the same would hold for yellow water.

- Magnus

[ohareward]

Hi Magnus. Found this article.

Human urine makes an excellent high nitrogen liquid fertiliser for most plants. Dilute it 10 to 1 and pour it over and or round fast growing plants once a week; like vegetables, Green manure crops and sugar cane. Indeed just about anything that you want to push along rapid green growth.

Studies indicate that each person’s waste fluids can provide enough nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium to grow a year’s supply of wheat and maize for that person. According to some studies, human waste can be an even more effective fertilizer than animal manure.

Urine, which comprises 90 percent of human waste, contains about 80 percent of our waste’s fertilizer value. It can be applied to field crops without treatment because it is generally sterile. By the way "fresh urine" does not contain any bacteria, unless the person has a urinary tract infection, so you could even use it to wash out wounds without causing any infections.

Human urine can be used as an alternative to chemical fertilizer to reduce pollution in air, water and soil and help avoid or control other environmental hazards which surface due to the use of chemical fertilizer, Human urine contains nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium at a much higher ratio than in commercial fertilizers and is environmentally safe to use.

If you want to use urine to fertilize your gardens, keep in mind that when urea becomes ammonia, it also becomes volatile and part of it strips into the air. Both ammonia and nitrates are also very soluble and if not picked up by plant's root systems can enter groundwater with the irrigation water. So it would be best to keep gardens moist but not over watered, but these are similar problems faced by people who use other forms of fertilizers.

Robin

[Jack]

Gidday

And the first one in the morning is excellent for treating cracks in your hands.

[magnuscanis]

Urine, which comprises 90 percent of human waste, contains about 80 percent of our waste’s fertilizer value. It can be applied to field crops without treatment because it is generally sterile. By the way "fresh urine" does not contain any bacteria, unless the person has a urinary tract infection, so you could even use it to wash out wounds without causing any infections.

So presumably it's best to use it reasonably fresh?

I'm guessing that it might be best diluted a bit rather than being applied neat. As my current garden is even more exposed than the one where I had a compost heap, I certainly won't be applying it direct, in any case.

- Magnus

[Millymollymandy]

I would have thought diluted, given that dog pee kills grass.

[madasafish]

Wee in private in a watering can, dilute from atap and instant feed.

That's what I do: works a treat.

Undiluted on compost heaps activates decay and rotting down.

Free, always available, effective and organic!

It IS organic?
(must be!:-)

[catalyst]

Free, always available, effective and organic!

It IS organic?
(must be!:-)

strictly speaking, ONLY if you are!! :)

[Annpan]

Does this mean that the half hour that I spent in the garden centre trying to find cheap organic tomato feed was a waste of time? well I am all the better for hearing it


edit to add This link very interesting.

[madasafish]

"Does this mean that the half hour that I spent in the garden centre trying to find cheap organic tomato feed was a waste of time?"

Yes.
Wee and nettle tea: all home made:-)

[Millymollymandy]

Does this mean that the half hour that I spent in the garden centre trying to find cheap organic tomato feed was a waste of time?

No, because tomatoes want potash, not nitrogen. So keep on looking for the fertiliser or find someone with some spare wood ash!

[Annpan]

Does it need to be wood ash? I don't have a ready supply of wood ash, but I do have tons of coal ash but I'd imagine that is too acidic I can scrape together some wood and burn it in my fire I suppose Its about time that I located a supply of logs anyway *toddles off to decide who's going to pull that dying tree down*

[Thurston Garden]

I would have thought diluted, given that dog pee kills grass.

Only lady dog pee. Man dog pee does not....

I am going to pee on part of the row of Kelsae onions and see if it makes any difference. The rest are fed by taking some top quality hen muck, placing it in a hessian bag and submerging it in a bucket of water to steep for a few days. This is then diluted a bit and fed to the onions.

With any luck, they will be visible on Google Earth in a couple of weeks..