Four times the size of an unfertilized tomato.
A study out of Finland has found that plants fertilized with urine performed four times as well as nonfertilized plants and just as well as plants given commercial mineral fertilizer. Urine plus wood ash (collected from a wood stove) produced as well, yet with the added benefit of reducing the acidity of the soil. The wood ash also adds extra potassium which encourages more fruit. The study shows that urine can be used as a substitute for chemical fertilizers "without posing any microbial or chemical risks."* The urine fertilized plants had a surprising increase in protein content- 35−37% higher protein compared to mineral and ash fertilized.* And more good news was that the study's panel of 20 taste tasters found no taste difference between mineral or urine fertilized tomatoes.* Similar performance results have been found with cabbage, celery, corn, cucumber, eggplant, leafy greens, onions, radishes, spinach, citrus, melons, barley and wheat (better list below).
Urine is an excellent source of nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and trace elements. All the right elements that are necessary in large quantities for plant growth. One litre of urine contains 11 gms of nitrogen, 1 gm of phosphorus and 2 gms of potassium.** Nitrogen promotes leafy growth, phosphorus promotes root development and seed germination. Phosphorous and potassium promote fruit and flower development. Urine from a 'healthy' person is sterile, free of bacteria and viruses as long as it is uncontaminated by feces. Only diseases of the urinary tract contaminate urine so those with a urinary tract infection should not use their urine for fertilizer. Also, those taking antibiotics or meds should abstain, and those who consume a lot of salt should consider reducing their salt intake. A family of four creates enough urine to fertilize a third of an acre, year round.** After you collect your urine store it in an air tight container otherwise it will smell, lose its nitrogen, and become ammonia.
As a general rule for home garden use, dilute 'fresh' urine with water 3 or 4 parts to one, mixing only as much as you will use that day. Dilute 10 to one, for very young or delicate plants. It is recommended that you use this as an occasional fertilizer, not more than twice a week, and not every time you water. The plants must have regular water as well. If plants start to yellow, decrease urine and increase water. Corn is an exception and likes to be urine fertilized 3 times a week. Apply the urine into the soil around the plant's roots. Watering after application helps drive in the nutrients and is recommended. Start applying urine fertilizer when plants are 2 weeks old. Stop fertilizing two weeks before harvest as mature plants do not need the extra nutrients. Use a gallon per 10 square feet of garden, 1 quart urine, 4 quarts water. Undiluted urine that sits around for more than a few days, where the nitrogen has decomposed into ammonia, can be thrown on the compost pile, as ammonia will hasten your composts' breakdown. Urine that turns into ammonia will be more alkaline, but adding a touch of vinegar will slow the nitrogen off-gassing. Straight urine will nitrogen-burn plants and can be used to kill weeds.
Why is this green?
1) Using 2+ gallons of water to down a half a cup of pee seems excessive...and nitrogen and phosphorous are excellent for plants, but 'very' harmful to our waterways...
2) No need to transport fertilizer via carbon-creating vehicles to your garden.
3) Our great-grandparents and their great-grandparents did this.
4) This is much healthier than using sewer sludge as fertilizer, which most all of us have already consumed.
5) Urine keeps fungus and bacteria at bay.
6) This process is a boon to third world countries. As it is free, plentiful and local.
7) A lot of natural gas is used in the production of synthetic urea. And their runoff into our waterways creates oxygen-less dead zones.
Urine fertilizer has excellent results on:
Basil (dilute to 10 to 1 till one month old)
Cabbage
Celery
Corn
Cucumber
Eggplant(dilute to 10 to 1 till one month old)
Garlic
Leafy greens
Onions
Parsley
Peppers
Potatoes
Radishes
Spinach
Squash
Tomatoes
Bananas
Citrus
Grapes
Melons
Pineapple
Alfalfa
Barley
Millet
Sorghum
Wheat
Think green and leafy.
If you use on carrots- they will be all top.
Not as helpful on beans and legumes. ***
Too strong for sugar snap peas.
Further reading:
The director of clinical microbiology and immunology at New York University Medical Center, Dr. Philip Tierno when interviewed by the Washinton Post expressed that there is little risk of contamination by pathogens in urine, "because they would be in competition with microorganisms found in the soil and would 'probably lose the battle.'"
Dr. Peter Morgan (a renowned sanitation and hygiene expert) says:"The balance of nutrients available in urine can be influenced by various means. The addition of plants and other materials to form a liquor which is allowed to ferment in urine, can change the balance. Thus the fermenting of comfrey leaves in urine is known to increase the proportion of potassium in relation to nitrogen (Hill, 1997) – see description in gardening techniques. It is also possible that the peels of fruits like banana, which are known to be high in phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and sulphur and citrus peels, known to be high in phosphorus and potassium, if allowed to ferment in urine, may readjust the balance of nutrients..." Dr Morgan also warns that if your soil is sandy- you must add humus before urine, otherwise the urine might kill plants growing in sandy soil. See amazing pictures of side by side (urine v. plain waer) examples here:
"Practical Guidance on the Use of Urine in Crop Production" "Urine is a well-balanced nitrogen-rich quick- acting liquid fertilizer. The nutrient content in urine depends on the diet. If the nitrogen content in urine is not known, then as a rule of thumb, a concentration of 3-7 grams of N per litre of urine can be expected. Phosphorus in urine is excreted in a plant-available form making urine an efficient phosphorus fertilizer as well."
www.sei-international.org
References:
* pubs.acs.org Study: "Stored Human Urine Supplemented with Wood Ash as Fertilizer in Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) Cultivation and Its Impacts on Fruit Yield and Quality"
** arc.peacecorpsconnect.org Peace Corps Proposal: "Ecological sanitation system using human urine as a fertilizer to replenish nutrient-depleted agricultural soil"
*** forest.mtu.edu.pdf Michigan Technological University Student Projects Urine Fertilizer Sheet.
www.sciencedaily.com Article: "Human Urine As A Safe, Inexpensive Fertilizer For Food Crops"
Share this page...
Become a Fan of Inspiration Green
Food Blog Additional Posts
New study shows stomach inflammation as well as uterus enlargement in GM-fed pigs.
Our federal dollars are being used to keep the American populace unhealthy and fat. Even though we seem to have a crisis on our hands, the U.S. government, corn lobbyists, trade associations and the Big Six (Monsanto, BASF, Bayer, Dow, DuPont and Syngenta) keep oiling the corn machine that was started in the mid-70s...a machine that needs to be reassessed.
Sixteen year old publishes scientific study showing fruit flies live longer and are more fertile if fed organic food versus conventional.
What to do with that overripe watermelon, the half eaten banana, the bruised peach.
Organic (and some Natural) food brands owned by big corporations. And which and how much those large brands are donating to fight GMO labeling.
The definition of a whole food, is a natural food that has not been processed or has been refined as little as possible. Unfortunately, ultra-pasteurized, homogenized, grain-fed cow's milk is no longer a whole food. It is highly manipulated.
A breakdown of monies spent on food and the cost of food during the last thirty years.
Clara Cannucciari - Learn how to make simple yet delicious dishes while listening to stories from the Great Depression.
Currently, unapproved use and abuse of antibiotics for food-intended animals is common practice. Sources say, close to 80 percent of all antibiotics sold in the U.S. are being fed or injected into cattle, pigs and poultry on industrial factory farms.
If you have the time, seems like a fun way to create healthy meals with your kids. Or, in the doldrums? Create a packed lunch just for yourself!
Nowadays whole milk is required to have a set 3.25 percent milkfat. Well, cows do not give milk at a set 3.25 percent milkfat... Learn how we get our milk so standardized.
Also of interest are MPCs. Milk Protein Concentrate is de-fatted, ultra-pasteurizated, ultrahomogenized, ultrafiltrated (UF), unregulated, powdered skimmed milk. Many manufacturers are using MPCs in their dairy products instead of real milk. Why? Because MPCs are a cheap and easy way to add a filling, stable protein into a product. Although MPCs do add protein, it is a very processed form. Are MPC's hurtful to the local food movement? Yes, as this dried, spoil resistant product takes less to transport than the fresh liquid milk, companies are choosing this processed powder over fresh milk.
Eating 'less' meat and dairy is the best way to reduce emissions. But know that, less dense cheeses produce fewer greenhouse gases since they take less milk to produce. Cottage cheese, ricotta, cream cheese, part-skim or fresh mozzarella, gouda, feta, muenster and non-fat yogurt are all more earth-friendly choices, especially if organic.
A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has found a correlation between certain foods and weight gain. And a new study out of North Carolina says the average American now eats 570 more calories a day than in 1977...
There are so many different sugars now...one can barely keep up...here's a list of all the added sugars...
15 million pounds of eight synthetic food dyes are put into our foods each year....the FDA is finally taking notice....
Whatever you call it: bioengineered, transgenically engineered, genetically manipulated, genetically engineered and genetically modified. We don't know its long term affects.
Urban Agriculture - Outside on the Ground and on the Roof. The food of the future will be local...we will push our strollers past it and be intimately connected with it...
Write a comment
Posts: 2
Reply #2 on : Tue March 23, 2010, 22:32:06
Posts: 2
Reply #1 on : Tue March 23, 2010, 15:38:02