I was looking at my fertilizer the other day and noticed that the primary substance in it was urea, the same compound found in urine. Did a little digging and apparently urine has been shown to be an excellent source of fertilizer, as long as it's diluted and applied directly to the soil. So if we produce it for free, it's sterile, and organic, why not use it? Anyone ever try it or is that too granola for you guys? lol only issue I can really think of is a build up of salts after awhile, but with well draining soil and regular water, maybe this isn't a problem. Tempted to try it on my corn this year.
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fertilizer to the sustainable growers....who fertilizes with their urine?
- Thread starter Doelman
- Start date
I don't personally care for the smell of aged piss. So, no. Also, urea is the type of nitrogen that should be used most sparingly. It is known to invite pest infestations when overused. (plants seem to put out some sort of emitter)
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That's not to say that I won't do a little "supplementing" once in a while, when I'm out in the garden. But I don't choose to use it as my main source of N. Not when I have so many other things available that also don't cost. Like the fish carcasses that I made into fertilizer 2 years ago. Or the mountain of rabbit poo that I still have. Both of which are actually considered "complete" fertilizers.
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That's not to say that I won't do a little "supplementing" once in a while, when I'm out in the garden. But I don't choose to use it as my main source of N. Not when I have so many other things available that also don't cost. Like the fish carcasses that I made into fertilizer 2 years ago. Or the mountain of rabbit poo that I still have. Both of which are actually considered "complete" fertilizers.
I do something that most people don't do... I compost everything that isn't used up in the kitchen, including meat. I don't fear pathogens, because... well, it's the same meat that we eat. (if it's cooked, and safe for me, it isn't going to get some weird pathogen after the fact) Also, I don't use worms for composting. I use black soldier fly. They are so much more efficient, and so much less picky about what can be given. In fact, I try to always give them their meals in brown paper bags from the store. (they will provide them at our local store for free, upon request - I know some places you have to pay for paper bags) Lots of variety in my compost.
Uncle Eckley
Extreme Member
Apologies to OP, but I'd love to hear more about this black soldier fly business. Got a thread out there on it, solid7?
Uncle_Eccoli said:
I don't have a thread. Long story short... One day, all of the worms in my bin died. Most of them were picked off by geckos. I was considering new options, and one day I went out and discovered thousands of these creepy, sci-fi looking maggots. I did a little research, and found that I accidentally acquired one of the best composting critters on planet earth. Now, I can compost about 5lb of food scrap in 36-48 hours. I typically have to empty the catch bin back top, and run it through again, because they eat so fast, I get a lot of oozing liquid runoff, that is still good for extraction. But then again, mine is a 30 gallon homemade flowthrough type bin. Probably there's a much better system for soldier fly larva. It's just that I already had it, and the workers were free. So I'll use it, for now...
ah yes, the black soldier fly. The speed at which those little guys breakdown compost is nothing short of amazing. Last year they made an appearance in my compost bin, much like you I had no clue how they got in there. I have a few this year but it's a pathetic amount compared to last year. If anyone can tell me how to get more of those little buggers, let me know....solid7 said:
Here's my bin last year, I had just a couple larvae lol....
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Just as an FYI, urine being sterile is a myth. Also, based on the varying output of whats in your urine based on what you intake and the state of your health I'd probably avoid using it as a regular fertilizer, along with the fact that much more is present in your urine than just urea.Doelman said:
While I have no issues with using meat in composting, I'm not sure that your argument here holds water. When we cook things, it reduces possible pathogens down to a level that are not likely to affect us, but usually doesn't completely eliminate them. Also, they can be exposed to many different pathogens between being cooked and being added to the pile.solid7 said:
This would be like arguing that since you cooked meat it could sit on the counter for a week and you could still eat it, because well, it's cooked and isn't going to get some weird pathogen after the fact.
Uncle Eckley
Extreme Member
badmoon692004 said:
Seems a pretty common practice with BSF composters..
I guess I should have finalized my post with the clarification: If you want to use meat in your compost, I won't discourage you, and will likely experiment with it myself. Just saying that the "I cooked it so there aren't any pathogens present" argument is incorrect.Uncle_Eccoli said:
badmoon692004 said:
No, it isn't like that at all. It's like arguing that the types of pathogens that don't harm me while it's in my kitchen, aren't going to harm me if they're in my compost pile. (nor are they magically going to appear later) The tissue is no longer alive, so the mechanics of pathogen transmission are VERY different. And, plant uptake vs direct ingestion. Don't be obtuse. If you know well enough to chime in on this, then you know very well what I'm saying here.
Not sure they're BSF but I've see the adults around the compost and I have no idea what else it could be. Definitely not blowfly, I don't compost meat.solid7 said:
I throw vegetable cuttings, fruit, egg shells, and grass cuttings in there, same as last year. No population explosion, just a few hundred larvae, not tens of thousands. No idea why.
Doelman said:
If you want to attract the BSF, you need to make sure that your compost bin is in a well shaded area. Also, they don't like light, so keep a lid that doesn't let much light on. But... you need to give them access. Drill a dozen or so 1/2" holes around the top of the container perimeter. Finally, if you really want to keep them going, create a ramp, for them to get out when they're ready to pupate. That way, you can "harvest" them, and keep them going. Including bringing them in for the winter, if it gets cold where you are, and that sort of thing could work for you.
Downriver
Extreme Member
Uncle_Eccoli said:
Unk, a friend of mine uses them as high-protein chicken food!
Here's a link to an article he wrote: https://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Black+Soldier+Fly.html
I used to get black soldier flies in my compost pile regularly. They seemed to be naturally occurring in Texas. I see them sold live online a lot.
There's lots of shit that I would do, if only my wife were cool with it. She's pretty flexible, but I know that if I was storing diluted pis to put on my veggie beds, she would hate that. I don't have a problem with it, but I understand that she probably would, too.
Same thing would probably go for Black Soldier Flies. When I started with red wigglers, she balked... But later, she agreed that none of the doomsday scenarios she'd predicted had ever become a reality.
I almost got her to agree to raising rabbits for their poo, but she didn't like the idea that maybe we'd eat then too, lol. And truth be told, I don't think I'm up for butchering bunnies anyway...
Same thing would probably go for Black Soldier Flies. When I started with red wigglers, she balked... But later, she agreed that none of the doomsday scenarios she'd predicted had ever become a reality.
I almost got her to agree to raising rabbits for their poo, but she didn't like the idea that maybe we'd eat then too, lol. And truth be told, I don't think I'm up for butchering bunnies anyway...
