Using human urine as fertilizer can surprisingly help you work towards a closed fertility system in the garden. Although not a plant-based technique per se, homegrown urea represents a way for gardeners to recapture the nutrients from the foods they consume. At the same time, you remove the urine from the water system, where it acts as a pollutant. So here is some surprising information that can help you fertilize your plants in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way.
Why urine is suitable as fertilizer for plants
Many gardeners are interested in becoming self-sufficient and living off their own skills and the land. To cultivate a successful garden, people often need additionalAdd fertilizer such as compost, to keep up with the demand for soil nutrients to grow crops. Store-bought products and manure often contain waste products from other animals such as worms, chickens and even bats. What if you could produce your own endless and free supply by using urine as fertilizer?
Despite squeamishness about this body waste product, urine is clean in that it contains few bacterial contaminants. After all, the urea comes from a natural source. According to researchers, liquid waste not only promotes plant growth and industrial mineral fertilizers, but would also save energy used for wastewater treatment. In addition, human urine could prove to be an effective andsustainable fertilizerprove.
Scientifically proven nutrients in urea
The main components of commercial fertilizers, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, as well as micronutrients, are produced by the human body. In fact, humans have been using urine to fertilize crops long before the invention of modern chemical fertilizers. Therefore, urine is considered the original and free liquid gold. According to the Stockholm Environmental Institute, one person can produce enough urine per year to fertilize 300-400 square meters of crops. Used at the household level, the urea produced by a family is more than enough to nourish a home garden. If used on a large scale, using human urine as fertilizer could address both sanitation and food security challenges around the world.
The high nitrogen content in urine isfavorable for plant growth. However, this can actually pose a major environmental hazard if urine enters public water systems through the toilet. After flushing, some of the nitrogen is removed in an energy-intensive denitrification process. The remaining nitrogen often ends up in natural water bodies, where it can unbalance ecosystems through a process called eutrophication. The excess nitrogen causes increased growth of algae and aquatic plants. When these plants decay, it reduces the oxygen supply needed for aquatic animals, often causing their death. Therefore, it is preferable to route urinary nutrients through terrestrial environments rather than aquatic environments. This allows trees, perennials, wildflowers and lawns to be fertilized.
Nourish plants in the garden with urine as fertilizer
The success of fertilizing your own garden crops with urea could have a positive impact on both global hunger and organic gardening. In many third world countries, manufactured fertilizers, both chemical and organic, are unaffordable. In areas with poor soil conditions, using locally collected urine in the garden could easily and inexpensively improve crop yields. What are the Benefits of Using Urine in the Garden for the Home Gardener? Urine is 95 percent water. Traces of vitamins and minerals that are necessary for the health and growth of plants are dissolved in this water. However, the important part is the remaining five percent. These consist largely of a metabolic waste product called urea.
Tips for using pee as fertilizer
While urine is suitable as a fertilizer for plants, there are a few precautions you should take when doing so. Have you ever noticed the yellow spots on the lawn where the dog constantly urinates? This is nitrogen combustion. When fertilizing plants with it, you should always use a solution of at least ten parts water to one part urine. In addition, urea fertilizer should penetrate the soil as quickly as possible to avoid loss of the resulting gases.
Water the garden area either before or after applying the natural fertilizer. You can also fertilize houseplant leaves with urine by using it as a spray at a dilution of twenty parts water to one part urine. You already know what urea is and how it can benefit your garden. So are you ready to experiment? Consider this possibility once you get over the “ick” factor. Urine can be an effective and economically effective tool in the garden to increase production organically.
