Some claim that early morning urine from a male is effective for keeping animals out of the garden. Whichever method one chooses, itll be necessary to reapply the urine after a rain or watering. The feathers are then dried and ground up into a powder. Informal field experiments from the Oregon State University Extension Service found that compost composed of 25% coffee grounds is most effective for maintaining consistently high heat. Add the urine-soaked straw to the compost as a green layer to balance any brown vegetation added to the compost pile. Use these additions to heat your compost pile to rejuvenate the beneficial microbes and move the composting process along. Glad to know I am not the only one doing this. 3) Deliver nutrients to the soil. Urine. Peeing on your compost is good for both the compost you are creating, and the environment itself. That made me wonder about what was going on in my urine jug, and if there might be some advantage to colonizing it with kombucha. One of my neighbours said people traditionally peed on lemon trees. These products are easy to obtain, and you likely have some of them at home. Diluted and put straight amongst the plants or undiluted in the compost pile, it will give your garden a boost. The high nitrogen content boosts the action of the decomposition by microbes. 3 Benefits Of Urine For Your Compost Pile 1. Is Urine Good for Compost? Once diluted the micturition mixture, or tinkle tincture if you like, should be applied within twenty-four hours of the urine being expelled. (Read This First)Continue, I have a huge pine tree in my backyard. Too wet and it could end up pretty smelly. But when I got interested in composting, I naturally began to wonder whether I could compost all the pine needles scattered under the tree. Sometimes, even the best-maintained compost system gets out of balance. 1. Urea is widely used as a fertilizer in agriculture. Last week, my husband and I visited Kailash Ecovillage in Portland, Oregon. Whether grown fresh in the garden or purchased as alfalfa meal, its a wonderful all-purpose fertilizer with an N-P-K of roughly 3-1-2. Brian Campbell, a degree holder in Environmental Studies, founder of Water Filter Guru, and avid gardener, warns: Human urine is abundant in phosphorus and nitrogen, which are essential nutrients for healthy plant growth. When worked into the soil, blood meal gives off an odor that is practically undetectable to us but is very useful for deterring rabbits and other critters from munching on your crops. Continue to build the compost pile in layers until it is 3 to 5 feet high. When urine is diluted, its aces for helping the garden thrive; however, in its pure form, the stuff is just far too potent for little plants to deal with. Grab a handful (make sure you have gloves on especially important due to what we are adding to this particular pile) and give it a squeeze. A slow decomposition rate is simply a symptom and adding a starter will likely do nothing but mask that symptom for a bit. But first, a slight deviation. Published 17 April 23. You can choose to add either natural or commercial activators to boost the nitrogen levels within the compost. This can be tricky to measure since not all browns contain an equal amount of carbon. Keep turning it frequently in the coming days to prevent the grass from clumping together. That accounts for over 90% of what we are peeing. Once the bucket of ashes was thoroughly soaked it was diluted (considerably) and used on the vegetable patches as fertiliser, Having read above that urine and wood ash make a useful combination I wonder if the wise old gardeners of 80 years ago knew somehow how beneficial it was. These are in powder form, and are dropped into the bottle twenty-four hours before use. Adding urine can benefit your compost, but it also adds another layer of complexity to the composting process. (Amazon). Now that we are on the same page as to ingredients and aims, lets look at our specific recipe and method for a homemade compost accelerator: *Bonus Step If you want to create the most beneficial microbial community possible, aerate your catalyst using a fish tank pump. Make your own compost activator to keep your pile working effectively and foster the perfect conditions to make high-quality, organic fertilizer for your houseplants and garden. The N stands for nitrogen, the P for potassium, and the K for phosphorus. The addition of dry material (which contains a lot of carbon) allows the moisture to be absorbed and the carbon/nitrogen ratio to be balanced, thus . So why would people want to use urine in compost? . Humans need to urinate several times a day, but this doesnt mean you should pee on your compost pile every time you go past! With some basic knowledge, you can produce rich, sweet compost for all your backyard plants. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As a guideline, Master Gardener Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott of Washington State University recommends keeping the total volume of coffee grounds in the compost between 10% and 20%. Garden Tower 2 Update Gorgeous Lettuce Outgrowing my No-Dig! The optimal time to collect urine for your pile is in the morning when urea concentrations are at their maximum. (Tested & Answered), How To Compost Corn Stalks & Cobs (Easiest & Fastest Way), How Big Of A Compost Tumbler Do I Need? Good article once I finally was able to get through it! Some Weird Human Urine Uses in the Garden 1. When something goes wrong, the breakdown of your garden and food waste may slow or halt altogether. Another popular method for composting with urine is creating a pee bale, which is used for a while and then added to the compost. Plus, its a great excuse to have another beer. Alexia Allen from Hawthorn Farm recommends a method of making a big pile of leaves and then adding urine to it over winter. Being free and readily available, whats not to like?! I live remotely on acreage. Composting is a fantastic way to reuse and recycle organic waste like kitchen scraps, grass clipping material, and dry leaves. Uric acid accelerates the compost process, allowing you to get to the end product faster. But if youre like me (impatient) and want something that will move the needle, weve got a method. It is not referred to as liquid gold for nothing! Oh, you are handy enough? Urea is widely used as a fertilizer in agriculture. This risk makes the method you collect the urine important when you intend to use it for composting. When you use muriatic acid to speed up the compost process, it has a positive impact on the product. I am pleased & proud that social constraints do not affect my ability to make the most of such a valuable resource. COPYRIGHT 2023 RURAL SPROUT | Wisteria on Trellis Framework by Mediavine, our guide to using blood meal in the vegetable garden. Tip: The best time to use urine as an activator or accelerator for a compost pile is in the early morning, when the uric acid levels in your urine are at their highest. In this article, well look at precisely what cotton burr compost is and why you, Read More What Is Cotton Burr Compost? When your hot compost pile starts to underperform, a homemade compost accelerator helps. He has gone on to work as a professional gardener in historic gardens across the UK and also specialise as a kitchen gardener growing vegetables, fruit, herbs, and cut flowers. Use simple things to kick-start the composting process and get your tumbler back to peak performance. I ALSO DILUTE THE PEE , ONE PART PEE AND TEN PART WATER THAT I POUR AROUND MY VEGETABLES. Brilliant. So many people lament the fact that they don't have livestock to add fertility to their pile, and I reply that they can be their own livestock.. Wonderful. However, some would argue that this is a more natural method than a commercial product. Human pee adds the same minerals to your compost and will enrich the final end product when the compost has matured. Many everyday items are ideal to use as a compost accelerator as a way to make compost faster so you can put it out in the garden. Grass has an N-P-K value of 4-1-2 when its still green and moist and fresh. Note: Its always a good idea to test your garden soil before treating it. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. How European design and traditional style softened the edges of this new build, Common problems with strawberries 6 simple issues that can reduce your harvest, Roebic Bacterial Compost Accelerator at Amazon | $14.78, Everything you need to turn your dream home into a reality, Subscribe for just 1 per issue with our Spring Savings, Full of inspiring real homes, expert project advice and on-trend shopping, Issues delivered direct to your door or device. They are an unnecessary waste of money that may or may not even be effective. urine compost acceleratorbrooke elle before surgery. Using urine in your compost can be done, but you must follow some basic guidelines to make it safe and retain balance within the compost pile. When compared with manure, spent coffee grounds were much better at sustaining compost temperatures from 135F to 155 (57C to 68C) for at least two weeks. Urine, too, is a great compost stimulator. But lets face it They are also poop machines! Cut grass decomposes rapidly once in the pile. Urine is good for compost because it contains a lot of nitrogen, which is great for organic gardening. A compost accelerator will introduce dormant microbes in a significantly large number to speed up that initial process. ANSWER: Yes, unbelievably, human urine is rich in nitrogen and should be added to compost regularly instead of flushing down the toilet. As mentioned, feces contain pathogens that you dont want in your compost pile. I pee in an old Clorox bleach plastic container. The use of fresh water to simply flush away urine is a crime in my mind, the amount of pharmaceuticals in the rivers, streams and the coastal regions are causing huge affects on the flora and fauna. Get the latest permaculture news stories straight in your inbox, The Advanced Permaculture Student Teacher's Guide, The Permaculture Student 2: A Collection of Regenerative Solutions (eBook), https://www.goveganic.net/article217.html, Espalier An Ancient Perennial Edible Art Project, The Australians who pioneered self-sufficiency, generations beforeNimbin, Agroforestry 101: Everything You Need to Know, The Environmental Benefits Of Donating Your Things. The mxiture can be sprinkled on the soil, around the plants, or used as a foliar spray. However, the higher concentration of nitrogen in urine acts as a compost activator and actively speeds up the process of composting. And, yet another option is to soak something, perhaps a cotton ball or a bit of the old pee bale, and put that around the garden. I pee into a 6 litre bottle and keep it closed until Im ready to use it. To fire up a slow pile, add and handful or two before giving the heap a turn. 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