songbird wrote:
David Hare-Scott wrote:
...
find it a little aromatic for the patio or the front room too.

in an arid climate i'd not want to use a lot of it
all the time, but right before the rainy season is
likely ok.


I am not talking about emptying the chamber pots of the whole family on one
lemon tree daily but ****ing on one of my fruit trees as the opportunity
arrises. I cannot persuade Her Indoors to contribute.


For those
who are about to read me a lesson on public health your urine ought
to be sterile unless you have a urinary tract infection in which
case you should be seeing the doctor not ****ing on your plants.

recently the knowledge on this has changed. originally
when such studies were made baterial levels were below that
easily detectable, now they find that "urine is sterile" is a
myth. so it does usually have some bacteria in it but that
doesn't mean it is a problem when properly composted.


We can argue about what is meant by 'sterile', if you need special modern
techniques to detect pathogens but still they are there you are technically
correct. However from a practical point of view it is not a health risk.
Of course anything composted is far from sterile by any definition.

poo & pee together with some carbon source (sawdust,
shredded leaves, etc.) is about the perfect combination
and will compost nicely.

there are plenty of nutrients in feces from humans,
bacteria will use it as an energy source quite easily.
trace elements that did not get absorbed, etc. all often
well appreciated by plant life.

though i do not believe in "design" i do think that we
are here in this system and not outside of it so that
what goes in and comes back out are a good part of the
whole. just treat it with the respect it deserves.

if you are in an arid climate with little access to
organic materials use it instead of wasting it.


A good idea in principle but much harder to manage in practice. Feces do
require considerable care and management to be safe whereas urine doesn't.
As you observe much more suited to a dry climate. I have friends who have
for idealogical reasons installed composting toilets in a wet climate and it
is a constant source of problems.
--
David

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