Anyone else tried using pee as plant fertiliser?

I read on the Internet that a number of people are using human pee as
plant fertiliser with success. The main things I read were that pee must
be fresh (within 24 hours old) or it starts to break down - if smelly
then it is past its best for plants and fit only as compost accelerator.
The other thing was that it must be diluted to around 1/20 or it can
burn the plants.

So for the first time this year I've been saving pee and mixing it 1
part pee to around 20 parts rain-butt water and the results are quite
promising. The potatoes are thriving and growing faster than previous
years. Lifted the first couple of roots today (variety Daisy) and had a
reasonable yield (enough on two roots for four good portions) the
potatoes were very tasty too. Maybe slightly sweeter tasting than last
year, but hard to be sure - the first taste of home grown new potatoes
each year is always wonderful anyway.

I guess that all greedy feeding vegetables will benefit? Maybe the
runner beans and courgettes? Not sure if brassicas would like it though?
The only plant that didn't seem to benefit was strawberries, it seemed
to stunt the growth of the plants a bit.

Note that the dilute pee doesn't make the garden smell at all, maybe
because it is so dilute and gets absorbed into the soil quickly.

--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted
by a filter and not reach my inbox.

g'day david,

i use my pee on my vege' garden, gets mixed with pre-rinse water from
the kitchen or dish wash water, i mix it primarily so i can share it
around the plants, water only the root zone with it and yes use it
withing 24 hours, but also have used it neat with no ill effects.
general mixing rate is 50/50 or 25/75 wee to water.

On Sat, 05 Jun 2010 19:34:20 +0200, David in Normandy
wrote:
snipped
--

Matthew 25:13 KJV
"Watch therefore, for ye know neither
the day nor the hour wherein the Son
of man cometh"

Mark 13:33 "Take ye heed, watch and pray:
for ye know not when the time is".

len

With peace and brightest of blessings,

"Be Content With What You Have And
May You Find Serenity and Tranquillity In
A World That You May Not Understand."

http://www.lensgarden.com.au/

On 5 June, 19:34, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Sat, 05 Jun 2010 19:34:20 +0200, David in Normandy

wrote:
Anyone else tried using pee as plant fertiliser?

I read on the Internet that a number of people are using human pee as
plant fertiliser with success. The main things I read were that pee must
be fresh (within 24 hours old) or it starts to break down - if smelly
then it is past its best for plants and fit only as compost accelerator.
The other thing was that it must be diluted to around 1/20 or it can
burn the plants.

While I can see the need for diluting it, I don't see why it has to be
fresh. Pee contains urea, among other things, which itself is a good
nitrogenous fertiliser. If kept for a few days, bacteria will break
down the urea to ammonia (think unflushed men's public toilets on a
hot summer day!), which is also a good fertiliser, although I suppose
it is more volatile that urea, so some of it may be lost to the air.
But not much, I wouldn't think, as it's very soluble in water.

--

Chris

Gardening in West Cornwall overlooking the sea.
Mild, but very exposed to salt gales

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net

I wonder how much medication passes through the body to come out in
the urine, Then to be taken up by the plants?
David Hill

On 05/06/2010 23:10, Dave Hill wrote:
On 5 June, 19:34, Chris wrote:
On Sat, 05 Jun 2010 19:34:20 +0200, David in Normandy

wrote:
Anyone else tried using pee as plant fertiliser?

I read on the Internet that a number of people are using human pee as
plant fertiliser with success. The main things I read were that pee must
be fresh (within 24 hours old) or it starts to break down - if smelly
then it is past its best for plants and fit only as compost accelerator.
The other thing was that it must be diluted to around 1/20 or it can
burn the plants.

While I can see the need for diluting it, I don't see why it has to be
fresh. Pee contains urea, among other things, which itself is a good
nitrogenous fertiliser. If kept for a few days, bacteria will break
down the urea to ammonia (think unflushed men's public toilets on a
hot summer day!), which is also a good fertiliser, although I suppose
it is more volatile that urea, so some of it may be lost to the air.
But not much, I wouldn't think, as it's very soluble in water.

--

Chris

Gardening in West Cornwall overlooking the sea.
Mild, but very exposed to salt gales

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net

I wonder how much medication passes through the body to come out in
the urine, Then to be taken up by the plants?
David Hill

From what I read any medication is diluted to such a massive extent it
can be completely ignored. Which makes sense when you think about it.

--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted
by a filter and not reach my inbox.

In article ,
Janet Baraclough wrote:
The message

from Dave Hill contains these words:

I wonder how much medication passes through the body to come out in
the urine, Then to be taken up by the plants?

Best start worrying about your own drinking water then; if it's from a
river it contains peed and poohed medication. Plus all those
hormones and fertilisers, seeds and fish eggs. You can probably get
pregnant from drinking that water or bathing in it,
and give birth to a tomato plant.

One of the things this country lacks is a local version of the National
Enquirer, to present all of the facts that are too shocking for the
newspapers to print :-) A court case where someone sues a water
authority on such grounds would expose facts that few people realise
exist.

Synthetic oestrogens are interesting, because they were originally
derived from a plant hormone. It is JUST possible, even in more
conventional science, that they have some slight effect on plants.
Aspirin does, slightly. But, generally, I doubt that plants will
absorb enough of such things to show interesting effects.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 06/06/10 01:27, Janet Baraclough wrote:
The message

from Dave Hill contains these words:


I wonder how much medication passes through the body to come out in
the urine, Then to be taken up by the plants?

Best start worrying about your own drinking water then; if it's from a
river it contains peed and poohed medication. Plus all those
hormones and fertilisers, seeds and fish eggs. You can probably get
pregnant from drinking that water or bathing in it,
and give birth to a tomato plant.

Only if you are a bishop )

On 06/06/10 09:24, Sacha wrote:
On 2010-06-05 22:10:48 +0100, Dave Hill
said:

On 5 June, 19:34, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Sat, 05 Jun 2010 19:34:20 +0200, David in Normandy

wrote:
Anyone else tried using pee as plant fertiliser?

I read on the Internet that a number of people are using human pee as
plant fertiliser with success. The main things I read were that pee
must
be fresh (within 24 hours old) or it starts to break down - if smelly
then it is past its best for plants and fit only as compost
accelerator.
The other thing was that it must be diluted to around 1/20 or it can
burn the plants.

While I can see the need for diluting it, I don't see why it has to be
fresh. Pee contains urea, among other things, which itself is a good
nitrogenous fertiliser. If kept for a few days, bacteria will break
down the urea to ammonia (think unflushed men's public toilets on a
hot summer day!), which is also a good fertiliser, although I suppose
it is more volatile that urea, so some of it may be lost to the air.
But not much, I wouldn't think, as it's very soluble in water.

--

Chris

Gardening in West Cornwall overlooking the sea.
Mild, but very exposed to salt gales

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net

I wonder how much medication passes through the body to come out in
the urine, Then to be taken up by the plants?
David Hill

Probably quite a lot! There have been articles on how much effect the
female contraceptive pill has on fish!

So it is not over fishing that has seriously depleted fish stocks )

Any articles about the effect of viagara on climbing plants?

We have a honeysuckle that has grown a metre vertically unsupported in
the last 8 weeks.

In article ,
Martin wrote:

I wonder how much medication passes through the body to come out in
the urine, Then to be taken up by the plants?

Probably quite a lot! There have been articles on how much effect the
female contraceptive pill has on fish!

So it is not over fishing that has seriously depleted fish stocks )

Freshwater fish, no. And pollution is definitely a serious factor,
especially in places like the North and Irish Seas.

Any articles about the effect of viagara on climbing plants?

We have a honeysuckle that has grown a metre vertically unsupported in
the last 8 weeks.

It clearly needs Viagra - it should have done more!


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 06/06/10 12:26, wrote:
In article ,
Martin wrote:

I wonder how much medication passes through the body to come out in
the urine, Then to be taken up by the plants?

Probably quite a lot! There have been articles on how much effect the
female contraceptive pill has on fish!

So it is not over fishing that has seriously depleted fish stocks )

Freshwater fish, no. And pollution is definitely a serious factor,
especially in places like the North and Irish Seas.

Yes. Titanium ??oxide from a paint works in Immingham and all the crap
that is flushed into the Rhine are big polluters

This year the traditional Dutch "new haring" are being imported from the
north Of Norway. AFAIR last year they came from Denmark.


Any articles about the effect of Viagra on climbing plants?

We have a honeysuckle that has grown a metre vertically unsupported in
the last 8 weeks.

It clearly needs Viagra - it should have done more!

I should have been clearer. It climbed two metres to top of a Lidl
tubular arch frame before growing vertically another metre.

On 06/06/10 12:40, Martin wrote:
On 06/06/10 12:26, wrote:
In article ,
Martin wrote:

I wonder how much medication passes through the body to come out in
the urine, Then to be taken up by the plants?

Probably quite a lot! There have been articles on how much effect the
female contraceptive pill has on fish!

So it is not over fishing that has seriously depleted fish stocks )

Freshwater fish, no. And pollution is definitely a serious factor,
especially in places like the North and Irish Seas.

Yes. Titanium ??oxide from a paint works in Immingham and all the crap
that is flushed into the Rhine are big polluters

This year the traditional Dutch "new haring" are being imported from the
north Of Norway. AFAIR last year they came from Denmark.


Any articles about the effect of Viagra on climbing plants?

We have a honeysuckle that has grown a metre vertically unsupported in
the last 8 weeks.

It clearly needs Viagra - it should have done more!

I should have been clearer. It climbed two metres to top of a Lidl
tubular arch frame before growing vertically another metre.

Image here

http://i50.tinypic.com/35nc9bm.jpg

Any articles about the effect of Viagra on climbing plants?

We have a honeysuckle that has grown a metre vertically unsupported in
the last 8 weeks.

It clearly needs Viagra - it should have done more!

I should have been clearer. It climbed two metres to top of a Lidl
tubular arch frame before growing vertically another metre.

I'd have thought it's not how far it's grown unsupported but how long
can it stay up there before it collapses.
David Hill

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2010-06-05 22:10:48 +0100, Dave Hill
said:

snip
I wonder how much medication passes through the body to come out in
the urine, Then to be taken up by the plants?
David Hill

Probably quite a lot! There have been articles on how much effect the
female contraceptive pill has on fish!

According to my doctor the current regime of water treatment removes
bacteria etc. from the water but doesn't filter out the oestrogens which get
into the rivers from women using contraceptive pills.

So it isn't just the fish which have to worry.

Although it does cut down on the shaving.
But I have these strange stretch marks in my T-shirt.

Cheers

Dave R

--
No plan survives contact with the enemy.

Helmuth von Moltke the Elder

On 06/06/10 14:39, Dave Hill wrote:

Any articles about the effect of Viagra on climbing plants?

We have a honeysuckle that has grown a metre vertically unsupported in
the last 8 weeks.

It clearly needs Viagra - it should have done more!

I should have been clearer. It climbed two metres to top of a Lidl
tubular arch frame before growing vertically another metre.

I'd have thought it's not how far it's grown unsupported but how long
can it stay up there before it collapses.

They have survived very strong winds.

On 06/06/10 16:06, Sacha wrote:
On 2010-06-06 13:39:46 +0100, Dave Hill
said:


Any articles about the effect of Viagra on climbing plants?

We have a honeysuckle that has grown a metre vertically unsupported in
the last 8 weeks.

It clearly needs Viagra - it should have done more!

I should have been clearer. It climbed two metres to top of a Lidl
tubular arch frame before growing vertically another metre.

I'd have thought it's not how far it's grown unsupported but how long
can it stay up there before it collapses.
David Hill

Perhaps we should start a book...! ;-)

I am open to bribes LOL

On 06/06/10 16:05, Sacha wrote:
On 2010-06-06 10:38:03 +0100, Martin said:

On 06/06/10 09:24, Sacha wrote:
On 2010-06-05 22:10:48 +0100, Dave Hill
said:

On 5 June, 19:34, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Sat, 05 Jun 2010 19:34:20 +0200, David in Normandy

wrote:
Anyone else tried using pee as plant fertiliser?

I read on the Internet that a number of people are using human pee as
plant fertiliser with success. The main things I read were that pee
must
be fresh (within 24 hours old) or it starts to break down - if smelly
then it is past its best for plants and fit only as compost
accelerator.
The other thing was that it must be diluted to around 1/20 or it can
burn the plants.

While I can see the need for diluting it, I don't see why it has to be
fresh. Pee contains urea, among other things, which itself is a good
nitrogenous fertiliser. If kept for a few days, bacteria will break
down the urea to ammonia (think unflushed men's public toilets on a
hot summer day!), which is also a good fertiliser, although I suppose
it is more volatile that urea, so some of it may be lost to the air.
But not much, I wouldn't think, as it's very soluble in water.

--

Chris

Gardening in West Cornwall overlooking the sea.
Mild, but very exposed to salt gales

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net

I wonder how much medication passes through the body to come out in
the urine, Then to be taken up by the plants?
David Hill

Probably quite a lot! There have been articles on how much effect the
female contraceptive pill has on fish!

So it is not over fishing that has seriously depleted fish stocks )

Any articles about the effect of viagra on climbing plants?

That is sooooo oooolllldddd!

)


We have a honeysuckle that has grown a metre vertically unsupported in
the last 8 weeks.

It's just showing off. Of course, it could be a shrubby honeysuckle!

It didn't show any inclination to grow particularly tall in previous years.