Urine fertilizer primarily provides nitrogen. How much nitrogen does a garden need? According to the state of Illinois, here is the amount of nitrogen needed by the following plants:
Click here for a list that covers more
crops. The numbers above are for commercial
growers who use chemical fertilizers. Since I
use organic methods, I don’t need nearly this
much supplementary nitrogen. However, at least
this list shows which plants require more
nitrogen and which require less.
Here’s a great way to use urine fertilizer in
the garden. Mulching items such as mulched
leaves or wood chips are rich in carbon and
contain phosphorus and potassium, but very
little nitrogen. Mulches need nitrogen to help
break them down. When
mulches are combined with nitrogen, they provide
the major nutrients for my garden.& So
here is what I like to do.
First,
to help
suppress weeds, I spread a single layer of
non-glossy newspaper over the ground
((which
I didn't do in the picture). Next, I add mulch
to a depth of 4 inches. Then I use my little
gardening shovel to move the mulch aside, punch
a hole through the newspaper, and make a shallow
hole in the soil. Next, I sow or transplant into
the dirt. I don’t move the mulch back against
the plant until the plant grows above it.
Once I have planted, I like to apply MyCorrPlus with sea minerals over the top. The Mycorrplus helps with germination, and helps to break down the salts in my urine fertilizer. It also causes the mulch to begin decomposing, which releases phosphorus and potassium to my garden. The sea minerals provide needed trace minerals.
Next, I put some of my day’s urine fertilizer into my watering can, fill it with water, and use it to water the mulch. The mulch helps to protect the roots from the high nitrogen content of the urine, and the urine provides nitrogen needed to slowly compost the mulch right in my garden.
As a
ballpark figure,
a liter of
urine will treat 350 square feet of garden space
(4' x 88') if done weekly over 7 months.
By the end of 7 months, you will have applied
100 pounds of nitrogen per acre.
Increase or decrease application according to individual plant needs, as listed above. More urine may be applied when plants are in the growth stage, and less when they are putting on fruit. Use more for plants such as cucumbers, squash, tomatoes and corn that need more nitrogen to put on fruit. Use whatever urine is left over to fertilize bushes, trees or lawn.
If leaves are yellow or pale green, they probably need more nitrogen. Too much nitrogen can cause plants to produce a lot of leaves but bear little fruit. It can also cause leaves to curl, and make plants more prone to insect attack. Please visit my home page, Healthy Vegetable Gardening. Happy gardening!
(Return from Urine Fertilizer to Organic Vegetable Garden)
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