Tomatoville® Gardening Forums - View Single Post - options for cheap organic fertilizer sans composting?

BennB · May 30, 2013

I would not pee in the tubes....

The main reason is not anything "gross". Your urine is likely way more sterile than any manure product. The main reason is that when it is mixed in with the water the urea in the urine could convert to ammonia not convert to nitrates. The ammonia could build up and 1) smell nasty and 2) hurt the plants.

If you do use urine, pee on the soil. Organisms and other process in the soil convert urea to ammonia to nitrates very quickly, so ammonia does not build up unless it is in a saturated condition.

You could do a little test. Put about a quart water in a bucket and pee in it and let it sit in a dark place for a couple days. Put about a quart of good draining soil in a bucket with holes and pee on it. Let it sit in the same place for a couple days. I bet the bucket with the water will have a strong ammonia smell and the bucket with the soil should have little or no ammonia smell.

Personally, if you are using SIPs and Earthtainers, I would stick to your tried and true fertilizer if you don't want to do any composting. These are pretty intensive grow operations and when you add uncontrolled elements like urine or raw manure, you could be changing a lot of things, like pH that could have a wide ranging impact on nutrient update and so forth. Prepared fertilizer is balanced and tested to maintain the consistency you want in the soil in your containers.

I don't know how much fertilizer you are using, but you could try easing back on the fertilizer a bit and see how that goes. Most of us over fertilize a bit. Do a few with containers with 1/2 the normal amount for a few weeks and see if you notice a difference. My guess is you will be able buy the product you like and trust, but save money by needing to use less of it.

May 30, 2013	#3
BennB Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Seattle, Wa Posts: 77	I would not pee in the tubes.... The main reason is not anything "gross". Your urine is likely way more sterile than any manure product. The main reason is that when it is mixed in with the water the urea in the urine could convert to ammonia not convert to nitrates. The ammonia could build up and 1) smell nasty and 2) hurt the plants. If you do use urine, pee on the soil. Organisms and other process in the soil convert urea to ammonia to nitrates very quickly, so ammonia does not build up unless it is in a saturated condition. You could do a little test. Put about a quart water in a bucket and pee in it and let it sit in a dark place for a couple days. Put about a quart of good draining soil in a bucket with holes and pee on it. Let it sit in the same place for a couple days. I bet the bucket with the water will have a strong ammonia smell and the bucket with the soil should have little or no ammonia smell. Personally, if you are using SIPs and Earthtainers, I would stick to your tried and true fertilizer if you don't want to do any composting. These are pretty intensive grow operations and when you add uncontrolled elements like urine or raw manure, you could be changing a lot of things, like pH that could have a wide ranging impact on nutrient update and so forth. Prepared fertilizer is balanced and tested to maintain the consistency you want in the soil in your containers. I don't know how much fertilizer you are using, but you could try easing back on the fertilizer a bit and see how that goes. Most of us over fertilize a bit. Do a few with containers with 1/2 the normal amount for a few weeks and see if you notice a difference. My guess is you will be able buy the product you like and trust, but save money by needing to use less of it.