Urine is effective as a compost ingredient because of its mineral and vitamin content, the concentrated amounts of nitrogen-rich urea, and the water content. (Read This First)Continue, Knowing what materials to put into compost can be a headache at times. Human urine is one of the quickest-acting and most effective sources of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and trace elements for plants, all of which are in an optimal form for osmosis. ), Can You Compost Old Mulch? So should you just throw it directly onto earth, or is it better to put it in compost? What is a compost accelerator? Making your own compost accelerator is easy, and doesnt require a lot of complicated elements. This is especially true if you have nitrogen-deficient soil. One thing to keep in mind though, is that some hair couldve been treated prior to being cut and there may still be some chemical residue left on the hair strains. To counteract this, a healthy guy can generate enough urine annually to fertilize 1800 pounds of compost with nitrogen if he drinks plenty of browns. If you dont have access to bird feathers, feather meal is also an option. I havent peed in my yard since I was a kid and I must admit that it never occurred to me to relieve myself all over my pile of kitchen scraps and lawn clippings. Use a compost accelerator. According to The Grow Network, these 5 things are great compost boosters and are often completely free: Once youre done weeding your garden or mowing the lawn, save the clippings and add it to your pile. WebCompost Accelerator Dont forget your compost! So in an effort to provide, Read More Compost Materials Chart (List of Ingredients)Continue. And its free, readily available, and renewable! Compost will break down most efficiently between 150F to 160F (65C to 71C). Contender All Seasons Bokashi Compost Starter 2 lbs (1 Gallon) - Dry Bokashi Bran for Kitchen Compost Bin, Compost Food Pet Waste Quickly & Easily with Low Odor by SCD Probiotics 1,641 $1605 $15.25 with Subscribe & Save Why Do I Keep Finding Peanut Shells in My Yard? Mixing these ingredients and adding them to your compost heap along with a few shovels of garden soil gives you the perfect cocktail to speed up the decomposition process. Otherwise your compost heap could develop hot spots which, according to the Cornell Waste Management Institute, could cause some of the beneficial microorganisms to die off. Adding urine to a new compost pile is similar to adding acommercial compost acceleratorto boost the process. We may earn affiliate commissions on purchases made from links on this page. (Problem Solved! An excellent natural fertilizer and compost activator, the urine of all animals contributes significantly to the nitrogen cycle on Earth. Accelerators can be purchased or can even be from ingredients you already possess. However, the verdict on whether or whether urine can effectively deter pests from your compost bin is still out on the table. 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. Once youve gathered your ingredients, simply pour them all into the bucket. The best time let it rain down on your pile is in the morning when urea levels will be at their highest concentration. This blog is about sharing everything that Ive learned in the hopes that it will help others discover the amazing rewards of composting More about me Legal Information: Help Me Compost is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com. If you want to add pee to your garden instead of your compost bin, make sure to dilute it to a 10:1 ratio. Urine stinks. Once the grass is in the compost, turn it after the first 24 hours. Eliot Colman 7. Peeing on your compost is not only good for the soil and good for the environment, but it can actually increase crop yields and replace fertilizers entirely. Amino acids, proteins, and even DNA are all synthesized with it. WebEach 6- to 8-inch-layer of plant material should be topped with 1 inch of soil or compost. Effective ventilation means less mixing and more convenient composting. However, once the urine has circulated through the bladder, it may come into contact with microorganisms that would then end up in your compost. For a pile to heat up and stay hot throughout the entire composting process, it needs: Smaller compost piles wont retain heat as efficiently as larger ones. Add part of a premade compost from an earlier batch, worm castings, garden soil, urine, or high-nitrogen teas to start the process. Blood meal is also the perfect foil for a lethargic compost pile. Some of them add additional nitrogen or fertilizer to a compost pile. Stir until the solution is thoroughly mixed, and spray or pour it over the compost pile. According to a Nepalese study, sweet peppers fertilized with human urine and compost yield the most fruits and tallest plants in eight different fertilizer combinations. Turn or tumble weekly and add brown to green materials in a 3:1 ratio to keep the composting process moving. Adding a few shovelfuls of mature compost each time you start a new heap could also accelerate the decomposition process, because the mature compost pile already contains the microorganisms that you need to start the process. Because urine is rich in nitrogen, it will boost the decomposition process of your compost heap. To hurry up the process, use a little urine! In fact, this is one of the main reasons why so many individuals urinate in their compost piles. If the smell isnt a turn off for you and you can use the necessary quantity of urine without disrupting the plant-growth atmosphere or adversely affecting the vegetables, then, by all means, give it a go and see what kind of incredible results you get. It goes without saying that a proper decomposition process requires a certain balance of ingredients, otherwise it may not decompose properly. It is best to dilute it at a 1:6 or 1:8 ratio. And it does worksometimes. Wait the requisite 24 to 48 hours and if the pile hasnt gotten hot, toss in another cup. Urine is an underappreciated yet excellent source of nitrogen that is accessible, renewable, and cost-free. The hose is constantly closed so that it may be used to saturate the pile and turn it over. This works by having two separate bowls, in one you can deposit your solid waste, and in the other, your urine. As urea breaks down into ammonia, the odor becomes even more intolerable. Wood chips are an organic material, and all organic matter rots! So long as youre healthy and not taking medication, its completely safe to pee on your compost. Using chemical fertilizers to add nitrogen to the soil is bad for the environment and can be detrimental to our health as well. )Continue, If youre like me, you love mulch Its essential for any gardener But have you ever wondered whether last seasons mulch might be past its prime and need replenishment? 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. Hot composting relies on the perfect conditions inside your compost heap, tumbler, or bin to make an ideal environment for decomposition. When it leaves the kidneys. As a result of the compost-boosting characteristics of human (or animal) urine, adding this wastewater to the compost will function as an accelerator and help to initiate the decomposition process. Although it might come as a surprise to many, its a well known fact among the gardening community that urine can speed up the composting process! Finished compost with an excessively high salt content can be detrimental when added to your plants, causing the plants to lose health or die. yes no Shred all leaves, grass clippings, newspaper, clover and dry compost with a lawn mower or garden shears to give the microbes more surfaces to eat at a time. The high nitrogen and uric acid orureacontent of the urine help to speed up the composting process. This is mostly a concern if the compost will be used on plants that will be consumed, especially if they will be consumed by someone who didnt produce the urine. The same applies to store bought compost accelerators. One of the other concerns is that adding a significant amount of urine to your pile will reduce microbial diversity and allow acid-loving microbes to flourish. Buy on Amazon. WebComposting Wood Chips With Urea (Urine) Compost-grade urea is available as a compost accelerator from most garden centers. That means it has unnecessary items. (Amazon). Try adding urine if your compost bin is slow to break down your compost material. If you think about it, this practice saves using fresh, clean water to flush it away and does not pollute natural watercourses. As you probably already know, urine does not have a pleasant odor to smell. Indeed, human pee is a fantastic natural fertilizer and compost stimulator. Heres our guide to using blood meal in the vegetable garden. For what its worth, many individuals use this method religiously, even going so far as to urinate on their compost pile whenever they add scraps or materials that animals could find appetizing. Yep, urine. When composting fresh feathers to heat up a pile, soak them in a bucket of water for 24 hours before tossing them in. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Like many things in nature, water is key to making compost work. And as a compost enthusiast, this may have given you a bright idea! Wood ash in compost is a great way to mimic commercial fertilizers effects without adding any toxic chemicals typically found in them. Composting Wood Chips And Cow Manure (Or 3. According to the Oregon State University, used coffee grounds are a great addition to any compost pile. If youre already swimming in a sea of greens, adding more urine to the pile may be pointless. When the urine is used to make compost, it adds a lot of nutrients to the soil that plants need. Useful Tips To Make Your Everyday Life Just A Bit Better. However, if you have lots of brown, a healthy male can produce enough urine every year to add nitrogen to 1800 pounds of compost! Theyre rich in nitrogen and provide the microorganisms the energy they need in order to keep turning organic matter into nutritious compost. Keeping your compost moist and damp (as well as turning regularly to aerate it) is one of the most important things you can do. Another great idea mentioned on The Grow Network, is to walk around your neighborhood and ask your neighbors if they have yard waste to spare. If your piles decomposition rate drops, its probably because the conditions there are no longer favorable to the bacteria and fungi that are doing the actual work. Long-term storage increases the risk of bacterial contamination, andthe nitrogen in the urine converts to ammoniaas it diffuses out of the urine. Urine will undoubtedly speed up the composting process by increasing nitrogen levels. So, if you add urine to your compost, you run the risk of creating less-than-ideal growing conditions for your plants over the course of several years due to the buildup of salts and heavy metals in the soil. This solution can be used on plants and lawns or to improve the nitrogen content in poor soil. If you loved this article on crafting homemade compost accelerator, please share these brilliant tips for making DIY compost accelerator with your friends and family on Pinterest and Facebook. A simple and rapidsoil testing kit like this oneis all you need. This step will not only weigh them down so they dont blow away in the wind, pre-soaking feathers will also help them decompose just a little bit faster. Commercial boosters are less budget-friendly and variable in quality. In fact, it may be your most valuable source of free composting material! When conditions are too wet, water will fill the pore Urine is suitable for your compost, but as we know, too much of a good thing can become detrimental when used in excess. Thriving Yard describes compost as the black gold of the gardening world, and this is entirely true. This additional layer of garden soil will also ensure that your compost heap stays dark and moist at all times, and it is recommended to keep the top of your compost heap covered with a layer of soil at all times or even better, get a compost bin that retains moisture and keeps light out at the same time. These minerals have been proven to be the primary nutrients required for healthy plant growth, resulting in their addition to commercial fertilizers. However, following the guidelines above, its a great way to add nitrogen and trace minerals to your compost. 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. And it can be frustrating trying to find that information. Well it turns out there are a few. If you have a garden and a composting system, your golden liquid is basically liquid gold. Adding coffee grounds increases the level of nitrogen which is an essential nutrient for microorganisms. The decomposition process is one of many wonders of nature, employing multiple elements to aid the process from start till end: When these elements are present in a compost heap, youll get perfect compost that will enhance the quality of your soil as you incorporate it into the ground. These products are easy to obtain, and you likely have some of them at home. Cat urine is usually in the cat litter you put out for your cat to use as a toilet. 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. However, nitrogen-deficient soils are increasingly widespread due to human behavior, including the consumption of plants, the use of toilets, and the planting of other plants in the exact location (this is one of the leading causes that farmers rotate their crops). Theres something for every system, from a microbial inoculant to introduce new microbes to your compost bin to supportive nitrogen and carbon mixtures to jump-start the microbes you already have. If your pile slows down, it is typically because it has become a less hospitable place for the microbes which are doing the heavy lifting. The constituents of human urine include urea, water, ammonia, creatinine, inorganic salts, and trace minerals. In a nutshell, the kidneys remove any excess nutrients that the body cannot use from the food we ingest, and the urine contains the discarded nutrients. As well as speeding up the process it also makes the resulting compost even more rich in nutrients. After youve added your homemade compost accelerator along with a few shovels full of regular garden soil, its time to toss the compost with a rake (or shovel) to distribute the accelerator through the upper layers and ensure that its properly mixed in with the pile. Whether they are beneficial enough to encourage you to pull down your pants, thats for you to decide. Plus, we have a dry compost toilet which is manually emptied onto the compost heaps every few days. A large pile (the sort required for hot composting) involves a lot of water. If you add cat litter to your compost, you should not use the resulting compost to fertilize food crops. Because of its higher nitrogen content, alfalfa is a good ingredient to get a compost cooking. Composting is a fantastic way to reuse and recycle organic waste like kitchen scraps, grass clipping material, and dry leaves. Many gardeners swear by using urine to keep animals and pests away from their yards and garden. This philosophy also spills over into lifestyle through a return to our ancestral roots by becoming more self-reliant, wasting nothing, and living simply. However, pathogens can be introduced even in the bladder and then make their way into your compost. Alfalfa meal can be used proactively to heat a pile by sprinkling it between brown and green layers. For example, if your compost pile is drying out, adding water and tossing the pile could solve the issue on its own. Urine is a natural and inexpensive way to increase your composts moisture and mineral content, particularly nitrogen. What You Should Know, 3 Options To Put On Tomato Plants To Save From Bugs, Are Ants On Trees Good Or Bad? It probably wont provide enough moisture on its own unless you urinate on your pile every time you have to go to the bathroom during the day. I've got a few of WebGarden Composter - Free Compost Accelerator. 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