You may not want to use manure for one reason or another, and coffee is a good substitute for this. Urine should not be stored for a long time. Urine can be used in compost because it is high in nitrogen and other micronutrients beneficial to your plants. The uric acid in urine accelerates compost decomposition. These minerals have been proven to be the primary nutrients required for healthy plant growth, resulting in their addition to commercial fertilizers. Below is a list of ingredients that you need for a homemade compost accelerator: You want your compost heap to stay moist, which is why a good compost accelerator has a lot of liquid in it. Alfalfa blooms with pretty lavender flowers from June to September and these are very attractive to pollinators and other beneficial insects throughout the growing season. Compost accelerator contains over 5 billion bacteria per gram which guarantees rapid biological startup. Larger predators, however, such as bears and mountain lions, are often curious about the smell and attracted by the salt content in urine. Urine has ahigh nitrogen content,but it also containspotassium, phosphorus, and other trace elements that are good for plants. This risk makes the method you collect the urine important when you intend to use it for composting. On the homestead, alfalfas nutritious foliage makes excellent forage and feed for chickens, ducks, goats, sheep, and many other barnyard animals. Whether they are beneficial enough to encourage you to pull down your pants, thats for you to decide. Note: Its always a good idea to test your garden soil before treating it. However, it is OK to use elsewhere in your gardens, such as flowering plants and lawns. There are contradictory views on whether or not to use urine in compost, so its essential to assess the situation before diving in. And its free, readily available, and renewable! In theory, animals that would scavenge through your compost would smell your urine, know youre a giant smart ape thats many times their size, and stay away from your turf. Excess urine may cause an unpleasant odor as ammonia builds up in your compost. To process a pile of leaves or woody matter, apply blood meal at a rate of 2.5 ounces for each cubic yard of carbon materials. If this is a concern for you, you could wrap the hair in a large, finely weaved cotton sheet and rinse it in a tub. Urine contains significant amounts of salts as well as poisons such as heavy metals. I knew now that I would have to find an answer to the question that was plaguing my soul: should I be adding urine to my compost pile? 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. Step 4: Toss your compost for even distribution, Homemade vs. store-bought compost accelerators. Using urine in your compost can be done, but you must follow some basic guidelines to make it safe and retain balance within the compost pile. Many gardeners swear by using urine to keep animals and pests away from their yards and garden. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. So why would people want to use urine in compost? While this is a great thing for fuelling the microbes and heating it up, grass consumes a lot of oxygen as it breaks down. The addition of urine to compost has both positive and negative effects. An adult Take note that urine is considered a green in composting, since it is high in nitrogen. At the same time the compost accelerator will ensure that your compost heap stays moist, which is an important criteria for a successful decomposition process. A DIY compost accelerator rebalances your system, supports the existing microbes, or encourages new ones to increase the rate at which finished compost is produced. 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. Can I put dead flowers in the compost bin? One of the vital roles of compost is to replenish the Nitrogen in your soil and do you want to guess whats rich in Nitrogen? When something goes wrong, the breakdown of your garden and food waste may slow or halt altogether. People always say things like urine is sterile and theyre kind of right. Though it might seem counterintuitive, urine is a free compost accelerator and works surprisingly well to stimulate the decomposition process. Is urine green or brown compost ingredient? A compost accelerator powder is a powder that is added to compost to speed up the decomposition process. Urine Acts As A Compost Accelerator. Here are a few tips you should consider if you want to buy a compost accelerator. Especially since my compost is destined for my vegetable garden (I dont pee there either), and I am extremely conscientious of what goes into my pile. Peeing on your compost is good for both the compost you are creating, and the environment itself. Afterwards, you simply empty the tub in a drain and add the hair to your compost heap. 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. ThatBackyard.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com (at no additional cost to the buyer), About Us Affiliate Disclosure Privacy Policy Contact Us, Algreen Soil Saver Compost Bin My Review After 2 Years, Top Dressing Your Lawn With Compost (Best Time & Method). As previously mentioned in this article, keeping the right temperature is important for your microorganisms to thrive. In fact, the urine from all mammals plays an important role in the earths nitrogen cycle. For example, pre-soaking paper and cardboard with urine is one of the best ways to use these two composting ingredients. WebThe easiest way to divert urine from a composting toilet is by using a urine diverting toil seat (UDTS). That means it has unnecessary items. A large pile (the sort required for hot composting) involves a lot of water. These nutrients are released into the soil slowly, making alfalfa gentle enough to be used on the youngest seedlings and sprouts. Microorganisms need moisture to thrive, otherwise theyll die and your compost heap becomes inactive. Although, if urine is diluted or neutralized, it shouldnt be too much of a problem. Buy on Amazon. Whether you compost to enrich your garden soil, make compost tea, or dispose of your kitchen waste responsibly, its crucial to keep the composting process moving. WebAdding a few filler materials to your compost pile can help it retain the right amount of water for proper decomposition. If your compost heap dries out, the rate of decomposition is slowed down or in the worst case stopped completely. Compost accelerators help kick-start the microbes into consuming the organic material in your compost bin. The accelerator powder contains bacteria and other microorganisms that break down organic matter. You might then wonder whether fingernails decompose (and if not, what happens to all the little bits people worldwide keep snipping off their nails?). Aside from the homemade compost accelerator recipe listed above, there are a few other things you could use to activate your compost heap and jump start the process. Urea is widely used as a fertilizer in agriculture. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is an incredibly useful little plant to grow. There are a number of things that can be used as a natural compost accelerator. You may have heard that urine is good for your plants. Wait the requisite 24 to 48 hours and if the pile hasnt gotten hot, toss in another cup. 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). WebCan we save the world with urine? The majority of plants pull nitrogen from the soil as they grow. Yet, despite the incredible results of recent studies, Americans are peeing away enough nitrogen to feed 12 million acres of corn per year. The average NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) value of our urine is 11-1-2.5; it has considerable amounts of nitrogen. This is especially true if you have nitrogen-deficient soil. Excessive amounts of urine willadd too much nitrogen, slowing decomposing. The optimal time to collect urine for your pile is in the morning when urea concentrations are at their maximum. More than 30% of our garbage is compostable food leftovers and yard debris. Accelerators can be purchased or can even be from ingredients you already possess. If you find an old package of fertilizer in your shed that youre not sure if its any good you can toss it in to your compost pile and any nitrogen it has in it will help to accelerate the compost breakdown. Although feathers are fibrous, insoluble, and resistant to degradation outside of the compost, inside the heap they will be exposed to keratin-decomposing microorganisms that will break them down completely. Can I Sunbathe Nude In My Own Backyard? 8. 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. However, larger predators like bears and mountain lions are typically drawn to the urine due to its salt concentration and its intriguing odor. Making your own compost accelerator is easier than you think, and can be done with very basic equipment at a low cost. Anything above 30% increases the risk those coffee dregs could end up harming the microbes and earthworms working the pile. WebHuman Urine for Compost, Start to Finish OrganicGarden123 8.28K subscribers 297K views 13 years ago Urine adds Nitrogen and Water to your compost. They would likely be happy to share it with you, and youll quickly get started building your compost heap. ), Compost Materials Chart (List of Ingredients). And because Im an avid composter, I often look at things around me differently. The fourth item on this list is the SCD probiotics C100 compost starter. Exactly, a urine sample. This is a mix of seaweed, bacteria and fungi. The feathers are then dried and ground up into a powder. Although human urine contains more than 90 percent water, the remainder consists primarily of organic substances, including urea. And if Im out stirring up my compost and my hose isnt workingwho knows what might happen. Sometimes, even the best-maintained compost system gets out of balance. We may earn affiliate commissions on purchases made from links on this page. So long as youre healthy and not taking medication, its completely safe to pee on your compost. When not at the writing desk or tending her ever-expanding garden, Lindsay enjoys taking long walks in the wilderness, reading science fiction, and snuggling up with her two orange tabbies. Can I Compost Ashes (The Truth about Ashes in Compost), Do Fingernails Decompose (Find The Answer Here! Composting is a fantastic way to reuse and recycle organic waste like kitchen scraps, grass clipping material, and dry leaves. Another advantage with a homemade compost accelerator is that you know exactly what ingredients go into the product. It helps a lot if you know the employees in the produce section well, as they would be more likely to help you out if they know that you make a lot of compost and therefore would love to help them out by removing their old, past-date produce. So why do some people not use wood chips in compost, and how can these difficulties be overcome? To add pee right to your garden, instead of to your compost bin, be sure to dilute to a 10:1 ratio. WebComposting Wood Chips With Urea (Urine) Compost-grade urea is available as a compost accelerator from most garden centers. Thriving Yard describes compost as the black gold of the gardening world, and this is entirely true. One idea for a compost accelerator is old fertilizer. A compost pile is simple to maintain but does need some care. If you have a lot of urine in your compost, it might not smell nice because of the ammonia. 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. Stir until the solution is thoroughly mixed, and spray or pour it over the compost pile. Finished compost with an excessively high salt content can be detrimental when added to your plants, causing the plants to lose health or die. Have you been gardening longer than two years? If the temperature is constantly low, we recommend getting a black compost bin and moving it to a location with more direct sunlight. Ideally, your compost should be moist but not wet. Most compost starters or accelerators are used to create a workable compost pile a little more quickly than normal. 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. Urine stinks. The green nitrogen-rich pee perfectly balances the brown carbon straw material. There are several reasons why your compost pile may be sluggish. Adding 2 handfuls of urea to the pile when you start the composting process and an additional handful every 3 to 4 weeks will speed up the decomposition of wood chips. However, if you have lots of brown, a healthy male can produce enough urine every year to add nitrogen to 1800 pounds of compost! That was a new one for me. A simple and rapidsoil testing kit like this oneis all you need. With some basic knowledge, you can produce rich, sweet compost for all your backyard plants. Garden Tower 2 Update Gorgeous Lettuce Outgrowing my No-Dig! How To Compost: Everything You Need To Know To Start Composting, And Nothing You Don't. When you see the benefits you wont be able to get enough of it! Now that weve talked about the rosy side of adding urine to your compost, lets step back into reality (and the bathroom) and hit a few of the concerns. This 12-0-0 slow release fertilizer is made by heating and sterilizing poultry feathers with steam pressure cookers. The channel supplying air to the centre of the compost mass helps to ensure a quicker composting process. Why Do We Need To Add Urine In The Compost? With the knowledge we have of composting, we can safely say that compost accelerator products work, but whether theyre necessary or not depends on the condition of your compost heap. Therefore, it can be used to activate a slow or new compost pile. One of the most significant differences between hot and dry composting is the amount of moisture in the compost. WebGarden Composter - Free Compost Accelerator. ANSWER: Yes, unbelievably, human urine is rich in nitrogen and should be added to compost regularly instead of flushing down the toilet. Moisture content is one of the main distinguishing factors between hot and dry composting. The best time let it rain down on your pile is in the morning when urea levels will be at their highest concentration. As a nitrogen fixer, growing alfalfa alongside your other plants helps boost soil fertility. When appropriately used, compost has the potential to protect plants from a variety of diseases. When your hot compost pile starts to underperform, a homemade compost accelerator helps. However, following the guidelines above, its a great way to add nitrogen and trace minerals to your compost. Web7. This compost starter is a natural compost starter that is designed to help convert food waste into compost thus boosting the soil texture. Keeping your compost moist and damp (as well as turning regularly to aerate it) is one of the most important things you can do. )Continue, Understanding if and how you should use ashes in compost can be confusing. 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. (Answered). Recipe 4: Straw bale bathroom You can urinate directly on a bale of straw until the straw decomposes, and Now, a sizable pile (like the kind you need for hot composting) needs a considerable amount of moisture. Hot composting relies on the perfect conditions inside your compost heap, tumbler, or bin to make an ideal environment for decomposition. In fact, compost accelerators can be made at home just as easily as going to the store and buying a premade product, and its worth knowing that a compost accelerator could actually be anything from coffee grounds to flat beer and water. WebAdding a few filler materials to your compost pile can help it retain the right amount of water for proper decomposition. Some animals (raccoons in particular) are deterred by human urine. GREEN PIG 60 Accelerator Converts Yard Waste to Fertile Humus in 30 Days and Helps Control Odors Associated with Compost Piles, 1 Bag Dissolvable Packets, White, 12 Count Each water-soluble packet contains beneficial bacteria cultures that accelerate the natural composting process, and help to control odors associated with Some cat litter can be added to compost. By Sammie Dejesus | Submitted On July 01, 2009. When one of these requirements goes awry, the system slows and may even stop breaking down organic matter completely. Water is the main ingredient, which helps keep the compost pile moist and provides a suitable environment for the microbes responsible for decomposition. Urine Helps Fight Fungus In Your Garden In this way, the composts microbial diversity is negatively affected by adding too much urine. Birds love alfalfa too. Another effective method of using urine in compost is to lay out some straw pee bales and urinate on them throughout the day as needed. In order to collect enough coffee grounds for a large compost heap, you could try visiting your local coffee shop and ask politely if they would like you to expedite their used coffee grounds for them. Add part of a premade compost from an earlier batch, worm castings, garden soil, urine, or high-nitrogen teas to start the process. If you have a lot of urine in your compost, it might not smell nice because of the ammonia. We also recommend adding a layer of mature compost in between each layer of kitchen scraps and other organic waste, in order to keep the process as quick as possible. Follow these four rules and you shouldnt need any kind of compost activator. 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