Just an uninformed comment......Yuck!
Barb

Urea is an excellent source of nitrogene and compost starter. Call it gold water if it sounds better. The French used to call it purine as a fertilizer. My husband keeps a potty in the shed in summer and uses it whenever he's in the garden. It is very strong and has to be diluted with 10 parts water before using it on the soil.

We think it is particularly good for clematis early in the season. We don't believe in quick nitrogene fixes for roses and prefer slow release fertilizers. Besides, there is not enough urine (I don't contribute) so it usually goes to our three slatted wooden compost bins. There is no smell at all.

It's also rumored to keep deers away

Since Urine is essentially sterile (unlike other bodily wastes) there would be no yuck factor except in that we arent used to that sort of thing. Water it down and pour it on.

patricia

Years ago, when I had a big vegetable garden that the critters also enjoyed, my husband would fortify himself with a few beers and then go out to "pee the perimeter". After dark, of course.

It was very considerate of your husband, sunnysideuphill, to fortify himself with a few beers just to keep the critters away from your vegetable garden. Whatta guy!

I know an organic rose gardener in Tampa who saves all urine for his garden. In my MG training, they warned to either dilute it or to sprinkle it around, lest the nitrogen and salts burn the vegetation. The professor was male who was answering the question, and his largely-female class was pretty amused at his description of how to make sure that the urine was distributed. It was clear he was not envisioning peeing in a bucket...
Anita

You cant mean in order to get a rose to grow I should put urine in the watering practice of em do you ??? No wait you cant mean that at all. Maybe your just nuts. I am not even sure why that just don't sound right to me. It's a step Id rather not take, maybe it has something to do with the Ammonia levels in urine( gee you think) Think before you speak please, or maybe you should move your roses into a dumpster after all they'll grow better there than they would in the ground am I not right? I wonder why you wont believe me, but you'll believe a nut case who tells you just add urine once a week

It is a fast-acting source of nitrogen. Google "urea", which is sold in garden centers. Search for it over in the Soil and Compost forum, they discuss its use frequently, especially using it in compost, as our rosey friend mariannese said.

Not good used alone as a fertilizer, though.

Calm down Wesley-no one is saying you 'have' to use urine-just can you? and you can but maybe shouldn't now that I think of it if you live in town and they have laws about that sort of thing. Like I said-urine is sterile unless you have a bladder infection or something like that..there are very strange people who actually drink urine-with no ill effects-because it is full of vitamines-now there is a yuck factor. I bet you didn't want to know that.

patricia

"your just nuts"

Just or unjust, I think we should keep body parts out of this discussion.

In my expansive experience, I have found that urine is ineffective on deer, maybe a little effective for rabbits, burns plants quickly (why do the neighborhood dogs always use the same poor arborvitae to make their stops) and is best left for discreet discussion.

Liz Druitt in her book "The Organic Rose Garden" discusses this subject and recommends urine full-strength around the perimeter of a rose garden and diluted around rose bushes that need to be protected. I'm not sure why this subject evokes such emotion in some people. If I had a deer problem I'd be sending my husband out there after he's had a gallon or two of coffee. It doesn't cost anything and doesn't hurt the environment so why the fuss?

Yes, the subject is slightly indelicate, but then so is life. To add another point of view, there's an awful lot of pee being created and it has to go somewhere: I think fertilizing an ornamental garden is one of the better ways to recycle it.

The late Es Jones who was a marvellous gardener said that diluted urine kept his roses black-spot free.

WOW ! ! what a reaction to such a simple question----! thank you melissa thefarm you hit the nail on the head.... winterisabella please can you tell me more abt. ES JONES, and his roses, this is what I am looking for, some first-hand testimonials from folks who have experience...... thanks, sally

Oh GOODY! Finally, something rebellious I can do (that has no real negative consequences)!

I'd be adding Geltwasser to our compost corner (the ground beneath 20 shrubs in a far corner, placed as a sonic barrier to barks from a yard-full of obnoxious canines).

Can it be added, undiluted, to compost? I presume the Eleagnus and Michelia roots will be protected by the two feet or so of compost they're growing beneath.

And how did the late E. S. Jones apply 'Geltwasser'? As a foliar feed, or watered into the soil?

I'm going to Utube the song "Wasserliebe" from Plotslichmusik, now... (it's ok...they're Swedish...)

Es (Esmond) Jones lived in Balmain, Sydney and was one of the foundation members of Heritage Roses in Australia. He retired to his hometown on the rainshadow edge of the Hunter Valley where he continued to grow his roses despite serious health problems and perpetual drought.

Here are some of the things Es had to say about his black spot treatment over the years (- he diluted it in a bucket and threw it over the plant, so he used it as a foliar feed and watered it into the soil. Rate of dilution? Pee in the bucket or watering can and fill it up with water. [Easier for the guys, I think]):

"I lived in Sydney for 15 years and had all that coastal rain to keep things going. I grew most of my roses in pots because I was gardening in sand on a sandstone base.
"Own root roses seem to be able to find their own levels and, once they are well established, seem capable of surviving the worst. I think that a lot of roses are over-watered and this makes it difficult for them when the going gets tough.
"Keeping the roses healthy helps too. Every time I read about problems with blackspot I have a bit of a laugh. A bucketful of diluted pee works wonders. Easy here in the bush but a problem in town." Es Jones, May 2003

"I found an old plant of Anna de Diesbach that used to flower beautifully. It isn't in a good spot and has lilac and Gleditzia roots to contend with. It is smothered in black spot so I have started the diluted pee treatment on it." Es Jones, Dec 2004

"Why don't you people forget about rust, black spot, critters and start enjoying your gardens. You'd be amazed just how late it is. Anyone who is too proud to use diluted pee will go on suffering forever.
Yes, you guessed it. It is still very hot and dry." Es Jones. Jan 2006

Thank you winterisabella, what a fantastic idea and so very practical, and as you say, easier for a man... but where there is a will there's a way..... ha ha ......sally

There's a picture of Es's garden on HMF. (In the "Agnes Smith" entry)
http://www.helpmefind.com/plant/l.php?l=21.131242
b

Thank you winterisabella, I tried finding the pics but am no good at it and finally just gave up, I worked Google up and down but no luck.. I guess Es's garden pics are just not for me but I appreciate your trying, thanks again, sally

Saldut- If you paste the URL that winterisabella gave into your browser you should go right to the picture. If that doesn't work for you, go to the rose section of HelpMeFind and search for the rose Agnes Smith. Then go to the Photos section for that rose (the Photos tab at the top) and it is the first picture. Also I made it a clickable link to this post.

HTH
Elizabeth

Here is a link that might be useful: Es (Esmond) Jones' Garden

THANK YOU Elizabeth, it worked ! ! The link took me right there, and I love the garden, the plants are so big and lush... very English-garden type, I wish I could get my roses to look like that, here in Fla. they just don't grow like that, they need to be grafted on Fortuniana and the black-spot is terrible here...... but I keep trying.... Thanks again, I appreciate your help.... sally

Perhaps there is something true in the addage "The grass is always greener over the septic tank."

I'm fortunate to live out in the country, and I don't have a severe deer problem...perhaps, because I mark the perimeter myself... I'm not going to walk half an acre just to track dirt into my house to use the bathroom...that seems silly to me. Call me primitive, but, it's the truth.

I am certainly ready to try using diluted urine as a foliar feeding/BS control on some of my less BS resistant rose.

I guess I'm just not the squeemish type. When I see that pile of manure in my alpaca pen, I just see healthier roses! When I see the manure building up in the chicken house, I see healthier roses!

What is scary to me is all the chemicals. I certainly don't want to add chemicals into my garden. Several of you have been to my garden...granted it's far from disease free...very far from "perfect" but it does have a beauty and charm...diseases and all.

I'm back!

Robert

Robert, great to see you here again. Based on your comment above, I must make a note to call ahead before I drop in on you. :)

Connie

Hi - Well, It's easier for the men to work with this urine- thingy , isn't it ..... but I went on Google and found out that urine-urea is a main ingredient in lots of fertilizer for all kinds of crops... also, it is 48% NITROGEN--- WOW ! ! Nitrogen is what makes roses grow ! so the sqeemish folks might want to take a second look at the benefits..... the main thing is to dilute it with plenty of water......... works for me ...... sally

Mystery writer Agatha Christie grew up in the Victorian/Edwardian ages, when indoor plumbing was rare but household help wasn't.

She wrote in her autobiography that her grandmother's roses were the most beautiful in their whole neighborhood because the housemaids had been instructed to pour the "nightwater" on the roses.

I heard this Planet Money episode as a podcast during my commute to work ( Planet Money: "P" is for Phosphorus ), and it made me wonder whether the use of urine as a fertilizer had been discussed on this forum. As usual, you did not disappoint! A very entertaining thread that deserves to be resurrected.

I found it interesting that comments in this thread focused on the nitrogen in urine, and the Planet Money episode focused on the phosphorus content. If any of you listen to the "Gardeners' Question Time" podcast from BBC Radio 4, you'll know one of Bob Flowerdew's oft-repeated pieces of advice is to "wee in the watering can". He insists urine contains everything plants need to grow...but in concentrations that are too strong for application without dilution.

I'll close the door of my garden shed first. :-) Carol

You might also consider the pH of the urine. I'm guessing it would normally be in the acidic range, which would be useful in alkaline conditions.

It don't bother me much. I've been trying to talk DH into it, since we have gained some very intrusive neighbors. Anything that might discourage them is good with me.

Fascinating read. It's funny how people find using urine so abhorrent, and yet somehow it's okay to buy many dozens of sacks of steer manure, or collect horse manure to put in the gardens (isn't poop more of a yuck factor than urine?), or even buy petroleum based fertilizers because somehow it's thought to be cleaner? Since those comments were from nearly 10 years ago, I wonder if public perspective has changed. Growing things organically is commonplace now, and urine is organic fertilizer just as cow, or horse, or chicken waste. Another idea would be to use a composting toilet. Then you could say that what goes into the garden is more than blood, sweat and tears...

There's no toilet out at my land so perforce I pee on my plants, lol! It's in the woods, so nobody sees me...

Noseometer, the same people who find the idea of urinating in the garden abhorrent are probably buying sacks of Milorganite without realizing what it is. ;)

There's a terrific book, written circa 1990 by Roger Phillips and Leslie Land. It's called "THE 3,000 MILE GARDEN: An Exchange of Letters on Gardening, Food, and The Good Life".

I mention it because there's a segment in which Land is writing about urine in the garden, and composting toilets, tho the whole book is worth reading and re-reading.

THE 3,000 MILE GARDEN is a great book!! I don't watch TV, but I was glued to it when public television aired their exchanges. Carol

Well, that does it, I can hardly wait 'till dark to send my husband out there with a bucket. We have such p...s poor soil that anything would help, and this doesn't cost a cent.

Urinating ON plants is no good. Urinating NEAR plants is good. Because a single man cannot urinate enough in an one acre garden regardless of how many pints he downs, I buy and use urea fertiliser. It's cheap and a little goes a long way.

Not as much fun, tho, Nik!

Great that you revived this thread John! Bob Flowerdew actually lets his age, so there has been a smell remarked on during the Gardeners Question Time podcast, but he uses the aged product on his compost pile, and he has a tremendously productive garden!

and think how much more one can get done in the garden when one doesn’t have to rush off to the head all the time <g>

garden as hard as you can!

claire

Would someone hold my beer, i gotta go peeeeeeee

For the last 20 years my husband has kept a potty in the basement that opens to the garden and has used the urine diluted with 9 parts water in watering cans. He does this in the evening and puts the cans outside for the night. There is no bad smell. The only problem is that plants near the house sometimes get a little more manure than is good for them because of laziness. There is no bad smell and no noticeable effect on deers. Undiluted urine is too strong for plants although it would be better as a deterrent.

If this is indeed effective against black spot -- I'm ready to try it.

Ingrid, if you can convince the DH to contribute, you can literally say that your garden is no longer p**s poor! lol.

It might not be a perfect garden, but it certainly won't be p**s-poor :P

P**s-enriched???

John

You're so right, John, I'll have to find a different word to describe it when I'm not happy with the garden. I'm wondering if I'll see magical results with this new soil improvement technique.

That's really true i have tried using urine on my plants especially my roses that having black spots, aphids and insects on its leaves, its really an old remedy to protect from diseases of my plants.

Have anyone notice and smell the scent of chemical spray for the roses?. It is actually smell like a human old stock urine..

Believe me it's really effective and I'm proud to recommend it's not only beneficial to the roses but to all plants and it saves my penny as well..( any amount of urine you have always mix it with water before applied to the plants just focus to the affected leaves.)

- Lynne

Urine is terrible for fertilizer because how would the hundreds of companies marketing fertilizers make money?

I have read that people in the south used to dump the chamber pots on their gardenias, azaleas, & camellias and it made them bloom like crazy.