urine as herbicide

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by Richard on Maui, Jan 1, 2007.

  1. Forest Fairy

    Forest Fairy Junior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 19, 2006
    Messages:
    50
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    OK, now I don't feel like a complete weirdo tinkling in my bucket and putting it in my compost bin.
    I only ever use the flushing toilet for No 2's and pee in my bucket. I empty it once a day after diluting it with water paper and all goes into the compost. I mainly started doing it to get some moisture in the compost.
    Does diluting merely provide the compost with moisture, or are there still some useful aspects left to break down the compost faster?

    I would go directly in the compost bay if it was in Zone 1. However it is a little way from the house and in the middle of the night, don't want any critters getting near my clacker.....
     
  2. gardenlen

    gardenlen Group for banned users

    Joined:
    May 14, 2004
    Messages:
    3,464
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    g'day jules,

    diluting only allows for it to be spread around more, so on the compost use it neat if you wish.

    don't forget your food plants trees particularly (and not for any yuk factor) will love to get a dose of urine water, i dilute my bucket twice a day so that i can give 1/2 a bucket to each food plant. but it also goes onto the vege garden when any is spare.

    len
     
  3. Forest Fairy

    Forest Fairy Junior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 19, 2006
    Messages:
    50
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Hi Len,

    Am just about there as far as planting food trees go and will certainly then water them with my mornings offerings.
    Of course like everyone else in Bris am anxiously awaiting the delivery of my water tank so I can at least water the new trees once they are planted. Ordered it back in Oct and have been told I "might" get in in Feb.
    So all the effort is going into truckloads of horsepoo and loads and loads of mulch.

    Cheers

    Jules
     
  4. gardenlen

    gardenlen Group for banned users

    Joined:
    May 14, 2004
    Messages:
    3,464
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    g'day jules,

    we hope you get your tank before any significant rains comes so you can reap the benefits of your harvest.

    who did you order it from?

    len
     
  5. Forest Fairy

    Forest Fairy Junior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 19, 2006
    Messages:
    50
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    I ordered it directly from Bushman's tanks in Dalby.
    Think perhaps I should have ordered it locally now even if it meant a little bit more money.
     
  6. gardenlen

    gardenlen Group for banned users

    Joined:
    May 14, 2004
    Messages:
    3,464
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    it may not ahve made a lot of diffrence jules?

    did you try bundy tanks at the time?

    not sure what size tank you are getting?

    but down here there is stock piles of tanks appearing in yards all over the place, these are tanks up to around the 5k litre size with the odd 15k litre one in among them, haven't seen any 25k litre tanks in stock yet. but i reckon there is a glut coming as demand rapidly dries up due to folk feeling comfortable with the predictions of a bit more rain being imminent.

    len
     
  7. macree

    macree Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 22, 2006
    Messages:
    50
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    interesting topic.

    I have long had my four boys and partner 'hose' the compost pile. Now after reading your thread, may look at other uses!

    Thanks
     
  8. PermaPolly

    PermaPolly Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2007
    Messages:
    23
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Great topic! Thank you to all for the excellent information.

    I don't have any gopher problems here, but a few years back I had a dog that insisted on toileting right next to the table where I liked to sit outside. I decided to 'top dog' her and sprayed the area with my own heavily diluted urine for about a week. Problem solved!

    Cheers,
    Polly
     
  9. sweetpea

    sweetpea Junior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 7, 2005
    Messages:
    1,442
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Polly, :shock: ... :lol: Rock on!!
     
  10. gardenlen

    gardenlen Group for banned users

    Joined:
    May 14, 2004
    Messages:
    3,464
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    yeh plenty of side benefits from using urine,

    no wasted drinking water.

    citrus trees love it as do many other plants.

    and

    it keeps those damn ferrel moggie critters outa me garden just like polly did.

    i have used mine neat to pour where dogs wanted to dig that works.

    len
     
  11. CamelotScribe

    CamelotScribe New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 5, 2007
    Messages:
    2
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    On the subject of Urine.

    Hi, I'm new.

    I'm new here and read with interest all your posts regarding Urine.

    I have a question.

    We have Rabbit and Kangaroo problems.

    I'm putting in a new herb garden and am getting quite frustrated with the Rabbits (in particular) digging up the roots and eating the leaf growth and roots.

    Would spreading the human scents via urination around the gardens discourage Rabbits and Kangaroo's?

    I do not want to poison them.

    I tried peeing a couple of times but came out each morning to discover they had been digging up and eating again. Did I give up too easily?

    I read (I think elsewhere in this permaculture forum) that they dislike the smell of human hair too, so I have surrounded a Bergamot plant with hair from my hairbrush. It seems ok to date (today) but yesterday was windy/stormy weather and I also surrounded it and the remainders of the other 3 Bergamots with Feverfew and Chives hoping these plants will also deter/repell them.

    Can anyone help?

    We live in the South West region of Western Australia. :?:
     
  12. gardenlen

    gardenlen Group for banned users

    Joined:
    May 14, 2004
    Messages:
    3,464
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    not sure if human urine will do much against rabbits or roo's??

    it does work against dogs, foxes and cats.

    if you check on our remedies page i think there are some suggestions there for dettering wild animals, i'm sure there is a link there to some enviro' department in NSW with suggestions on deterring roo's etc.,.

    len
     
  13. PermaPolly

    PermaPolly Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2007
    Messages:
    23
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Do you know anyone with a pet dingo you could borrow? I read about this last year:

    https://www.sciencewa.net.au/science_arc ... 30&NID=759

    "DINGO urine is offering hope to big business and landcare efforts to rehabilitate vegetation on minesites.

    New research from Curtin University of Technology’s Department of Environmental Biology has shown dingo urine can effectively repel wild kangaroos from some areas of new-growth vegetation.

    Project leader Dr Michael Parsons said kangaroos had evolved an instinct in the last 4000 to 12,000 years to flee after smelling dingo urine.

    “Some predators evolve to mask the smell of urine – it’s really a historic game of cat and mouse,” he says.

    “If you take cheetahs for example they have 'invisible' urine.”

    While pheromones attract species to species, kairomones, which are detected by one species to a different species, are believed to be the reason for the kangaroos flight response.

    Human and coyote urines have been used to deter kangaroo populations, but produced no flight response from kangaroos, according to Dr Parsons.

    “We tried coyote urine and there was no effect, but when we took the dingo urine out kangaroos fled when it was 5 metres away,” he said.

    The task for the team now is to identify the chemicals in the urine that the kangaroos fear and trial it in slow release gels.

    “There’s so many chemicals and at this time we are not sure which one the kangaroos are reacting to,” Dr Parsons said.

    Team researchers plan to synthesise chemicals from the dingo urine to make it available for land managers, including those responsible for mine site rehabilitation areas, to use on a regular basis.

    An assessment of the practical application of dingo urine in deterring kangaroos from regional highways will also be done..."

    Cheers,
    Polly
     
  14. ho-hum

    ho-hum New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2005
    Messages:
    1,590
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Polly,

    If you are really serious I could shoot about 1... to 1.5 dingoes a week.

    Are you really sure that the 'cause & effect' .... is what you wish to achieve?k Is there a cure there?

    Are you really sure that dingoes can rehabilitate minesites.

    Are you serious>????????? Dingoes are carnivores. Minesites grow 'trees and shit'.. and even that is a best case scenario... mostly when sued.

    We need a lot of repair work done on the aussie environment. My point is 'be careful of what you wish for'.

    floot
     
  15. PermaPolly

    PermaPolly Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2007
    Messages:
    23
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Floot,

    Did you read the article? The researchers at Curtin University are proposing synthesised dingo urine as a deterrent for a prey species, not the dingo itself! “We tried coyote urine and there was no effect, but when we took the dingo urine out kangaroos fled when it was 5 metres away”

    Just because the mining industry has a bad track record doesn't make this research invalid.

    The research was funded by, "Curtin partners Alcoa, Worsley Alumina, Chemistry Centre (WA), Perth Zoo, Roo Gully Wildlife Sanctuary, Whiteman Park and Specialty Feeds have assisted the study, also funded by the Minerals and Energy Research Institute of Western Australia."

    I asked if the person with the kangaroo problems knew anyone with a PET dingo. I've known a few people with them, over the years. (Personally I think they are a poor choice for a domestic pet, and generally cause their owners some predictable headaches.) However, as this is still pretty recent research, and there is no 'pee in a bottle' to buy, if they did know someone with a pet dingo, it might be worth a try letting the animal urinate around the areas being eaten.

    Another proposed use for the product when it is developed, is on the highways. If the scent of dingo urine at five meters will cause a kangaroo to flee, surely this will help reduce the amount of road kill as well as the damage to vehicles, and injury or death to their occupants. I'm not sure that is a "cure", but it sounds like a step in the right direction.

    Polly
     
  16. sweetpea

    sweetpea Junior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 7, 2005
    Messages:
    1,442
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    0
    camelotscribe, I had to stop deer from eating my garden for years, and one thing that works well is egg yolks. There is a chemical in them that most animals don't like, and they will leave plants alone. You won't smell it, but they will.

    Per one gallon of water add 2 egg yolks, separated from the whites, and 1/2 teaspoon of vegetable oil. Use whites for something else. Stir well, strain into a sprayer, and apply to dry plants. Reapply again in 3 days, then once a week as long as it doesn't rain. If it rains, apply again right away.

    If you want to do a smaller batch, use 1 egg yolk into a hand sprayer bottle, straining it first. The whites tend to clog up the sprayer, which is why straining is important.

    As the season goes on and it gets so dry that yours is the only green patch around, use 3-4 yolks per gallon of water.
    Always store any extra in the refrigerator. Use within 1-2 weeks.

    The animals will still go into the garden but they won't eat, at least not as much.

    But it is tiring when it rains to keep up with the animals, since they are out there 24/7. I finally put a chicken wire fence, 6 inches down into the ground, all the way around my garden. It's such a relief!! :)
     
  17. PermaPolly

    PermaPolly Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2007
    Messages:
    23
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Hi Sweetpea,

    How interesting! I'll have to tell my uncle in upstate NY, where the deer live in a park in town and raid the suburban gardens. With a amaller area than yours, it wouldn't be as hard to keep up.

    In your experience, does egg yolk work for cats too?

    Cheers,
    Polly
     
  18. sweetpea

    sweetpea Junior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 7, 2005
    Messages:
    1,442
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Polly, the yolk thing works best when it doesn't rain, it builds up with each application, the oil helps it hold on a little longer. You can also add habanero hot sauce to the spray, and also spray the ground so they won't want weeds or pathway greens. But it has to be right on the leaves they want to eat, or the tomatoes, or peas or whatever, not just hanging around in a sachet kind of thing.



    For the cats, you mean to keep them off furniture or from scratching the furniture? What dogs and cats hate the most is orange and lemon rinds. wrap them in a piece of cotton T shirt, pound them with a rock, get the t shirt soaked with the oil, tie that all up in a piece of pantyhose, hang it around where you don't want them to go. The oil will stain fabric, so don't put it directly on furniture fabric. You can put a washcloth on the seat of a chair, and the orange rind sachet on the washcloth, that will keep them off. :)
     
  19. PermaPolly

    PermaPolly Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2007
    Messages:
    23
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Hi Sweetpea,

    No, not cats in the house, in the garden. I have tried ringing freshly planted/seeded beds with citrus peel, but it hasn't worked for me in the past. I know cats are the offenders digging in my beds because of the distinctive 'calling cards' they leave, grrr.

    I'm in a new place now and don't seem to have a neighbourhood cat problem YET, but I want to be prepared for the inevitable. Currently, I have a clear shot from the back veranda with my trusty Super Soaker, (splat! Hand of God! :lol: ) but as things grow, I will lose that advantage. If egg yolk works it would give annual beds time to fill in and become less attractive to these darlings.

    Cheers,
    Polly
     
  20. CamelotScribe

    CamelotScribe New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 5, 2007
    Messages:
    2
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Thanks everyone

    Thanks everyone for your suggestions and replies. :)

    The human hair seems to be working or maybe it's the Feverfew and chives border or a combination of both, all I know is that particular herb bed is now not being touched.

    They are still uprooting and/or eating leaves of the garden bed with Yarrow, Chammomile and Thyme in it (pizza thyme)... So I'll have to brush my hair heaps I think and use it on all the gardens - as well as look into your suggestions. :?

    I think I read about some product called deter in a gardening magazine i purchased yesterday, they are in NSW, from memory, will check them out and probably order some...The advert included rabbits. :?:

    I also got myself a dog, supposedly a jack russell cross, looks more like a bitsa... ??? :idea:

    Very Pale Tan and some white patches, face could be jack russell -
    nose/mouth/face shape - looks like German Shepherd ears, height - slightly bigger than a kelpie. At first she reminded me of a dingo but on closer inspection think she's crossed with a shepherd???

    So hopefully, as she urinates around the place and chases the rabbits and roo's - they will give up and go away, fingers crossed...

    :wink:
     

Share This Page

-->