|
| I've got a really small lawn 250 sqft and I'm trying to figure out a fertilizing program/schedule. Because money is tight, and I think the idea is kinda cool anyways, I plan on using urine. Lawn is TTTF.
So here's where I'm at so far, if there's any errors, suggestions, please let me know: Fescue lawns require 4lbs of N per year @ 1000 sqft. Mine being 250 sqft would require 1lb/year. I'm working under the assumption that urine is 10% N (I've read it's anywhere from 8% - 12%, so we'll go with the average of the two). I'm also working under the assumption that urine weighs the same as water, roughly 16oz equals 1 lb. So to get the required 1lb of N per year, I would need 10 x 16oz of urine, 160oz total. 160oz urine x .10 rate of N = 1lb N Because urine is going to leach out of the soil quickly and I don't want to burn the lawn, I thought that 10 applications of 16oz of urine in a hose-end sprayer would be my best bet. I'd apply this monthly, except for July and August. I also mulch mow and put down compost in the Spring so that would cover the needed organic material. Thoughts? |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| "I'm working under the assumption that urine is 10% N (I've read it's anywhere from 8% - 12%, so we'll go with the average of the two). " Where have you found this number? Since urea is 46% N, you're saying that urine is about 1/3 urea. That seems unlikely. "I'm also working under the assumption that urine weighs the same as water, roughly 16oz equals 1 lb. " Umm. 16 oz of anything is 1 lb. If you mean 16 fl oz, that's a different story. Metrics use water, so I converted 16 fl oz to ml (same as g) and converted that to lbs. 16 fl oz of water is still pretty close to 1 lb (1.04317556 lb). Urine is denser than water, so 16 fl oz of urine would probably be a little heavier still. If your assumptions on the nitrogen content of urine are correct, your calculations of amount of urine to use are probably close, but not quite right. But I am very doubtful that urine is 10% N. |
|
| For a 250sqft lawn Go out and buy a 50lb bag of SBM for less than $20.00 and that should last you 2 years if you apply it @ 5-lbs per 250sqft. You can get coffee grounds for free at Starsucks. |
|
| Wikipedia has urine as 95%, the remainder having urea as a part of it, so 10% may even be high if that's accurate info. I looked it up because my first thought was more that there's got to be a lot of variability in that percentage anyway. |
|
| Thanks for the replies guys, I bought some SBM and will be using that along with twice yearly compost dressing |
|
- Posted by featherhoof zone 9 (My Page) on Sun, Nov 8, 09 at 21:47
| Why not a compost tea? |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Organic Lawn Care Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.