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Re: home made fertilizer



>> Key problem with composting buckets of urine saturated sawdust is the
>> excess liquid,  compacting potential and resulting anaerobic conditions.
>> Compost bay has a 30-40 cm dry straw base to absorb liquid and the urinal
>> sawdust is alternated with thin layers of dry straw for aeration - works
>> well.
>> Robyn
>
>does this mean that you wait fully composting of the sawdust-urine mixture 
>before
>using it?
yes, it makes fantastic compost and I also use it in potting mix
>Could it be an idea to use the mix as mulch? smell?
Sawdust takes a lot of nitrogen to break down, thus sawdust & nitrogen 
are a perfect combo
It can be smelly when fresh and my garden is open to the public (over 
1000 visitors a year) so I'm very mindful of what I do & use as I don't 
want to put people off unecessarily
>I currently use urine or urine mixed with water as a liquid fetilizer or 
>pee direct to the trees.
Citrus trees particularly enjoy some direct urine - even so I'm cautious 
about having high nitrogen concentrations around in any one spot - too 
much ammonia triggers nitrogen-specific bacteria to break it down into 
soluble nitrates which upsets soil chemistry quite seriously when they 
(nitrates) occur in excess of trace element amounts
Robyn

Djanbung Gardens Permaculture Education Centre
home to: 
Permaculture Education
ERDA Institute Trust
Nimbin Eco-Village Project Office
Robyn Francis - permaculture designer & educator
PO Box 379, Nimbin NSW 2480 Australia
Ph 02-6689 1755 Fax 02-6689 1225
permed@nor.com.au  www.earthwise.org.au