Simple Recipe for "Liquid Gold"

Liquid fertilizer made from human urine is an excellent source of N-P-K for plants.

Fertilizer Made with Urine

Sometimes referred to as "liquid gold," human urine is an ideal fertilizer for plants.

It's virtually sterile, requiring only a short wait for the few pathogens in it to become harmless. Most importantly, human urine naturally contains three nutrients plants need in a form that they can readily access: nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) and potassium (K).

Most people produce about a quart and a half of urine each day. In fact, even if your yard is large, you and your family probably produce enough to make all the liquid fertilizer you need for the growing season.

Undiluted urine can be used as an activating agent in a compost pile or bin. Or, it can be diluted to make a liquid fertilizer that you can apply directly to plants:

Ingredients
1 part human urine, aged 1-6 months to eliminate potentially harmful pathogens

8-20 parts water

Directions
Mix aged urine with water and apply once every two weeks to your lawn, vegetable garden, fruit trees and bushes, container plants and anything else that you grow.

Like any water-soluble fertilizer, diluted urine is faster acting than solid products. It’s shorter acting, too, so you're unlikely to over-fertilize.

Numerous articles and studies have been published regarding the efficacy of human urine as fertilizer. In Liquid Gold: The Lore and Logic of Using Urine to Grow Plants, Carol Steinfeld devotes an entire book to the topic.

Urine fertilizer is safe to use on all plants, even fruits and vegetables.