I've been using urine for fertilizer for 20-some-odd years. When used properly it's a fantastic (not to mention - free) organic source of nutrients. To use it 'properly', it's often beneficial to understand that horticulture mainly consists of conditioning soil in order to favor the growth of desired plants. As it seems most people here well understand, anything done to soil will affect its biotic environment and potentials. Knowing the needs, 'likes', and habits of the desired plantings help the grower decide what, and when to make additions and changes to the soil. Since urine is high in nitrogen, it can work well when used in soils where, and when, green growth is desired. Composted (aged) urine is usually lower in nitrogen than fresh, and can be beneficial for boosting levels of phosphorous in soils. Since the bio-availability of nitrogen from fresh urine is very high, dilutions are usually an important consideration (the strength of which can be adjusted for frequency of use and, since urine is extremely water soluble, amount of rain or watering the soil receives.) Another corollary that is important to follow is: unless you are using a VERY high dilution ratio, never fertilize (that includes the use of urine) a dry soil. Using fresh urine in vegetable gardens works best for plants in leafy-green growth stages. For tomatoes and many other fruiting plants, that means prior to the beginning of flowering and fruit set. While some fruiting plants (like zucchini) can handle later growth-stage additions of nitrogen in the form of urine, keep in mind that nutrient and ph balance can easilt be thrown off by the 'over-use' of many soil conditioners and fertilizers. As most gardeners are aware, the nutrient needs and 'likes' of plants is usually measured in N-P-K percentages. Finding the right balance for any planting or bed depends upon having at least a general idea of what you have before you make additions, and the needs and tolerances of the plants being fertilized. Adding too much nitrogen during (or even just before) the fruiting stage of flowering plants such as peppers (a plant well-adapted to sandy soils unable to hold and supply large amounts of available nitrogen) can encourage the green growth of leaves and biomass instead of the fruit the gardener desires. While the buffering capacity of soils differ greatly, a soil test, and knowledge of your individual soil conditions, will help you to get a handle on what additions are 'safe' and appropriate for the planting. Too much nitrogen (in any form, and especially on a dry soil) can 'burn' most any garden plant. Most trees however, can easily handle and benefit from additions of fresh and/or aged urine. Unless a plant is showing signs of nitrogen deficiency, I rarely add urine directly to the soil while the garden is in growth. I'll add it before, and shortly after transplanting, or in some cases seeding, but since young plants can be sensitive to levels of highly-available nutrients and salts, I do not usually put it right up against or 'on' the roots. The idea is to let the roots find it, or let the capillary action of soil moisture disperse it towards the plants. Instead, as i said, I use it on the beds before planting and depending on the crop, just after planting. Then, afterward - during growth - I use it on the 'weeds' (aka... the lawn.) I then collect, or mulch the lawn clippings depending on the needs at the time. Green manure is a good way to sequester and add slower-release nitrogen to soil or compost. Cover crops (especially those for over-winter use) can also use and sequester nitrogen (and thus fresh urine) for later crop availability. Adding a balanced amount to a compost pile can (as many have already commented) also be an extremely beneficial use of urine. Urine from animals differs greatly than that of humans and each species. Urine from cats and dogs can be much too acidic and concentrated for most garden use. Urine from farm animals such as horses and cows can be great additions to soil and compost (especially when gathered by collecting urine-soaked, high-carbon straw or saw dust from barns and sheds.) In short, using urine properly can benefit most any environment. It is a natural part of the Earth's biology and life-cycle. Understanding its strengths and weaknesses can help a grower boost and maintain the healthy biology of any environment. Putting it to work around the house and property can divert what modern society considers a waste, and give the aware gardener another great organic supplement.

usually the companies here give away their coffee grounds to other people or actually sell them -.-" i mean we don't have many coffee shops to begin with and the very few often run dry on used grounds as im not the only gardener in the state and we live in a small state since it's Hawaii. i often use my own grounds but i am talking about an outside pile i mean 1 cup of coffee does not yield a lot of grounds in general and the pile outside will need over 50 cups that is for sure more likely more due to some of the grounds washing away into the soil. but i have been using my urine to compost this pile 3 months into it been using it about 2 times a week moving into 3. and it's been doing great. the middle is all composted it's rich black and doesn't smell like piss. should be able to get a good yield within a year. would be less but people keep adding browns to it making it hard to harvest in time. it usually rains a lot and my pile can get rained on. im looking only to use the urine until it's composted a decent amount to the fact i can water it down and retain the moisture i'll use diluted urine

I think you're reading too much of what someone has suggested as not to be thrown out...and since urine from our dogs kills our lawns because of high nitrogen values, its been thrown around that urine can be added to a compost to give to the pile such element that is used to break the contents down. Surely you can think there's a better medium to do that....without resorting to such fouled up thinking. I realize urine is used in many manufacturing situations but your compost pile is not one of them. If you think that, then why not bring your bathroom to your compost pile and put up a sign to exhibit such. Pine needles should be gone over with the grass clippings with a mower before being added to the pile. Such evergreen needles have a tough texture to their make-up and can take a lot of time to break down unless you break their skin (so to speak). If you use such for mulch around acid loving plants, such as rhodos, again they should be gone over with a lawn mower before using. As for growing blueberries, their soil should be at a pH level that cannot be changed much by adding pine needles...the change would not happen; there's so little acidness in them it would take many months/years even, to bring it about. Instead, if you have some idea what pH your soil has now, then use garden sulfur to take the pH down to where the blueberries can do well in. Do this in early spring so that the benefit can be seen as the plant grows and if remedy has to be done, you have time to change it. I believe the blueberries need a pH of 4.0 to 5.0...which is quite different from what it might be -- probably near neutral 7.0 Using such acid plants like evergreen needles and their ilk, would take more time that you would have patience for.

Oddly, the pseudo "science" behind the silly, unscientific, proven wrong-headed and actually caught red handed falsifying facts about CO2 "polution" is also a factor in the "It's abundant all around" fable. No, it is not "Abundant" in any way. In fact, earth is at a very low, biologically-unsustainable CO2 atmosphere level, so if man is capable of pushing this vital nutrient even lower, our plants will vanish, oceans will tun to cesspools with dead plankton and other microbial plants and, well, we will die by the billions, along with all other plant-dependent life forms. The key is Balance. The hydrogen in woody material is what makes it "woody." it is "dense" relative to non woody plant material. If that is some form of insignificant factor to you, may I suggest that this discussion about the natural life cycle of nutrients in our biosphere is out of your interest and care range? In fact, these elements are all vital in "Balance" to each other, and the "dense" part is a relative term, as my inclusion of it clearly states. Thanks for your sharing, all of you. I have no further interest in this messed up delusion about composting. Bye.