A Tomato Fertilizer to Ponder

By Vanessa Richins

Many people are looking for natural ways that they can boost the production and nutrition of their plants.

In Finland, scientists have been studying the effects of using human urine on tomato plants.

Before you worry too much right off the bat about the possibility of diseases, I learned years ago in my microbiology studies that urine itself is naturally sterile, and no microorganisms are usually growing there unless fecal matter has been introduced.

Another benefit is that urine comes complete with the ingredients that are the basis of your standard fertilizers – N (Nitrogen), P (Phosphorus) and K (Potassium).

When they tested three different groups – a control with no fertilizer, one with standard fertilizer, and one with a mixture of urine and wood ash – they found that both methods of fertilizing made the plants produce 4.2 times as well as the tomatoes grown with no fertilizer.

As Popular Science explains, Read the rest of this entry »