Urine As a Weed Killer

Overview

A natural solution to harmful chemical sprays that will effectively kill weeds may be as close as your nearest pet or human. Do you have a dog and brown spots all over the yard? Urine will kill weeds, but in the wrong concentration it will also kill the grass you are trying to grow.

Potential

Urine sometimes has a high nitrogen content, according to the Athens Banner Herald, and this is why it kills plants. Urine is not acidic, in fact it has a pretty neutral pH. First morning urine is the most concentrated. If a dog urinates on the lawn in the morning, pouring some water over the urine will help prevent brown spots.

Misconceptions

Most pet owners believe that all dog urine is harmful to the lawn because where dogs often urinate, the grass dies. To dilute dog urine, provide your pet with plenty of water throughout the day. This will decrease the concentration of nitrogen in your dog's urine. There are supplements available that also will decrease the level of nitrogen in dog urine safely.

Expert Insight

Human urine can be very good for plants, according to researchers in Finland. According to Physorg.com news, "Naturally rich in nitrogen and other nutrients, urine has been used as fertilizer since ancient times. Urine fertilization is rare today. However, it has gained attention in some areas as farmers embrace organic production methods and try to reduce use of synthetic fertilizers."

History

Urine has been used as a fertilizer for centuries. In the right concentrations, urine can also be used as a weed killer. Steven Seefeldt from the Mad Sci Network, states that most farmers put nitrogen on plants to fertilize the crop and that urine contains nitrogen in varying concentrations.

Considerations

You can collect dog urine and use it as a weed killer in the garden or lawn, but collecting dog urine is not exactly simple. If you are committed to finding a safe alternative to commercial fertilizers, learning to effectively collect dog urine is the way to go. Once collected, the dog urine can be sprayed on weeds as an effective weed killer.