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  1. #1
    Members Eleven11's Avatar
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    Seasol and Urea in USa

    Just curious what to use in place of Seasol since it isnt available in the US.

    I was going try Urea too but havent found a source for that either.

    I should be ready to add plants to my system within a week.

    Thanks,

    11:11
    Nothin to it but to do it yourself

  2. #2
    Moderator davidstcldfl's Avatar
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    Re: Seasol and Urea in USa

    Hi 11:11 welcome to the forum...
    Maxi crop (with iron) is made from sea weed. I buy it at my local hydro shop.

    Urea is pretty easy to make. Most folks start by drinking 3 or 4 beers ...coffee will work, but you may need to drink a little more...and wait a little longer for the results... :P

    You can use pure ammonia to start the cycle. It's hard to find it with out soap or perfumes in it though.
    "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same." - President Ronald Reagan

  3. #3
    Moderator urbanfarmer's Avatar
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    Re: Seasol and Urea in USa

    Quote Originally Posted by Eleven11
    I was going try Urea too but havent found a source for that either.
    It's closer than you think...

  4. #4
    Members Eleven11's Avatar
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    Re: Seasol and Urea in USa

    Hmmmm 'waste not' huh?

    Okay I'll give it a 'shot' ....lol

    And get some Maxicrop too... Thx guys
    Nothin to it but to do it yourself

  5. #5
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    Re: Seasol and Urea in USa

    if you age your pee for a couple weeks in a sealed container, this will allow the pee to convert to am, if you go "directly" in your tank, you won't get ammonia readings for at least a few days, so don't add more until you see the first rise in am

  6. #6
    Moderator urbanfarmer's Avatar
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    Re: Seasol and Urea in USa

    Quote Originally Posted by keith_r
    if you age your pee for a couple weeks in a sealed container, this will allow the pee to convert to am, if you go "directly" in your tank, you won't get ammonia readings for at least a few days, so don't add more until you see the first rise in am
    This folklore began in another community. After many requests for some scientific reasoning for WHY this MUST be done, I have yet to receive a single response. On the other hand, I can present a case using some basic chemistry as to why this is foolish and wasteful and... ultimately, folklore. I wont get into it with pages of research and science that no one cares about; so, I'll just leave it at that.

    Just pee in your water. Keeping it in a bottle for some undefined set of time is nothing more than modern day witchcraft.

    ENJOY!

    P.S. Yes, the cyanate ion can convert back to ammonia through biological or purely chemical means. The biological reaction may be why you observed a delayed spike in ammonia, but I still don't see why this is "bad", per se.

  7. #7
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    Re: Seasol and Urea in USa

    actually, TC documented her experiments pretty well with her "peeponics" information..
    just because you didn't do the experiment does not mean it's folklore..

  8. #8
    Moderator urbanfarmer's Avatar
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    Re: Seasol and Urea in USa

    Quote Originally Posted by keith_r
    actually, TC documented her experiments pretty well with her "peeponics" information..
    just because you didn't do the experiment does not mean it's folklore..
    I would like to see this documentation you speak of. Unless you refer to the "blog post" that was "Posted by [...] on June 6, 2010 at 8:00pm" and it is full of folklore. I can cite EPA standards and other health related guidelines on relevant topics that can support that, but why bother... sigh...

    One of the claims I have heard is that it's UNSAFE until you let it sit. The other is you HAVE to let it sit in a bottle for X amount of time to convert the urea to ammonia. Both are untrue. The concepts are derived from how someone feels about what is happening. Therefore, it is folklore.

    BTW, I am not saying not to let it sit in a bottle. You can store human urine in as many bottles as you like and for as long as you like. It will still work in the system to some extend (depending on how long you store it, of course).

    Ancient Chinese folks used to store human urine in jars for 10 years. They would then harvest it to use as a remedy for burn wounds. If I recall the documentary correctly, the chemical found in 10 year old urine is similar to the pharmaceutical we use today for such a purpose.

    Hope that helps!

  9. #9
    Moderator davidstcldfl's Avatar
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    Re: Seasol and Urea in USa

    Wikipedia actually has a large discription of urine's use as a fertilizer...wow,its actually better then I thought....
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urine

    Here's 'part of' what wikipedia said.....

    Agriculture: Fertilizer
    Urine contains large quantities of nitrogen (mostly as urea), as well as significant quantities of dissolved phosphates and potassium, the main macronutrients required by plants, with urine having plant macronutrient percentages (i.e. NPK) of approximately 11-1-2 by one study[20] or 15-1-2 by another report,[21] illustrating that exact composition varies with diet. Undiluted, it can chemically burn the roots of some plants, but it can be used safely as a source of complementary nitrogen in carbon-rich compost.[22]

    When diluted with water (at a 1:5 ratio for container-grown annual crops with fresh growing medium each season,[23] or a 1:8 ratio for more general use[22]), it can be applied directly to soil as a fertilizer. The fertilization effect of urine has been found to be comparable to that of commercial fertilizers with an equivalent NPK rating.[24] Urine contains most (94% according to Wolgast[20]) of the NPK nutrients excreted by the human body.
    "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same." - President Ronald Reagan

  10. #10
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    Re: Seasol and Urea in USa

    Quote Originally Posted by davidstcldfl
    Wikipedia actually has a large discription of urine's use as a fertilizer...wow,its actually better then I thought....
    Evidently it's quite useful when combined with wood ash too.
    http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...ertilizer.html
    What a remarkable excuse to use only natural lump wood charcoal when grilling outdoors and drink prodigious quantities of beer in the process of doing so!

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