Dear Eric: Your response to “Sad in Urinetown” strongly implies that urinating on plants can only be a mentally disordered behavior. I challenge this. Perhaps you didn’t have time to read the many easily found studies and articles from agriculture and gardening into this question.
In sum, urine has many useful nutrients for plant life and is generally a healthy fertilizer. It is only social convention and misplaced laws against urinating in public that shame us for doing what our ancestors did throughout human history without any harm to plant life.
So, perhaps, revise your advice? This behavior is harmless, except insofar as laws and social conventions go. May he learn a time and a place, as many of us do, caring for our plants and our planet by not forcing all our urine through municipal water treatment plants that require considerable inputs at great expense, and instead urinate outside when it doesn’t violate law and order.
—Plant Lover
Dear Plant Lover: While I quibble with the assertion that I said the letter writer’s husband’s habit of urinating outside could only be mentally disordered behavior, I wanted to print your letter because I found the points about urea being a good fertilizer to be very interesting and I imagine others might, too. After doing some additional reading, I found that it’s recommended the urine be diluted as opposed to coming straight from the person. Much to consider.
The letter writer said her husband repeatedly apologized for going to the bathroom outside but continued to do it, which suggests forgetfulness or willfulness, rather than a desire for most bountiful blooms. So, to my mind, this is an issue of spousal communication. However, going forward, she might choose to see a silver lining in this habit, armed with the knowledge that it can benefit the plants on their patio. Thanks for the urination education.
(Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at eric@askingeric.com or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com.)
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