While the thought of using rabbit urine as fertilizer might make you a little queasy, it is actually a very effective and organic way to fertilize your plants.
In fact, rabbit urine is packed with nutrients that are essential for healthy plant growth.
If you’re curious about how to use rabbit urine as fertilizer, keep reading for tips on how to get started.
Composition on Rabbit Urine
First of all, rabbits are nature’s nitrate factories. They produce heaps and heaps of droppings which are full of rich soluble nitrogen compounds that plants crave.
Nitrates are crucial for plant growth because they are an essential nutrient required by the roots for enzymatic processes that allow the plant cells to manufacture proteins.
Because protein is what makes up most of a plant’s tissues (stems, leaves, etc.) it is no surprise that these little guys must have plenty of nutritious nitrates in order to grow big healthy green leaves and strong stems that can carry out photosynthesis.
Why Rabbit Urine is Perfect to use as Fertilizer
Secondly, rabbit urine is water-soluble so it dissolves quickly and easily. Nitrogen in the form of ammonium (NH4) or nitrate (NO3) must be dissolved in water so that plant roots can absorb them.
Therefore, anyone who has ever grown plants knows very well how important it is to regularly water their garden with liberal amounts of liquid fertilizer like fish emulsion, compost tea or manure tea/drench. Alternately you could use manures, molasses and other organic supplements as soil drenches for feeding your plants directly through their root zone instead of watering them with nutrient rich liquids diluted in gallons of water.
The reason why you shouldn’t do this is because water-soluble nutrients are just that – soluble. Once they are in the soil, they must stay there or else they will wash away into nearby water sources before plants have a chance to absorb them.
This is why you must practice good fertigation through drip irrigation, soilless planting mixes and deep rooted plants like trees which can survive on their own root systems even without constant watering.
Crops that you can use the rabbit urine fertilizer on
All plants need nitrogen to grow so rabbit urine is a great nitrogen source for all types of gardens, flower beds and lawns.
However, it would be best not to use the liquid fertilizer on crops that are susceptible to blossom end rot due to excess calcium deficiency – tomatoes being one example.
This isn’t just because tomato plants have a greater requirement for calcium but also because other vegetables like cabbage and broccoli already contain high levels of calcium naturally and this could cause them to become even more nutritionally imbalanced by upping their own calcium absorption rate at the expense of taking in necessary nitrates.
How to Use Rabbit Urine as Fertilizer and Pesticide
A pint of rabbit urine has the same nutrient value as a gallon of fertilizer solution. Rabbit waste is about 85 percent water, 8.25 percent urea nitrogen, 1.75 percent calcium carbonate, 1.16 percent magnesium sulfate and 0.1 percent potassium chloride. All these are excreted in much higher concentrations than what’s found in commercial fertilizers so using this cheap natural fertilizer to your garden or farm can help you significantly reduce your expenses without compromising on growth rate and yield .
- Mix one part of rabbit piss with ten parts water in a small separate container with lid. This is also when you add any additional nutrients/powders if needed (see next section). Store this mixture for at least 24 hours, stirring occasionally until all solids are suspended in liquid / solution .
- Apply one gallon of water-rabbit waste mix per 3 feet squared area of garden or field. Remember that all fertigation should be done through drip irrigation , bubbler or drip tape. If this is not possible, use sprinklers to water soil but spray diluted rabbit waste solution on roots only, never on leaves of plants!
Benefits of Using Rabbit Urine as an Organic Fertilizer, or Pesticide
Rabbit urine has low salt levels compared to other plant fertilizer supplements
Rabbit urine is less concentrated with salts than most other common liquid fertilizers like fish emulsion, manure tea/drench, seaweed extract etc. Salts are not good for plants because they harm cell membranes of roots by osmosis.
When plan cells become over-saturated with salts, they can’t absorb water and nutrients like they’re supposed to. If plants don’t get enough water and oxygen (which becomes more likely because plant roots are malnourished), it can cause irreversible cell damage that leads to wilting leaves, yellowing foliage, leaf curling, death of the plant or severely stunted growth.
Therefore it is always best practice to dilute all fertilizers in water before applying them to soil so that salts don’t concentrate around roots.
Rabbit Urine can be used as pesticide
rabbit urine is also less concentrated with harmful microbial organisms compared to manures which are full of diseases pathogens worms larvae etc.
The reason why rabbit urine makes an excellent organic fertilizer is because it doesn’t contain any of these harmful organisms that can harm your soil or plants.
Rabbit Urine is very rich in nitrogen component
rabbit urine is rich in the element nitrogen which is an essential nutrient required by plant roots to produce enzymes for photosynthesis processes. Without high levels of nitrates, plants simply cannot grow properly no matter how much water and sunlight they get.
Also, there are plenty of studies out there showing that using rabbit urine as fertilizer will actually help control powdery mildew, rust fungus, leaf spots etc which are diseases that plague countless gardeners every year.
After all, organic fertilizers are supposed to be safe for use around pets and children unlike chemical alternatives – so why wouldn’t you want to try it out and see if it works for your garden?
Inexpensive And Readily Available
Rabbit urine is an increasingly popular organic plant food. It has the advantages of being inexpensive, readily available (on your farm) and completely natural.
The NRCS [National Resources Conservation Service] recommends rabbit manure as a source of nutrients in farming .
It’s rich in nitrogen , phosphorus and potassium . Rabbit waste is also relatively low in sodium and very high in calcium and magnesium .
Can be used to control pH levels
diluted rabbit urine can be used to control soil pH levels too. For example, leafy vegetables like lettuce don’t grow well when their roots are exposed to high concentrations of salts or acidic soils because they lose water through transpiration more quickly than they take up nutrients from the ground.
This leads to nutrient deficiencies in the plant itself. So by diluting the highly concentrated rabbit urine you can balance out pH levels in soil and help your plants grow normally.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q.Is rabbit urine good for plants and vegetable garden?
A. Yes, it is good for plants and vegetables. You can apply this manure before sowing or transplanting your plants to enhance growth.
Q. What is the best time to use rabbit urine as fertilizer?
A: It is best to use it at transplant stage, when you begin growing seedlings and also when you start flowering & fruiting.
Q. Is rabbit droppings good fertilizer?
A. Yes, rabbit droppings are good fertilizer because they are rich in nitrogen, phosphorus and pot ash.
Q. How do you dry rabbit manure?
A. Spread the manure in thin layers over plastic sheets & dry it in full sun till it becomes completely powdery. Store this fertilizer in a dry place.
Q. Is rabbit manure beneficial for tomatoes?
A: Yes, it is helpful in producing better quality of tomatoes & enhancing the size of fruit.
Q. How long does it take for rabbit poop to decompose?
A: It takes around 4-6 months to decompose. Add it to soil when preparing your garden bed in early spring.
Q. How do you sterilize rabbit manure?
A: It is not necessary to sterilize rabbit manure. The manure is safe to use as it does not contain any harmful microorganisms that can infect your plants.
Q. how to preserve rabbit urine?
A: Rabbit urine can be preserved for one year by keeping it in airtight jars.
Dr. Elly Cameron is a veterinarian who has always loved animals. She grew up with cats and rabbits, and knew from a young age that she wanted to help animals in whatever way she could. After completing veterinary school in New Zealand, she and her husband moved to North Carolina in 2009. There, she worked as a small animal veterinarian, seeing cats, dogs, and of course her favorite patients – rabbits! In the last few years, Dr. Cameron has been working as a locum vet while she concentrates on raising her two young daughters. She also started writing this blog to help other rabbit lovers out there.