Hair as fertilizer? (Not for orchids)

[The Orchid Boy]

Has anyone tried using human hair as fertlizer for outdoor plants? They say it takes a really long time to decompose, but when it does decompose, your plants really take off. You're supposed to put hair in the bottom of the hole that you plants something in. Haven't tried this yet.

 

[NYEric]

Um.... Are you crazy!?

 

[gonewild]

It works best as fertilizer when there is a body attached.

 

[nikv]

NYEric, just go to your barber or hair stylist. I'm sure he/she has plenty to give away. :wink:

Of course, I'm not sure what all the hair product would do to the plants.

 

[eggshells]

It works best as fertilizer when there is a body attached.

This! Thanks for the laugh gonewild.

 

[Clark]

Never heard of this method.
Composted manure is what we go with here for the garden.

Besides, I'm balding...

 

[Eric Muehlbauer]

I had heard once that it's good to put hair in the compost....

 

[SlipperFan]

I use a bag of hair to keep the rabbits from slipping through the gate to my garden, and I've added it to compost to loosen it, but I've never heard of it as fertilizer. Fish yes, hair no.

 

[The Orchid Boy]

I thought that you'd all find it interesting.... or disturbing. I've heard that it really help spring bulbs. I really do want to try this sometime.

 

[biothanasis]

Interesting.... fertiliser...! But I do not know if it is ok to use since it decomposes very slowly. Perhaps the hair should be treateed first and then applied as a fert....!!!?

 

[NYEric]

Just say, "NO!". - Nancy Reagan

 

[gonewild]

Has anyone tried using human hair as fertlizer for outdoor plants? They say it takes a really long time to decompose, but when it does decompose, your plants really take off. You're supposed to put hair in the bottom of the hole that you plants something in. Haven't tried this yet.

Most likely someone that puts hair in the whole with a newly planted plant would not be a person that would also use chemical fertilizers.

They probably see a sudden improvement of growth and assume it is caused by the hair but in reality it is just that the plant has finally established itself and is growing normally.

 

[gonewild]

I thought that you'd all find it interesting.... or disturbing. I've heard that it really help spring bulbs. I really do want to try this sometime.

If it takes a really long time to break down how could it really help spring bulbs?
Bulbs grow very fast.

 

[jtrmd]

It works best as fertilizer when there is a body attached.

Hair as fertilizer sounds about as bad as a women who used to run an Azalea farm here in Southern MD telling me used Tampons were great for Roses,and she has been using them for years.To this day I picture her hanging them on there like xmas tree ornaments?

 

[NYEric]

Ewwwww!

 

[gonewild]

Christmas will never be the same now.

 

[jtrmd]

Christmas will never be the same now.

HAHAHAHA!Sorry about that

 

[The Orchid Boy]

What you're supposed to do is put a little under the root ball of a plant and after a long time it decomposes and the plant is supposed to really take off.

 

[gonewild]

What you're supposed to do is put a little under the root ball of a plant and after a long time it decomposes and the plant is supposed to really take off.

Yeah but after a "long time" the roots under the root ball are not the roots that are taking up nutrients. by that time the plant has feeder roots doing the work out away from the old root ball. The fact that time has passed and the plant has established an efficient root system is why the growth really takes off not because of the hair.

 

[cnycharles]

if it takes something a really long time to break down, it won't break down all at once, just a little at a time. nothing organic will all of a sudden after a long period of time, just go blooey and decompose to the point where a plant would take off. ... at least I don't know of any circumstance where it would happen that way, though there are lots of crazy things in the world I've never heard of