Making hair fertilizer for plants involves a process of breaking down hair (typically from raw hide or skin) into a form that plants can easily absorb as nutrients. Here's a simplified explanation based on the provided reference:
Process Overview
The process typically involves the following steps:
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Washing the Hair: The initial step is to thoroughly clean the hair to remove any dirt or contaminants.
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Hydrolysis: This is the key step where the hair is broken down. Traditionally, this may have involved harsh chemical processes. However, the referenced approach uses a novel bacterial strain. This bacterial strain breaks down the hair through biological means.
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Bacterial Breakdown: The bacterial strain is applied to the washed hair, initiating a process that transforms the hair into a liquid keratin hydrolysate. This process takes about six hours.
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Composting: The resulting liquid keratin hydrolysate is then incorporated into an organic compost mixture. This compost acts as a natural fertilizer.
Simplified Steps
Here is a simplified representation of the process:
| Step | Description |
|---|---|
| 1. Wash | Clean hair derived from raw hide or skin. |
| 2. Hydrolyze | Use a bacterial strain to break down the hair. |
| 3. Convert | Resulting liquid keratin hydrolysate forms organic compost. |
| 4. Fertilize | Use the compost as a natural fertilizer. |
Important Considerations
- While the reference mentions a "novel bacterial strain," it doesn't provide specifics on the strain. Replicating this process at home would require identifying and sourcing a suitable keratin-degrading bacteria.
- Home composting with hair (without the bacterial hydrolysis) can also provide some benefit, though the breakdown and nutrient release will be much slower. In this method, hair can be added in small quantities to a compost pile.
In summary, creating effective hair fertilizer requires a process to break down the complex proteins in hair into usable nutrients for plants, either through bacterial hydrolysis or slower decomposition in a compost pile.
