hydrogen peroxide as fertilizer?
 

I was wondering if anyone here has experience with using hydrogen peroxide as a nutritional supplement for their orchids. It seems to be working for hydroponics farmers at 500-1000 ppm. For anyone that's curious about the chemistry, H2O2 decomposes spontaneously into water and oxygen gas. The oxygen kills anaerobic mold and fungi and also oxygenates the plant. Now this is the part that surprises me, since I was led to believe that oxygen was a waste product in photosynthesis.
However, this is something I pulled form Wikipedia:
"Some horticulturalists and users of hydroponics advocate the use of weak hydrogen peroxide solution ("Spanish water") in watering solutions. Its spontaneous decomposition releases oxygen that enhances a plant's root development and helps to treat root rot (cellular root death due to lack of oxygen) and a variety of other pests.[20][21] There is some peer-reviewed academic research to back up some of the claims.[22]"

I dipped the roots of my Aerangis Fastuosa in a 1.5% solution and it seems to have perked it up a bit. So if anyone else feels adventurous, I hope it works out for you. I'd just like to add that one should avoid anything with additives, be very sure to check the ingredients.

Alan Koch recently talked about this when he came to Edmonton. He recommends using it whenever you repot a plant. I seem to remember him saying that it is great to add when you water every once in a while too, for the reasons you mentioned. I have only used it on a couple plants so far so I can't say much, but I'm sure it will end up being something I do all the time.

H2O2 is NOT a fertilizer. It IS a transient oxygenator and disinfectant, but unless your plants are suffering from a lack of air flow to the root system, it is really unnecessary.

Amen Ray.

Indeed; I should have mentioned in my reply that Alan said nothing about using it as a nutritional supplement. It just helps get oxygen around the roots.

I'm not sure that hydroponics techniques are necessarily transferable to orchids. Hydro has plant roots that are constantly immersed in a wet, jell like media or even just in water, but orchid roots are exposed to plenty of moving air. Trying get more oxygen around orchid roots should be as easy as clean media and a nice breeze. I doubt that adding hydrogen peroxide will increase oxygen levels around the roots at all. Just my :twocents:

Hmmm... I think that Alan (and I am referring to the lecture that I took in from Alan Koch, not soprillo's research) really just meant that it is useful to use on plants you are repotting. If you've got a Catt, for example that has been in a bark mix for 2 or 3 years, and the bark has broken down into almost a soil-like material (which restricts air flow around the roots), it can refresh/rejuvenate the plant to give it some H2O2.

Some people "Aerate" their fertilizer solution and water(me). CO2 is added to the water as well as Oxygen. My fertilizer is mixed to the proportion I want in a 55 gal barrel and pumped on to the plants
directly. The water is pumped out of the tank and back in thru a common water breaker before it is used. It mixes the solution as well as adding air. When I water I use a water breaker -that aerates the water enought in my opinion. It sure doesnt hurt anything and it looks to me like it helps a little. No scientific reason - but it seems to help.

That makes sense to me. I definitely would not use H2O2 as any kind of recurring treatment though.

Well, I do remember him saying that you can use it as a recurring treatment; how useful that would be is certainly questionable, but it wouldn't harm the plant to do so, as long as you don't do it constantly.

I agree with Ray....I used it with every feeding for about a year, and have since discontinued use with no differences. It's just an extra cost, it just turns into water anyway.

Yeah, but does it give you blond chids?

and that's exactly how orchids grow in flask!

I use 50% H202 at 2ml - 4ml per 10L of nutrient solution in my hydroponic orchid setup to buffer against pathogens spreading in the water. I just started using it as of a month ago, and we'll see if it makes a difference. I have many plants growing in a shared reservoir so pathogen spread is something i've been wary about... i haven't had any problems in over a year, but better safe than sorry, and a few free oxygen particles hunting down organic cells in the water might be a bit of insurance.

Not sure if it helps the oxygen content of the water, but i never had a problem with insufficient oxygen in the water in the first place. I'm more interested in it for its bug killing properties.

Yesterday evening I read a discussion on this topic on a german forum. The question concerned the sterilization of rainwater used for orchids watering. It was recommended to use 1 ml hydrogen peroxide at 30% per 1 liter of water.
Reference Here.

Thanks Intruder, even with google translator it was an interesting read!

I wonder why someone would think that rainwater needs to be sterilized for use on plants? I also wonder why someone thinks 1 ml/l of 30% H2O2 would be effective to "sterilize" the water. Seems that would be a function of the biological load of impurities in the water (assuming there is any).

Sounds like the making of another internet myth.

I think a lot is lost in the translation...

First, that discussion was mostly about using melted snow to water, which had been sitting on the roof all winter. Someone else said they used it for water from flat roofs, where it had pooled and sat for a while. They were special cases, not just rainwater.

Second, 'sanitise' is the word i hear in relation to H202. I don't think anyone believes it completely sterilises water. But consider that a few drops of household bleach per litre of water is recommended to effectively 'sterilise' drinking water in emergency situations, and H202 is a stronger oxidiser than chlorine. So it doesn't take much.

I plan on looking at water samples under the scope to see whether h202 really does kill little swimming critters in water at different dilutions.

I grow the vast majority of my orchids, hydroponically. While some systems have the roots of the plants constantly sitting in water, they are constantly aerated also. My orchids are in various mediums, clay pellets, diatomite, sphag. moss, bark, and even coco chunks. They are on a flood and drain table, which is dry except for about 10 minutes once a day when they get "watered". Ludisia discolor love it, and are all in spike for me right now, as is a brassidium noid (2nd X,since I got it this spring), and a totally unknown (big round psuedobulb, two leaves comes out the top), will post pictures of it tomorrow if you like. Down side of this is that should you find mealies on one plant, look closely at the rest ....I will get rid of these little @#$%*! one of these days.

I don't bother with H2O2, unless my other varieties of plants get some root rot. The down side of H2O2 is that it can react negatively with some hydroponic fertilizers/additives. I'm suffering a mental block and can't remember which right now. :blushing: I'll post that later when I remember, or I bother the other half about it, when he gets back.

You may not think you're growing hydroponically, but if you are adding fertilizers every time you water your plants, and they are in pretty much any medium other then soil, then you're growing hydroponically. Most container plants would not thrive otherwise, simply because without the additional fertilizers they would deplete what was available to them in the container very quickly, due to the watering regime and the plant actually using elements up.

Sorry for the lecture/long post.

Mabuhay!

This is a very interesting information. I would just like to ask if i am going to spray an orchid plant with this solution how much should i add in the water if i have a 7 liter and 3 liter spray bottles?

I just can't comprehend when it comes to ppm and other measurement terminologies...can someone translate that in to tbsp? hehehee

thank you in advance for any response.

Godbless

Wouldn't KMN04 at about 2.5 ppm be a better and cheaper choice ?

This could prove to be a good solution for me because I have a hard time finding clay pebbles big enough to leave air pockets between them. Lately vast majority of the bags I buy come with smallest pieces available and they fit into the pot almost like a loose dirt. No real air pockets there. And with mold problems I am having lately I just might give it a try as soon as I find more about spanish water and buy peroxide...but not as fertilizer, just as air increasing thing between roots (mine need it obviously)

If your LECA holds too much water in the spaces between the particles, a periodic drench with hydrogen peroxide will be of little value.

Interesting thread.

Alot of hydro guy are moving away from H2O2 and going with Myco. and beneficial bacteria. Alot of hydro and organic fertilizer for that matter have beneficials in them and if you use H2O2 you kill all benefits of that fertilizer. Aerate via 1000 hole water breaker, air stone, water fall, or CO2 are some very good ways to add O2 into the water. If you need more air at the root then use "air" pots, baskets or mounts

One problem that I see with have such a clean media base is that you are at a much higher risk of bacteria infections. That was the case for me with using Physan.

Beneficial bacterias are the way to go....

---------- Post added at 03:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:50 PM ----------

I have been smashing my hydroton so it will hole more water for masd. and such.

I think you'll find that after some use at if you don't stay up with the program that you'll have the same problem. You may get results up front.

I know a man who uses it regularly ever since his daughter was diagnosed with cancer, went to another country to live her last couple of months, was injected with hydrogen peroxide when she found out that it was a treatment there, and last I heard is still alive years later. I use it diluted to clean roots that have rot.