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.