Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) Natural Chemical Wonder

Forum rules
General HTUK rules apply. This section is for tips, hints and discussion on growing that is not related to any specific group of plants.
User avatar
Dave Brown
Site Admin
Posts: 19742
Joined: Sun Jul 09, 2006 10:17 am
Location: Chalk, (Thames Estuary) Kent, England 51.5N 0.3E
Contact:

Re: Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) Natural Chemical Wonder

Post by Dave Brown »

marie06 wrote:I've been reading up on this, and it seems that it's fine to use on the foliage but not on the roots as it will kill the micro herd in the soil.
mmmmm........ Interesting point, but I'm not sure it makes a difference. Most planting mediums have to be sterile for best results, and sterilsation involves killing the micro herd, as you put it. I understand that outside we rely on bacteria to breakdown dead plant material, but don't think that has any part to play in potted plants when fed icon_scratch .

Perhaps someone with botanic expertise can add to this. :wink:
Best regards
Dave
icon_thumright
_________________________________________________
Roll on summer.....
http://www.hardytropicals.co.uk
User avatar
redsquirrel
Posts: 12169
Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2009 8:35 pm
Location: bristol
Contact:

Re: Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) Natural Chemical Wonder

Post by redsquirrel »

i wouldnt use max strength on soil dave,i was asking for some in readiness for a bad one this winter. if 3% can fizz rot out in 6 applications,im hoping a stronger one might do it in 2 or 3. i am going to try using it in SOME pots though as oxygen to the roots is going to be more beneficial to some small palms than microherd. if it fails,i will only lose seed grown plants but if it works,it will be a bonus icon_thumleft
mars ROVER broken down. headgasket faillure
User avatar
Dave Brown
Site Admin
Posts: 19742
Joined: Sun Jul 09, 2006 10:17 am
Location: Chalk, (Thames Estuary) Kent, England 51.5N 0.3E
Contact:

Re: Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) Natural Chemical Wonder

Post by Dave Brown »

Red, I was not saying use it neat :ahhh!: if you use too high a concentration you will kill the palm. I have only used 1% so far. The instuctions on the bottle say dilute with 5 parts water to use as a mouth wash which is 1%. The Americans seem to be saying they can use 3% from a bottle, but using any higher percentage is likely to Fizz your plants :roll:
Best regards
Dave
icon_thumright
_________________________________________________
Roll on summer.....
http://www.hardytropicals.co.uk
User avatar
redsquirrel
Posts: 12169
Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2009 8:35 pm
Location: bristol
Contact:

Re: Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) Natural Chemical Wonder

Post by redsquirrel »

dave,a well learned palmateer told me to pour it straight in which is exactly what i did,it fizzed the rot and bugs out but took 5 or 6 applications to get it coming clean. my brahea edulis,washies nor any of the crown rot yuccas died from it,infact,i dont think they were bothered in the slightest and all grown back well.even a brahea armata has eventually pushed a new leaf,this one i thought was dead as the rot was so deep
mars ROVER broken down. headgasket faillure
Darlo Mark

Re: Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) Natural Chemical Wonder

Post by Darlo Mark »

Just to clarify:

bleach ( as in domestos) contains sodium chlorate not hydrogen peroxide.

I would not use over 6% volume hydrogen peroxide and over 20% vol is considered corrosive, so i would advise gloves and specs.

I have tried 1% peroxide on my cannas in the garage which had a bit of fungus on the top. I will let you know if it works

_________________
Darlo Mark
JohnH

Re: Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) Natural Chemical Wonder

Post by JohnH »

So would hair colouring work?
User avatar
Dave Brown
Site Admin
Posts: 19742
Joined: Sun Jul 09, 2006 10:17 am
Location: Chalk, (Thames Estuary) Kent, England 51.5N 0.3E
Contact:

Re: Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) Natural Chemical Wonder

Post by Dave Brown »

JohnH wrote:So would hair colouring work?
Not hair colouring as that is a dye of some kind, but the H202 is the form used to bleach hair. You can get a 6% solution from Chemists, but is not as widely available since some people tried to use it for more destructive purposes :roll:
Best regards
Dave
icon_thumright
_________________________________________________
Roll on summer.....
http://www.hardytropicals.co.uk
User avatar
redsquirrel
Posts: 12169
Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2009 8:35 pm
Location: bristol
Contact:

Re: Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) Natural Chemical Wonder

Post by redsquirrel »

be quicker than digging my washy out :lol: :lol:
mars ROVER broken down. headgasket faillure
weve

Re: Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) Natural Chemical Wonder

Post by weve »

Got two bottles of h202 today ( one 3% and the other 6% ). Just wondering if many people have used it yet and what they have thought (and at what strengths/dilutions).
cheers
User avatar
redsquirrel
Posts: 12169
Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2009 8:35 pm
Location: bristol
Contact:

Re: Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) Natural Chemical Wonder

Post by redsquirrel »

i used 3% straight out the bottle.worked a treat last year.wouldnt have thought 6% was too strong either tbh
mars ROVER broken down. headgasket faillure
fgtbell

Re: Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) Natural Chemical Wonder

Post by fgtbell »

I used 3% strength last year and it saved a spear-pulled Phoenix canariensis_CIDP.

Have just dosed a Parjubaea torallyi, Washingtonia robusta and the same Phoenix canariensis_CIDP with 3% solution. The cheapest way to buy your peroxide is to get a bottle of "food grade" i.e. pure 35% strength on ebay and then dilute it 1 to 10 with filtered water. The peroxide you buy in hairdressers and chemists for bleaching hair may have other stuff in it like colourings, perfumes etc., but the "food grade" stuff is pure.

NOTE: it is quite caustic at 35% strength so do not spill it on yourself, your clothes etc.

Peroxide is very unstable, so keep it in the fridge and use it fairly quickly. For the same reason, it would break down very quickly if you poured it onto soil - so you don't need to worry about it hanging around for weeks.

At 3% it will sting a little if you get it on you but wash it off quickly and for me anyway it has not caused any problems. It used to be used at this sort of strength as a disinfectant for wounds (now I bet that stings a bit!).
User avatar
DiCasS
Posts: 3131
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2008 5:59 pm
Location: Hereford

Re: Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) Natural Chemical Wonder

Post by DiCasS »

I bought my HP yesterday and going to pour some in palms today. Mines in 200ml bottles at 6% but am going to dilute it to 3%.

Di

Done.
I'm at an age where my back goes out more than I do.
Supporter of the N.A.S.
weve

Re: Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) Natural Chemical Wonder

Post by weve »

On topic H202 ..........but off topic re plants

Tried my 3% as a mouthwash (as directed on the bottle) before and after brushing my teeth just to see what it was like. It really worked well and my teeth feel much cleaner than after just brushing alone. May consider doing this occasionally. I'll ask my dentist about it (going tomorrow coincidentally)

My 3% H202 was sold specifically as a mouthwash/gargle..... others sources may differ! ( Spot the sparkly teeth :DD)
User avatar
Dave Brown
Site Admin
Posts: 19742
Joined: Sun Jul 09, 2006 10:17 am
Location: Chalk, (Thames Estuary) Kent, England 51.5N 0.3E
Contact:

Re: Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) Natural Chemical Wonder

Post by Dave Brown »

My 5L 35% food grade arrived yesterday. I used 12% neat as a disinfectant when the Washintonia slashed my knuckles and it became infected. It fizzes well at that strength, and turned my fingers white (same as using alcohol wipes) but knocked the infection on the head withing minutes.

I also intend to use for watering plants like Alocasia and Citrus where oxygen at the roots is important, but would probably use at 0.25% for that. Watering with H2O2 is good for plants that have been overwatered. I know that sounds wrong but the H2O2 puts oxygen around the roots and helps them to recover.

I will also use when lifting and storing rhizomes in autumn. a soak in 3% to kill off bacteria and fungal spores, then a dusting of yellow sulphur should keep them rot free over winter. :wink:

Francis, I would not get 5L in the fridge :lol: . It may be unstable when in contact with organic matter, but remained stable for me in it's container. :roll:
Best regards
Dave
icon_thumright
_________________________________________________
Roll on summer.....
http://www.hardytropicals.co.uk
Darlo Mark

Re: Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) Natural Chemical Wonder

Post by Darlo Mark »

Hydrogen peroxide naturally decomposes to produce water and oxygen. This is a slow process unless catalysed by Manganese dioxide. Howver, keeping it long term wouldn't work well and is best used "fresh" if you want to get the concentration right. It is probably best to loosen the caps from time to time to release any pressure which may build up if you do keep it for a while.
Post Reply