Hydrogen Peroxide

[missann]

Hello, I have read some confusing things about the dilution of peroxide.

There was even a link in another post of mine on a different subject, and it said to dilute the 35 % stuff to 3%, but then it also said,

"3%, 5%, 8%
Can be found at most drugstores or pharmacies, prices start at a less than a dollar for a one hundred-ml bottle that will treat one hundred liters. "

Which makes it sound like you would dilute the 3% at the rate of one parts peroxide to 100 parts of water.

However, someone said that if it is safe to use on yourself, that it is ok for the plants.

Which brings me to the next thing..

When you get piercings, they say not to use peroxide a lot because it can actually damage tissue and dry it out or something.

SO

How long can I soak a plant with newly trimmed roots before repotting?
and
If I am using the 3% straight from the bottle, should I dilute it?
and
How often can or should it be used?

[patlee]

Hi Missann, This is just the way I use it. There are surely going to be other opinions out there! Whatever works, is the bottom line First, when I am repotting and I have trimmed the roots I do not soak the plant, I just pour the straight (3%) H2O2 on the roots. I pour a lot--maybe a good third of a 32 oz. bottle. Then I dust the cut ends of the roots with cinnamon. (I really don't know if you need that much H2O2, I am just operating on the " more is better" theory.)
I don't have a regular schedule for using the stuff. I use it as a soil drench whenever I bring a new plant into the house or whenever I suspect that something is wrong with a plant. H2O2 and cinnamon are my first lines of defense because I try not to use chemicals unless there is no alternative. Brookn has a wonderful recipe on the forum for an all purpose cleaner and protector. Just mix 10 drops of Dawn dishwashing liquid, 8 ml. of cinnamon extract(a liquid in the spice aisle of your grocery store) and 2 cups water together.Voila!! You're good to go. Hope this helps...

[janet_a]

i've submerged plants in the regular 3% H2O2 from the drugstore for up to a half hour (when they had rot) with no apparent ill effect. when i'm just repotting, i'll dunk 'em for a few minutes, but that's mostly because i'm impatient.

[mehitabel]

Hi MissAnn. Here's what I know about peroxide (the 3% grocery store kind):

1. Peroxide is H202. Water is H2O. So peroxide has one more oxygen molecule than water. The second Oxygen molecule is unstable, so peroxide easily breaks down into water (H20) PLUS Oxygen (O). And it does so the minute it hits organic material (don't know why, tho).

Roots on all plants, but especially orchids, need a mix of moisture and oxygen to thrive. That's true of jasmine, gardenias, etc etc as well as orchids. Too much water in a pot will drive out all the O, and a plant's roots start to decline. That happens to a jasmine or gardenia in a pot when it rains nonstop for four days, or it's watered too often. Common as dirt in gardenia. Ditto orchids.

I've used peroxide both full strength (3%) or some dilution of it to water gardenias, jasmines etc that have had too much rain. Ditto orchids. When you pour it in a pot that's overwetted, you will see it bubbling. That's the Oxygen being released, so you can tell oxygen is now present at the roots where it wasn't before, and the plant has a better chance of escaping root rot.

2. I've used it on small gardener's wounds, splinters and the like, for many years. When you put it on a wound or splinter, it bubbles (the release of oxygen), and the bubbling can actually lift a splinter clear out so you don't have to do the needle bit, which I hate. So it does do a certain amount of wound-cleaning, floating splinters and dirt out of a small wound, tho I'm sure Drs have better things to use. Does it do damage to the tissue? I don't know. Usually if I have an infection, I just want to get rid of it quickly before it spreads, and the peroxide elps do that. I don't know if I would use it on an ear-lobe, given the caution. You wouldn't want a disfigured ear to put an earing in. But a gardener's hands and feet usually aren't a thing of beauty, so I would use it any time on them.

3. Some orchid specialists recommend using it to water orchids all the way from dilute to full strength (for the aerating reason in #1). I've done it from time to time with no damage whatever to the plants. Just the bubbling. But it gets really expensive if you have a lot of plants so I do it only very occasionally.

4. I haven't used it as a root soak or spray. I spray roots with a dilute physan 20 solution when repotting. It stops the bacterial activity that sometimes stops new roots from developing. It's not necessary to soak in physan 20 -- it's a contact anti-bacterial, anti-fungal. It works on contact, so spraying is enough. I soak pots in it for 24 hours before re-using.

That's all I know. Hope it helps

PS I use cinnamon on every cut on orchid leaves, stem, or roots. I've used it a few times when I dropped a phal and damaged a new leaf down into the crown. Stops any rot, and the damaged leaf grows out nicely without the crown itself being damaged. I also use it on sunburn or outher leaf wounds.

It's a good anti-bacterial, anti-fungal. It's also a dessicant, so it seals the wound somewhat to keep the bad things out. Don't use it on good roots (it's a dessicant)

[missann]

Woah...what I said about it not being good for piercings....
I didn't mean that it can disfigure you! All I was saying is that it can prolong healing if used every day because of the fact that it can be drying etc.

[PhalPal]

Thanks for the excellent explanation Mahitabel! I love knowing WHY I am doing something.

[Sassismom]

I've never heard of using peroxide for any of these things...oh I'm so glad I found you all.