Oxygen Boost

[LoreD]

I was reading a 2005 issue of BBC Gardening magazine and they said that an Australian study showed dissolving hydrogen peroxide in water when the plants are being watered increases oxygen levels in poor soils, expecially clay. They said that there was a 25% increase in squash production and 80% in soybean production.

Does anybody know anything about this or tried it?

LoreD

[redbrick]

Check out Pharmerphil's thread "Giant Pumpkins...Step!" in this catagory. It may shed some light on your question. Hope this helps!

[LoreD]

The study was not about soaking the seeds in peroxide but watering the plants with water mixed with peroxide to increase the oxygen in the soil. A kind of super-oxygenated water.

Thank you

LoreD

[redbrick]

Well, I see your point, but consider this: in soaking the seeds in peroxide, would you not be boosting the oxygen within the seed itself. Also, it would seem to follow that if a seed can take the direct soak, there should be no adverse effect from watering with a peroxide solution. All in all, it sounds like a worthy experiment.

[Suze]

I was reading a 2005 issue of BBC Gardening magazine and they said that an Australian study showed dissolving hydrogen peroxide in water when the plants are being watered increases oxygen levels in poor soils, expecially clay. They said that there was a 25% increase in squash production and 80% in soybean production.

Does anybody know anything about this or tried it?

I occasionally use h2o2 in various gardening applications and know of several others that also do so. Here are some of the ways I use/have used it.

For tomato seed starting/damp off prevention - I wet down ProMix with a solution of about 1 part h2o2 to 11-12 parts water. Then it all gets mixed up throughly in a bucket and is set aside overnight to 'foam out'. The soilless mix I use to pot up to 4 inch pots is treated in the same way.

Watering tomato seedlings - I use about a 1:15 to 1:20 solution for continued damp off prevention and to promote a high available oxygen level for roots. I've personally observed slightly faster growth in seedlings watered with an h2o2 solution as compared to seedlings just watered with water.

Treating root rots and perking up plants in 'stale' potting mix - h2o2 is fairly effective in treating root rots (pythium, etc.) if used early on. I've used it to save ailing plants that have been overwatered for whatever reason. Is also good for giving plants in old potting soil a temporary oxygen boost until one can get around to repotting.

Here's a good article that concisely explains how it works:

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/botany/msg0723082232402.html

[LoreD]

Thank you, Suze.

That was the information I needed. I printed it and will use your instructions.

LoreD

[Pharmerphil]

peroxide is used widely for the application in question, a friend had her yard under water for awhile during a flood, she saved her perrenials using it, it was a little hard convincing her to add anymore liquid!