I want to put my seeds in flower but wanna give 'em a good h2o2 soil and leaf cleanup.
How much 3% h2o2 to how much water should I use for soil? And at what conc for leaf cleanup?
Is it bad that it has excipients in small amounts? I think the dillution won`t be felt …(?)
Thanks
A typical soil drench consists of a .75-1% h2o2 solution. Most drug store peroxide has a stabilizer in it, I’ve used it without issue but I’d avoid the cheaper stuff that smells like vinegar.
For foliar cleaning I’d use a slightly weaker solution and wipe it with a clean sponge.
Is there a particular reason you’re doing this or is it a preventative measure?
Well, i use a 10% H2O2 solution for germinating beans, cleaning cuttings, removing botrytis bud and applying to affected area, and it has always worked like wonders.
So i dunno man! Never used it for drenching tho.
10% from my experience and research is on the upper end of safe use. I’ve used 7% without issue.
Mixing at 1% still gives the “foaming” effect when applied to infected surfaces, and I’ve found it effective in killing pythium on my roots as well as controlling gnat populations.
For foliar cleaning I'd use a slightly weaker solution and wipe it with a clean sponge. Is there a particular reason you're doing this or is it a preventative measure?
Preventive… The grow is in a dirtyish area…
What do you guys think of garlic oil spray? Or a garlic oil drench - ever try this ?
Thanks a bunch
I’m not sure of the benefits of garlic oil, though I’ve used peppermint and cinnamon oil drenches in the past as well with inconclusive results. I don’t classify any of these as part of my IPM they are more or less used when and as needed.
I’ve since moved away from H2O2 (I used to use 30% hydroponic grade) and am now using calcium hypochlorite (pool shock) as my sanitizing agent. It works great for soil drenches, is cheap, and can also be used as a fantastic surface cleaner and sanitizer.
can you pls specify your concentrations for cinnamon , peppermint etc ? Could chlorine be used, or is it too heavy?
I’m gonna do some cinnamon and lavender oil sprays in the near future, too… But I have a lot of garlic around the house… could use it with olive oi… might use the web recipes but I don’t wanna wake up to burned/diseased plants
For peppermint, rosemary and cinnamon oils it depends on oil quality but I generally add a LOT like 20-30 drops per liter of water.
I have had burning and spotting from using very high concentrations of peppermint oil in foliar sprays so as always be careful using anything directly on your plants.
Calcium hypochlorite is not the same as pure chlorine and I’d advise against using it (pure chlorine) but yes in small concentrations it would be safe to use as well. Most tap water we drink has been chlorinated and some would argue tap water has sanitizing properties when used to water plants due to this. Calcium Hypochlorite also has good staying power, breaking down much slower than other options. A bag of it costs $5 and lasts forever and I’d recommend it over chlorine, and over H2O2 as a soil drench, personally.
What is your ratio/mix for using calcium hypochlorite as a soil drench?
Thanks for the good info 
Can you tell us what is your ipm process?
Do you use the oils as a last measure ?
Have you had pests that were killed with oil drenches ?
L.E : so I did a h2o2 soil drench on my plants last night before their 12/12 schedule… they look much better, they had droopy, weak leaves 2 days ago, now they look fresh and perked up, I don’t know if the h2o2 did this or the fact that they have been finally put in flower.
Cheers m8 !
My IPM is simple.
Lots of diatomaceous earth around cracks crevices, dusted on my pots and on my soil a bit. I put that shit on everything. Catch and release predatory insects into my grow (ladybugs) and cleanliness, such as spraying down and sanitizing things when the opportunity arises. A few bug sticky traps for detection purposes. The rest is all environmental, knowing which pests you’re prone to, and knowing how to make the environment not so friendly for them, is also important. If it’s a bad gnat season I top dress my medium with sand or gnatnix, and water with a sanitizing agent every other watering. If mites are bad I’m dropping temps and increasing humidity.
If in veg and warning signs are spotted, I hit the plant with insecticidal soap and a few days later hit it with pyrethrin. Adult pests get sucked up with a vacuum.
It usually doesn’t get any further than that.
As for oils, I use them when infestations have gotten bad and they are used as more of a supplementary treatment to my other processes. Peppermint scent has been proven to deter some insects so I usually spray it around my room to give it a nice smell and keep the nasties away.
I’ve used rosemary as a direct foliar spray for mites before, and it was quite effective, at least it appeared to be. Cinnamon and lavender (in allergic to lavender but have used it nonetheless) have given me inconclusive results.
Yes you are right in that assumption when H202 breaks down it will give roots organisms and such an extra O2 boost that’s why it’s always good to have a fare amount of aeration in your soil if that’s what your in just be careful to much and it could harm delicate roots also if done to much !
I’m not sure about @MadScientist but i use 1:9 or 10% or 1/10 of 3% h2o2 to water … so i guess 0.3% … that might be what he meant… 10% of 3% h2o2 and 90% water
yup, my soil is compacted and not very airy… 0 perlite and drainage is pretty sh*t
I put like ~3 mls H2O2 in 2 liters of water , it worked I guess
Ya heavy dense soil/soiless mixes are just invitations for a host of problems, I personally have veered away from perlite (floats to the surface) and only use it for seed starting, I like hydroton, rice hulls and the such and use a " coots " mix or a variation of it at times or what ever I have on me1:1:1 if peat:compost: aeration is my base mix per volume.
@ada.milea66 this is a pretty decent thread to maybe help ya get going!
(from Dirt Doctor - Library Topics, bold added by me)
’ Hydrogen Peroxide as Soil Amendment Research
Submitted to: Proceedings of Horticultural Industry Show
Publication Type: Proceedings/Symposium
Publication Acceptance Date: February 8, 2007
Publication Date: May 1, 2007
Citation: Webber III, C.L., Sandtner, S.J., Webber, C.L. 2007. Hydrogen peroxide as a soil amendment for greenhouse nasturtium production (Tropaeolum majus L.). Proceedings of Horticultural Industry Show. 26:140-144.
Interpretive Summary: Hydrogen peroxide, H2O2, occurs naturally in animals and plants, and can help protect plants from diseases or signal the plant concerning stress. In addition to its use as a disinfectant for humans and in water purification, hydrogen peroxide is approved for the control of plant diseases. Hydrogen peroxide is used to control diseases on plant leaves, roots, and cuttings. The soil can also be treated with hydrogen peroxide before a plant is started in the soil. There are also common reports that hydrogen peroxide provides additional growth benefits beyond its ability to control diseases and help the plant deal with stress. The objective of this research was to determine the effect of soil applications of hydrogen peroxide solutions on plant growth and flowering. Container grown nasturtium seedlings cv. Scarlet Glean Improved were irrigated with either distilled water, tap water, or hydrogen peroxide solutions. The hydrogen peroxide treatments included adding 1.3, 13, or 26 teaspoons of hydrogen peroxide to a gallon of distilled water. Distilled water was used to be sure there wasn"t something else in the water that was helping or hurting the plants. Hydrogen peroxide applications did affect the nasturtium leaves, stems, roots, and flowers. Nasturtium leaves and stems, and the total plant (leaves, stems and roots) dry weight were greater when using 1.3 teaspoons/gallon than the 13 teaspoon/gallon. Twenty-six teaspoons/gallon resulted in more root growth than using 1.3 teaspoons/gallon. Flowering was also better when using 1.3 teaspoons/gallon than either 13 or 26 teaspoons/gallon. The results indicate that watering with 1.3 teaspoons of hydrogen peroxide/gallon of distilled water did provide growth and flowering benefits to nasturtiums grown in containers, although the results were not as great as the non-scientific reports would suggest. The difference between our results and what many people generally report may be the benefit of hydrogen peroxide decreasing or eliminating diseases in the soil containers rather than it directly helping the plant grow better.
Technical Abstract: Hydrogen peroxide, H2O2, is a highly reactive oxidizing agent naturally occurring in plants and animals. Plants produce hydrogen peroxide to destroy either infected plant cells or the pathogens within a plant. Hydrogen peroxide also acts as a stress signal to plants. It is approved for the control of microbial pests, fungi and bacterial that cause plant diseases and it is applied as a foliar spray, as a dip for cuttings and roots, and as a pre-planting soil treatment to prevent or control plant pathogens. There are also anecdotal reports that hydrogen peroxide provides additional growth benefits beyond its actions related to plant infection or plant stress. The objective of this research was to determine the effect of soil applications of hydrogen peroxide solutions on plant growth and flowering. Container grown nasturtium cv. Scarlet Glean Improved seedlings were irrigated with either distilled water, tap water, or hydrogen peroxide solutions. The hydrogen peroxide treatments included 0.005% H2O2 (1X), 0.05% H2O2 (10X), and 0.1% H2O2 (20X), which are equivalent to 1.3, 13, and 26 tsp/gallon of 3% hydrogen peroxide. The foliage and root fresh and dry weights harvested at 22 days after initiating treatment (DAIT) and the fresh weights at 33 DIAT were not significantly different as a result of the hydrogen peroxide concentrations. Hydrogen peroxide concentrations significantly impacted the foliage, root, and total dry weights at 33 DAIT. The 1X concentration of hydrogen peroxide produced significantly greater amounts of nasturtium foliage and total plant dry weights at 33 DAIT compared to the 10X concentration, but it was not significantly different from the distilled and tap water applications. The 20X root dry weights were significantly greater than all other treatments except the 1X hydrogen concentration. The 1X concentration produced significantly greater total number of flowers than either the 10X or 20X concentrations and 64 and 57% greater numbers of flowers than the distilled and tap water treatments. The results indicate that watering nasturtiums at the tested hydrogen peroxide applications rates did provide slight growth and flowering benefits to nasturtiums grown in containers, although the results were not as great as anecdotal reports would suggest. The most likely explanation for the anecdotal reports of dramatic growth stimulus of hydrogen peroxide watering solutions may be a result of hydrogen peroxide decreasing or eliminating diseases in the soil containers rather than it serving as a direct stimulus to the plant.’
Thanks for the info, I had an infestation and cleaned and bleached the tent. Now with new plants inside I would like to spray them as a preventive. I see you recommend 20-30 drops per liter. For a preventive action, what would you think should be the correct dose? Cheers …
The rosemary I cant remember the dosage but was very strong and I remember the smell was incredibly overpowering. I also tried homemade rosemary and cinnamon oils and they also seemed to be effective at treating for various pests.
I’m knocking on wood here but since I switched to smaller scale growing my pest issues have been near non existent. Blame it on the smaller scale, the fact I dont grow in soil/promix anymore, or the fact I keep things sealed pretty tight and always follow best practices when around my grow space.
Outside is a whole different story I still have a lot to learn in dealing with infestations outdoors.
Has anyone just poured H2O2 over their plants before?
Picture ID this bug anyone? - #14 by MyrtleGroundsI’ve put waaaay too much in a DWC setup & fried it. 
