Recently people (including me) have been talking about using hydrogen peroxide (3%, available OTC) when repotting or as a cure for various rots that occur in orchid growing. I decided to research its use and have questions for the plant physiologists that remain on the list.
I haven't found any reports that support the claim that hydrogen peroxide stimulates root growth or root branching. Is there any science that supports that notion? One of the cattleya growers I respect touts this notion. He cites Marschner when talking about plant physiology, so I took it upon myself to think there may be something about roots in that book. I looked through my copy of Marschner ' Mineral Nutrition of Higher Vascular Plants', however I don't find any. A Google search finds articles on potassium uptake being mediated by hydrogen peroxide, but not much else.
Google reveals several articles written by hobbyists about the addition of peroxide to hydroponic solutions in order to increase the oxygen available in these fluids, and also by marijuana growers seeking to increase the oxygen available to their plants at the root zone. However I do not think that the transient effect of peroxide chaging to oxygen would really be of benefit to plants in general cultivation. As far as I recall plants produce oxygen as a waste product, and the air required at the root zone is atmospheric air = containing N2 and CO2 etc, not O2 specifically. I recall that one doesn't want to smother the root zone because roots do need air, but not O2 in particular, no? So use of peroxide to increase oxygen to the roots is a wrong idea, yes?
So. Now I'm really confused. Add to that Paraquat - the herbicide - acts by allowing light to change its active ingredient to peroxide over time which then destroys cell membranes and eventually the plant. I can only assume that Paraquat is formulated to be 'sticky' when used as an herbicide and that the effect takes place over time. Whereas use of peroxide (3%, straight from the bottle) is more dilute and transient in its effect. Else my collection and my friend's collections would be dead, dead, dead!
So, what's my question?
Well, I'm not sure! LOL!!
I'd like to get a sort of discussion going about use of peroxide in orchid cultivation. I'm finding there's much about peroxide use that makes me wonder about the appropriateness of its use as a preventive in orchid cultivation. Also I can't rectify the fact that using peroxide hasn't killed any of my plants yet. Other than to ponder whether there's no harmful effect at 3% (too dilute), doesn't cause problems when topically applied or the chemical change too transient to be deleterious.
TIA,
K Barrett N Calif, USA
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