How to Use Hydrogen Peroxide For plants (2024)

Why use Hydrogen peroxide for plants? This common household first aid and cleaning agent is also AMAZINGLY helpful for plants. It benefits both garden and houseplants. But in this post we focus on your houseplants.

What is hydrogen Peroxide? Just regular ole water. Plus ONE extra molecule of oxygen. The chemical formulation is H2O2. It’s that extra oxygen molecule that gives us a powerful oxygenator so useful in the home and garden.

Is Hydrogen Peroxide Good for Plants?

Is hydrogen peroxide safe for plants? Hydrogen peroxide occurs naturally in Rainwater. It is perfectly safe for plants when properly diluted and used in moderation.

Adding hydrogen peroxide to water promotes better growth in plants and boosts roots ability to absorb nutrients from the soil. Diluted 3% peroxide adds needed aeration to the soil of plants and helps control fungus in the soil.

For indoor plants use 3% peroxide rather than stronger concentrations. It is safer and easier to use than more concentrated solutions.

What are the Benefits of Hydrogen Peroxide?

This powerful oxygenator helps plants in several ways. Here are three Major benefits for your housplants.

Hydrogen Peroxide…

1. Encourages and supports Plant growth by supplying oxygen into the soil. Plants absorb more nutrients and grow faster.
2. Eliminates soil fungus spores and molds. In fact it can sterilize soil of all pathogens.
3. Kills fungus gnats when used as a soil drench and deters sap sucking insects when regularly applied as a leaf spray.

How much 3% Hydrogen peroxide Do I Use?

Use 3% hydrogen peroxide for plants in these dilutions to help your plants:

• For misting Indoor plants mix 1 tsp./ cup of water. This improves aeration to your plant and deters fungus on leaves and soil. The ratio here is one part 3% hydrogen peroxide to 48 parts water.
• To help kill pests on the plant leaves like Aphids, spider mites and other sapsuckers use the misting solution above.
• Ratio of 3% hydrogen peroxide to water is 1 part h202 to 8 parts water. This is a solution for example of 1 pint Hydrogen peroxide/gallon of water. It is safe to pour as a drench around your plant roots to sanitize the soil of fungus and other pathogens. Pour the solution into the plant pot around the roots and let the pot sit overnight to drain.
• Mix 1 1/2 Tablespoons baking soda and 1 1/2 tablespoons 3% peroxide with 2 and a half gallons (approximately 9.46 liters) of water for a powerful homemade anti fungal solution that can be sprayed directly on the plant leaves. This is helpful in getting rid of powdery mildew and other leaf spot diseases.

To Help Fix Root Rot:

Applying Hydrogen peroxide aerates waterlogged plant roots . The improved oxygen circulation to plant roots can save roots in danger of root rot. And those in the early stages. Hydrogen Peroxide will kill the pathogens that cause the rot.

Drench the soil with 1 part 3% peroxide/ two parts water to kill off the bacteria causing the rot in your soil. Let the plant drain completely.

Waterlogged roots cause a Lack of oxygen to the roots. The roots will suffocate and eventually die. Hydrogen Peroxide properly applied can help.

This will also help immediately deliver much needed oxygen to the plant roots and kill off bad bacteria in the decaying roots.

I wrote a whole post on how to fix root rot and another on 7 reasons your plants has Yellowing leaves. We all run into these common overwatering problems in houseplants from time to time.

To Effectively and Safely Use Hydrogen Peroxide:

Hydrogen peroxide works very quickly… and then quickly breaks down. After it loses its oxygenating properties the benefits of using it are gone. SO you need to mix up your solution for your purpose and then immediately use it to gain the best benefits.

If you want to make a solution and keep it long term it must be stored in a dark water tight container in a cool place.

Never leave hydrogen peroxide where kids and pets can get into it.

At higher concentrations you should wear gloves when working with hydrogen Peroxide. At 3% the solution is safe for normal handling with your houseplants.

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