Cheap and widely available hydrogen peroxide has been reliably "registered" in home medicine cabinets for a century. In its pure form and in combination with other chemical elements, it immediately became indispensable in everyday life.
The ability to kill pathogens has turned peroxide into a universal medical remedy: it cleans the wound from dirt or pus, stops bleeding. Whitening teeth and fabrics, lightening hair, removing stains, cleaning and disinfecting contaminated surfaces - this is not a complete list of possibilities for using this truly miraculous remedy in everyday life.
Hydrogen peroxide is of great importance for the garden.
Hydrogen peroxide: history of occurrence, properties
The discoverer of hydrogen peroxide is Louis Jacques Tenard, who received it as a result of the action of sulfuric acid on barium peroxide. It happened in 1818 in France. After 55 years, the production of peroxide began in Germany. In the last decade, the annu althe volume of industrial production of hydrogen peroxide worldwide is more than 1 million tons.
Hydrogen peroxide (the simplest form of peroxides) is the scientific name for peroxide. According to the composition of the chemical formula, it is similar to water:
- Hydrogen peroxide – H2O2.
- Water - H2O.
Hydrogen peroxide and water consist of hydrogen and oxygen, but peroxide has an "extra" oxygen atom, which is easily lost, acting as an oxidizer and aerator.
In its pure form, it is a clear liquid with the following properties:
- Color, taste, smell are absent.
- 1.5 times heavier than water.
- Excellent solvent.
- Soluble with water, alcohol, ether.
- Freezes at -0, 50C.
- Boils at +670С.
- Decomposes when exposed to light, heat and alkali.
- Non-toxic, but in high concentration causes burns to the mucous membranes, skin or respiratory tract.
- Concentrated solution explosive.
Standard release - solution of various concentrations (from 1% to 98%).
Panacea of the 21st century for the garden
In the garden, whether in the garden, hydrogen peroxide in the 21st century has become the most widely used. This is explained by the fact that, being a powerful oxidizing agent and having strong bactericidal properties that kill pathogenic microorganisms, hydrogen peroxide is environmentally friendly, as it decomposes into hydrogen (H2) and atomic oxygen (O2).
The environmental friendliness of hydrogen peroxide has made it an indispensable assistant in the garden. At the same time, its properties are important:
- antibacterial;
- ability to generate oxygen.
Be aware of safety measures: all work with hydrogen peroxide must be done with gloves and with access to fresh air, so as not to cause skin burns and damage to the respiratory tract.
Disinfection of greenhouse, plant containers, tools
The use of hydrogen peroxide in the garden begins with the processing of greenhouses, planting containers, tools. In this case, the ability of hydrogen peroxide to act on bacteria, viruses and pathogenic fungi is used. This is especially important if the greenhouse, containers and tools have already been used.
For disinfection, hydrogen peroxide (6-9%) is mixed with water in a ratio of 1:1.
Capacities and garden tools are thoroughly washed with the resulting solution, and then rinsed with clean water. The same solution is used to treat the internal and external surfaces of the greenhouse (doors, windows, ceiling, walls, floor), especially in hard-to-reach places, since it is there that harmful microorganisms accumulate.
An additional advantage with this treatment is the ability of hydrogen peroxide to form a large amount of foam when interacting with putrefactive elements - this makes it possible to soften and separate infected pieces of earth and plant remains from the surface, which are then more easily washed off with water.
Soil disinfection
For a bountiful he althy harvest each year, gardeners are advised to rotate crops and, if possible, completely replace the soil in open-field beds and greenhouses.
This opportunity is not always available, and it is associated with financial and labor costs. In this case, hydrogen peroxide comes to the aid of gardeners: soil should be disinfected in the garden and garden immediately after harvesting to protect the soil and minimize the harm of pathogens remaining in the soil that adversely affect cultivated plants.
For this purpose, the following composition is used: 4-5 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide per 1 liter of water.
It is especially important to disinfect the soil that will be used for seedlings. The prepared soil is carefully shed with a 3-6% peroxide solution, covered with a film. Such processing destroys even the eggs of worms.
Disinfection of seeds, accelerating their germination
The use of hydrogen peroxide in the garden is of great importance in the pre-sowing and sowing period. Seeds must be disinfected prior to germination to kill pathogens as well as inhibitors that inhibit germination.
Processing allows you to soften the seed coat, accelerate their germination, and achieve the full development of seedlings. This can be done in the following ways:
- Put into peroxide solution for 5 minutes (30 drops of 3% peroxide solution per 1glass of water), then rinse thoroughly.
- Soak the seeds of non-germinating crops for a period of 12 to 24 hours in a 0.4% peroxide solution, then dry the seeds thoroughly.
- Moisten freshly sown seeds with a spray bottle of 1% peroxide solution.
In the latter case, not only the inhibitor is oxidized, but the container is also decontaminated.
Seedlings: watering and spraying
Hydrogen peroxide for seedlings is used to actively grow the root system of seedlings, to obtain viable and productive seedlings. Seedlings remain strong and he althy right up to the dive.
The use of hydrogen peroxide for seedlings allows you to accelerate the development of roots and leaves, because a solution of water with the addition of hydrogen peroxide is similar in chemical composition to rainwater, the most beneficial for plants. Atomic oxygen in such a solution destroys microbes, enriches plants and soil with oxygen.
Feeding
Not only watering the seedlings with hydrogen peroxide, but also the use of its solution for adult plants is an important factor for obtaining a good harvest and lush flowering of plants. This is especially important for soil with a high content of clay - in dense soil, the roots of the plant do not have enough oxygen. In this case, a solution of hydrogen peroxide (500 3% H2O2 + 4 liters of H2O) will help.
Protection, prevention
Hydrogen peroxide in the garden can also be used as a protection of vegetable and horticultural crops from pests and fungidiseases that can destroy both the crop and the plants themselves. Using a sprayer, plants infected with, for example, powdery mildew, are irrigated with the following composition: 3% peroxide (4 tablespoons) + water (1⁄2 liters).
One of the terrible enemies of garden and horticultural crops is bacterial rot, which affects the bulbs and tubers of plants and turns them into a rotting slurry. You can resist rot by spraying diseased leaves and stems of the plant with a solution with the addition of peroxide. In addition, tubers and bulbs are recommended to be soaked in hydrogen peroxide solution before storage.
The oxidizing power of peroxide affects root rot and blackleg, saving the plant from death.
For preventive treatment of aphids and scale insects, you can prepare the following composition: 3% peroxide (50 ml) + water (900 ml) + alcohol (2 tbsp) + detergent (2-3 drops).
The effect of hydrogen peroxide on horticultural crops
Hydrogen peroxide is becoming more and more widespread in the garden. In the 21st century, it turns into a kind of panacea for plants. In the gardening forums, heated discussions flare up between supporters and opponents of the use of hydrogen peroxide. Gardeners and gardeners highlight the positive effects of peroxide:
- The use of peroxide saturates the soil with oxygen.
- Adding H2O2 to tap water removes chlorine, making the water he althier for plants.
- Disinfection of soil, greenhouses and garden tools significantly reducesrisk of fungal diseases.
- Watering and spraying plants helps protect flowers and vegetables from death and wilting caused by fungal diseases.
Not only personal observations of many gardeners, but also studies by American scientists show that pre-sowing seed treatment and watering seedlings with hydrogen peroxide have a beneficial effect on the development of crops, stimulating their growth.
Thus, hydrogen peroxide is a kind of natural soil aerator, fungicide, pesticide.
Of course, the widespread use of this folk remedy should be treated critically and cautiously, because hydrogen peroxide in the garden and garden, with its immoderate use and in high concentration, can even play the role of a herbicide that destroys cultivated plants.
