I am starting up my system for this year and I thoroughly cleaned my 6" PVC tubes, reservoir and flushed the plumbing with Hydrogen Peroxide. Other post have suggested to add a little peroxide to their nutrient reservoir in between changes. Will the peroxide kill the beneficial's of my Fox Farm Nuts? Thanks guys
No, not as long as you use a little. I use 29% H2O2, and I and 3 ml/gallon. When H2O2 decomposes, it helps to oxygenate your water.
Azrider: I was told to use a cap full to a batch of nutes in my A/G. That's about 1/2 of a teaspoon and it's worked well for me.
Janemba: it's been almost forty years since I took Chemistry in college but as I recall those elements you listed are individual and 'organic' refers to a compound containing carbon. Not all inorganic compounds are bad.
thats my point, plants thrive on inorganic ions, so y do we need to deliver thses ions as organic compounds, inwhich the plant cannot use and they need beneficial micro organisims to break them down into simple ionic mineral salts for the plant to use
Janeba: H2O2, if I recall correctly, is hydrogen peroxide and you're right it's not an organic compound but I fail to see the problem. Is someone having a problem with it? A friend who's opinion I respect told me to add a cap full every day in my A/G after I check my pH to avoid pH swings and then I ran across the same advice in an article somewhere. Every day though? I don't know. I couldn't get an answer out of A/G regarding this issue and I haven't asked Technaflora, which I think I should do next, so I only add it now when I change my nutes. Maybe some one who took Chemistry less than forty years ago can give us a reason one way or another. Oddly enough it was mentioned in a hydroponics course I'm taking but we couldn't corner the instructor on how much or how often. I think that the quantity and frequency that I add it hasn't harmed my plants and I haven't had the massive swings in pH that I had before so with me the jury is still out.
H2O2 is mainly used as an antimicrobial and if you're growing organically, you want to stay away from it. You can't use it to kill just the "bad guys". Using just a little is often worse than not using it at all, because the "bad guys" come back faster than your beni's and it's diminishing returns... While H2O2 adds O2 to your water, a few cap fulls isn't going to make any diference-or rather shouldn't make a diference-if it does, you have aeration issues ... -Loki
Loki7: Like I admitted, I took Chemistry 40 years ago and promptly forgot everything I had to learn. Some of my friends use a lot of it and that just doesn't make sense to me. I figure a cap full probably can't hurt, that's equivalent to a 1/2 teaspoon, and I have to admit that it did slow down my Hp swings. Or it was a hell of a coincidence. My friends and I aren't using the same nutes and they have since moved on to other forms of hydroponics, mostly bubble buckets and spray tubs. I've happily stayed with my Aerogardens.
I just use regular old 3% from WalMart and it works fine! I add about 1/2 cup to my DWC (18 gallons) and never had any issues.
what? i never said anything about h2o2 not being organic and thats a problem... but thats really interesting what u said about H2O2, ive been reading up on my chemistry and how pH works. i dont know if H2O2 acts as a buffer, i know a high tds will act as a buffer to an existent. i wonder how adding more H+ and O+ will play out in a solution. u just made me want to study up on chemistry again...
Its all dependent on your setup and nutrients, if your working with beneficial bacteria's like in soil or organic hydroponic nutrients then you never want to use h2o2. If your using a chemical hydroponic nutrient you can use it regularly both to help keep the system steril and add oxygen to the root systems. If your already well oxygenated and have good circulation like in an aeroponic system then its pretty much pointless unless your trying to fight an infection. I use it w/H&G but will probably stop when I begin using there root stimulator, except for cleaning between grows.
There's a saying in Spanish that my sainted grandfather frequently said as he took his one and only shot of Tequila before bed time, it translates to: "a little poison never hurt anyone." What ever good it does, a single cap full of hydrogen peroxide doesn't seem to hurt.