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Too much Hydrogen Peroxide can the plant recover?

Northpole69

Northpole69

I am new to growing peppers and this is my first go at it.  I started in May with some of seeds and I was watering everyday in peat trays, which I know now was a clear case of overwatering.  Then a couple weeks ago when it got colder I went from having them on my back porch to having them under a grow light indoors and they did better under the growlight.  Peat trays are crap and I now grow the peppers using the 2 cup bottom watering method.  I put Oscomote on the top of the soil for each cup and that caused the plantes to finally get out of the cotedcyle (however you spell that) and start growing leaves. 
 
However, my problem is that I am noticing white mold on some of the plants especially my favorite plant, the Chocolate douglah plant.  Now of course these plants are all small but this is all new to me so I am just happy they finally have true leaves growing.
 
Anyways, the problem is that last night after reading on the internet that hydrogen peroxide kills mold, I got a dropper and put about a milliliter and a half of 3% hydrogen peroxide on the soil and some on the leaves of my prized chocolate douglah plant.  I grow indoors and when I woke up today I noticed the previously healthy plant now cannot even hold up its own weight and fall over yet is still green etc.  At this point I read about how I was supposed to super dilute the Hydrogen Peroxide but wish I seen that first before doing it.
 
Is this plant now doomed or can I save it somehow?  I put some water through the top and left the second cup off so it can drain out.  Any help to save my favorite plant would be appreciated.  Ill put a pic from last night and a pic from this morning (top left corner plant).
 
Any help would be greatly appreciated! 
 
http://s428.photobucket.com/user/Kurt_Easton/media/before_zpsp8fnhjwn.jpg.html
 
http://s428.photobucket.com/user/Kurt_Easton/media/after_zpsldmtthzp.jpg.html
 
You've just learned the hard way to research carefully before you try something new (but hey, at least you learned from it, right?) if it makes you feel any better, be glad it was only dilute Hydrogen Peroxide you were working with, rather than concentrated Hydrogen Dioxide. I didn't read the labeling as carefully as I should have. My plants were fine, but I ended up with some rather unpleasant Hydrogen burns on my hands.

Hard to give advice on this one. My first instinct would be to flush it, but a plant that's already in a weakened state isn't going to like sitting in a lot of water.
 
it'll be fine methinks.  Probably a case of overwatering tbh.  They don't actually look bad.
 
 
I also find it interesting that your username is North Pole and you live in VA,  I just moved to AK from VA.  Welcome to THP!
 
do you have a small fan on a timer  for air flow ?   if not you may end up with a lot more plants in bad shape . especially if your watering to much      :onfire:
 
willard3 said:
Homey don't click no links: post fotos.
Click to expand...
I wanted to post photos but I couldnt find the add photo button so had to do it as a link, im new

dragonsfire said:
What kind of peroxide did you use, Food Grade or Pharma ?
I use food grade and have not had a problem with my plants.
Click to expand...
cheap .99 cent Walmart brand 3%

moruga welder said:
do you have a small fan on a timer  for air flow ?   if not you may end up with a lot more plants in bad shape . especially if your watering to much      :onfire:
Click to expand...
I dont have a fan, I just cut open a rubbermaid container and put a light on top shining in.  It is some special light for people with circadium rythm problems called a TRAVelite by Northern light technologies.  It is supposed to mimic sunlight, it is 10,000 LUX at 12 inches, I have it 6 inches from my plants and I think it is overpowering the plants that are directly underneath it.  If I knew how to post photos I would show my setup. On a budget setup that is.  I line the whole rubbermaid with tine foil and put some stuff in it to boost the plants closer to the top where the light is.  I turn the light off and take the whole top off while I am at work during the day and when I get home at night I put the lid back on and the light on and let it stay on till I wake up in the morning.  I also switched from tap water to Deerpark bottled water not sure if this caused mold issues, lack of chlorine etc.  Also, once I started using that light with Oscomote, these plants been gettin swole overtime, they really like it, at least the plants on the outer perimeter of the tray inside the rubbermaid

Helvete said:
it'll be fine methinks.  Probably a case of overwatering tbh.  They don't actually look bad.
 
 
I also find it interesting that your username is North Pole and you live in VA,  I just moved to AK from VA.  Welcome to THP!
Click to expand...
It was def a case of overwatering when I first started, and I think they are definitely recovering.  but now this white puffy mold stuff is appearing.
 
And thanks for the Welcoming everyone!
Here is my grow set up.  I did poke holes in either side about a square inch and bowed tinfoil around it.
 
http://s428.photobucket.com/user/Kurt_Easton/media/Facebook/Mobile%20Uploads/12116005_115745408783651_5869246205832694474_n_zpskqb3kmdw.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

And Just to reiterate, the only concern I have and question I have is, is my Douglah plant fuqed?  It is the only one I gave the hydrogen peroxide to.  1.5 milliliters straight 3% HP
 
Your set up to me looks like it would invite a BIG humidity problem,no matter how much or little you water.
VERY enclosed.
I'd raise the light and loose the top.
I'd bet your enclosed grow makes your grow box a magnet for mildew/mold etc - probably warm and Humid.
The plants that fall over but look green that I've grown end up being root problems from wrong conditions ,to me I see no peroxide burn,but 1 is yellow from over  watering I think.
 
Your whole setup looks like a humidity problem to me.
Young plants seem to get root problems with hot and humid conditions.
Humidity is good for starting seeds,but don't like it once they are trying to grow roots etc.
 
I stopped using 72 cell(mini Greenhouses)starter trays due to just the problem you seem to have now.
 
If I took the top off,the seeds that hadn't sprouted dried out,if I left the top on the starts had problems.
 
Now I use 12 cell starters in the 72 cell tray,put the same species in each starter-they usually all sprout at about the same time.
I just remove the 12 cell from the cover/tray when it's time.
Leave the unsprouted stuff under the cover.
It works for MY grow.
I start hundreds of seeds,keep about 200 plants over the year for my grow out for seeds.
I don't have a winter and have 2 seasons - 100 plants,2X a year.
 
I put my starts in 4 - 4 1/2 in. pots until I get a couple pods indoors for seed,then they go outside for the birds and bees to play with.
 
Too many people depend on POPULAR crap on the net.
Plants are designed to grow,by nature.
Popular stuff,most times is useless.
People that end up walking the line between killing with kindness or just thinking stuff needs more attention than the plants need.
I'm as guilty as anyone else-I look at my shelves WAY more times a day than I should.
Very hard to resist letting nature do it's thing.
I've killed a LOT of stuff over the years screwing up by thinking I needed to mess with my plants for whatever reason.
Now I still wear a trail in my floor to either show off my plants OR check them.
I just try and not do anything to them unless they are looking big time messed up - these days I pop another seed in the cell or pot the sick plant is in.
I think it pisses off the sick guy and I end up with 2 plants in that pot. LOL
 
Smoke
 
HOLD ON. 
 
There is nothing wrong with using 3% hydrogen peroxide as described. I've been doing it for years, and unless you drown the plant in it it won't even notice.
 
Your favorite plant has 'damping off' - a fungus that invades the stem at soil level.  It is a goner. 
 
If your soil is so wet that it starts to show any fungus or mold at the surface, then it is WAY too wet and damping off is almost inevitable.  Top or bottom watering, you're doing too much.  I water my starter sets from the top with an eyedropper.  Especially with a dome or lid on, flats just don't dry out that quickly.
 
Again, 3% hydrogen peroxide won't hurt the seedling.  Where I find it more useful, though, is in the germinating towel to keep down black mold in what is an intentionally too-wet environment.  Works a treat there and won't even harm the baby rootlet.
 
Also forget Osmocote at this stage.  When the seedlings finally get some true leaves you may water with a very mild fert (like at 1/4 strength or less) but it isn't necessary.  Don't use ferts at all until you get the rest of the process down cold.
 
Added:  Interesting setup, but non-optimal.  Light intensity isn't an issue.  Peppers love light and that is a perfect spectrum.  There are two potential problems:  1) Temperature, 2) Air flow.  Put a thermomoeter is the box at soil level.  If it shows 90o or higher than then it's too hot. (80-85o is better.)  Dealing with air flow will help that too.  The plants must have good air circulation both to control humidity and strengthen the stems.  Maybe you could cut holes in both ends ot the box and mount a computer fan in one end.  Or point a stand-alone fan at one hole.  You should see good movement in the seedlings if the air is moving enough.
 
BTW, I hope that the starter cells aren't sitting directly on the bottom of the box.  You want them to drain, not sit in water.
 
Good luck!
 

 
Hi smokemaster.  Good to see you again.
 
DMF said:
HOLD ON. 
 
There is nothing wrong with using 3% hydrogen peroxide as described. I've been doing it for years, and unless you drown the plant in it it won't even notice.
 
Your favorite plant has 'damping off' - a fungus that invades the stem at soil level.  It is a goner. 
 
If your soil is so wet that it starts to show any fungus or mold at the surface, then it is WAY too wet and damping off is almost inevitable.  Top or bottom watering, you're doing too much.  I water my starter sets from the top with an eyedropper.  Especially with a dome or lid on, flats just don't dry out that quickly.
 
Again, 3% hydrogen peroxide won't hurt the seedling.  Where I find it more useful, though, is in the germinating towel to keep down black mold in what is an intentionally too-wet environment.  Works a treat there and won't even harm the baby rootlet.
 
Also forget Osmocote at this stage.  When the seedlings finally get some true leaves you may water with a very mild fert (like at 1/4 strength or less) but it isn't necessary.  Don't use ferts at all until you get the rest of the process down cold.
 
Added:  Interesting setup, but non-optimal.  Light intensity isn't an issue.  Peppers love light and that is a perfect spectrum.  There are two potential problems:  1) Temperature, 2) Air flow.  Put a thermomoeter is the box at soil level.  If it shows 90o or higher than then it's too hot. (80-85o is better.)  Dealing with air flow will help that too.  The plants must have good air circulation both to control humidity and strengthen the stems.  Maybe you could cut holes in both ends ot the box and mount a computer fan in one end.  Or point a stand-alone fan at one hole.  You should see good movement in the seedlings if the air is moving enough.
 
BTW, I hope that the starter cells aren't sitting directly on the bottom of the box.  You want them to drain, not sit in water.
 
Good luck!
 

 
Hi smokemaster.  Good to see you again.

Click to expand...
Well the plant didnt fall over until I put, via a dropper syringe, 1.5 milliliters of straight 3% HP on the plants soil and leaves.  It was standing just fine with white fuzz towards the bottom of it so whether it was eventually going to damp off I dont know, but I do know it was standing just fine until I put that shit on my plant and woke up the next day and it is now as limp as a 90 year old man's wang.....  :(
All I want to know is, is the plant screwed or will it recover from the old man penis syndrome from the Hydrogen peroxide?
 
I'm with smokemaster, too humid with the lid on the container, leave it off. Too much humidity causes stems to grow weak and spindly. For the wilted seedling, stake it up and improve the airflow and it should recover. Go easy on the watering too.
 
ChiliNoob said:
I'm with smokemaster, too humid with the lid on the container, leave it off. Too much humidity causes stems to grow weak and spindly. For the wilted seedling, stake it up and improve the airflow and it should recover. Go easy on the watering too.
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Thanks for the input everyone.  After listening to all yalls advice I made a few changes to my setup.  I bought a small fan that has a Hi & Lo setting as either a heater or a cooling fan (I think the cooling setting is just a fan) and placed it by an enlarged opening I made in the container and I made an enlarged hole on the other side as well so the air can pass through the whole container.  I dont know how to attach photos so I have to keep doing the photobucket method to show my pictures.  I also lowered the plants about 4-5 inches because even thought the plants on the outer perimeter of the tray loved the amount of light, the ones in the middle directly underneath would turn light green and not grow as well.
 
I use the fan on Lo-Cool setting, figured Lo-Hot would kill the plants?
 
The first 3 are my set up now as of yesterday, and the last one is a paper clip I used to stake up the poor Douglah plant that fell over from the hydrogen peroxide.  On the bright side, the HP killed the majority of the mold on the Douglah's soil.
 
 Quetion is, do I have to have that fan running 24/7?  Or only when I have the lid on top with the light on, because I take the lid off when the light is not on such as when I am at work.  I'll have the fan and light running from 6PM - 7AM everyday, maybe longer on the weekend if you think it would be beneficial.  Also, is the paperclip (regular office depot) sufficient to be used as a stake or will it leach metal or something into the plant/soil and kill it?  Lastly, the light drys the surface off of the soil within a day, how often should I be watering these plants?  (from the bottom) The bottom of the cups retain moisture for several days.
 
http://s428.photobucket.com/user/Kurt_Easton/media/20151025_075507_zpszxt56m37.jpg.html
http://s428.photobucket.com/user/Kurt_Easton/media/20151025_075512_zpscbjvf0fc.jpg.html?sort=3&o=2
http://s428.photobucket.com/user/Kurt_Easton/media/20151025_075540_zpskoephtpl.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1
 
http://s428.photobucket.com/user/Kurt_Easton/media/20151025_075804_zps73bdvbef.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0
 
Image Tip...
 
Right click on the image on photobucket and "copy image location" then click on the icon on the post that says image, then past the link into that. then the pics will show up on your post :)
 
 
Well the plant didnt fall over until I put, via a dropper syringe, 1.5 milliliters of straight 3% HP on the plants soil and leaves.
Click to expand...
 
You could equally claim that it didn't fall over until you saw white fuzz.  Therefore it must have been the white fuzz that caused it.
 
Don't confuse correlation with causailty. 
 
 
Good on you for adding the fan.  That will help.  For watering, wait until you see a seedling or two starting to wilt.  It won't hurt them and will let you know just how far you can go between waterings.  Letting them get dry also encourages deep roots.
 
Staking up the douglah won't hurt.  If it's damping off it won't help, but it won't hurt.
 
Good Luck.
 
DMF said:
 
You could equally claim that it didn't fall over until you saw white fuzz.  Therefore it must have been the white fuzz that caused it.
 
Don't confuse correlation with causailty. 
 
 
Good on you for adding the fan.  That will help.  For watering, wait until you see a seedling or two starting to wilt.  It won't hurt them and will let you know just how far you can go between waterings.  Letting them get dry also encourages deep roots.
 
Staking up the douglah won't hurt.  If it's damping off it won't help, but it won't hurt.
 
Good Luck.
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I appreciate the help, and I am sure it was my fault for using too much pure un-diluted 3% HP, but the white mold had been on there for a few days and the plant stood up strong no problem and then 8 hours after putting the HP on it it fell over and cannot support its weight.  Im no scientist but I am a betting man and Id say it was too much undiluted HP that caused it.  
 
 
Im no scientist but I am a betting man and Id say it was too much undiluted HP that caused it.
Click to expand...
 
You would lose that bet.  As I said, I've used undiluted 3% for years with no bad effects, either on sprouts or in soil.
 
To be accurate, though, I don't put it on leaves - not because I shouldn't but because there's no point.  Do you see any leaf burn?  (If the main stem is compromised the leaves should be looking wilty now so that wouldn't be burn.  Look for curled edges or especially necrosis) 
 
I was reading that Hydrogen peroxide actually breaks down in the soil to water and oxygen in the soil and can help over watered plants by making the O2 available to the roots.  
 
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