I’ve seen posts here, discussing the use of H2O2 to help seeds germinate. It seems (unless I missed it) that no one’s certain about the best concentration to use. I found a journal article, published in 2021, that answers the question:
The purpose of using H2O2 is to sterilize the seeds. Other chemicals can be used but must be washed off, so H2O2 is easier.
The researchers soaked 6-month-old seeds in a dark room overnight at room temperature, using 0%, 1%, 3%, 5%, and 10% solutions. For the next three days, they recorded the number of seeds that had sprouted, poured the liquids out, and replaced them with fresh liquids. Results:
I’m unsure why the optimum concentration is unclear to some, given my post’s title, text, and figures.
The researchers tested several concentrations and the results show that 1% worked best.
It’s true that off-the-shelf H2O2 is usually a 3% solution. Mixing it with water in a 2:1 ratio (say, 2 pints of water plus 1 pint of H2O2) yields a 1% solution.
So do you think it can be assumed (probably not) that if you water your seed that you planted direct in soil, you would get faster germination if you watered with a 1% hydrogen peroxide, or 5%. Or the soil would just equalize and no difference? Guess I can test.
@Myfriendis410 and @StevOz have raised good points about the water that should be used. The researchers used “sterile” water, which is the type used in preparing liquids for injection into humans.
My house has a water-softener and I expect the dissolved salt and additives aren’t great for plants. I have only a few, so buying distilled water (as @Myfriendis410 suggests) is practical.
Two points from the article that deserve emphasis are:
(1) The seeds sprouted in 1% H2O2 also did better later, when they were transferred to soil
(2) The 10% solution was lethal.
If you’re mixing 3% peroxide with water in that ratio, your concentration is ((0.05 * 0.03) / (1 - 0.05 * 0.03) = ) 0.0015, or 0.15%.
Very well could have been
In-between bumping the head on the often, the green and the beer i ain’t got a clue
Just did it with an Auto shortly after the above post
I must remind myself that short-term memory can be dicey when dealing with stoners.
Bergman, p. 27 says hard water contains beneficial nutrients. That might be why @StevOz gets better germination with tap water than distilled.
I intend to follow the researchers’ procedure, using 1%, from now on. If I get seeds that don’t sprout anyway, I’ll know I gave them the best chance possible, given our current knowledge.
I realized that the water that goes to the hose bibs outside our house doesn’t pass through our water softener. (Duh.) So I’ll use hose-bib water for now.
thanks for sharing
