A must know gardening tip - All about using hydrogen peroxide for plants and gardening.

 

Hydrogen peroxide is common in our first aid kit. But, how many of us are aware that hydrogen peroxide is also common in gardening. Hydrogen peroxide provides immense benefits for plants. We will discuss in detail about how hydrogen peroxide benefits plants, how much hydrogen peroxide is safe for plants,  how to use hydrogen peroxide for plants and many more details.

Now, let's see what are the benefits of hydrogen peroxide to plants.

Hydrogen peroxide is very effective in maintaining a healthy root system.It treats root rots.

Apart from this it is used for
1. Hydrogen peroxide actually releases oxygen and provides additional oxygen supply to roots, thus promoting vigorous growth of plants.
2. Pest control
3. As a foliar spray that prevents fungus
4. Pretreating seeds
5. Treating soil fungus
6. Accelerate germination: Soaking the seeds in a weak solution of hydrogen peroxide will enhance sprouting rate immensely.

With so many benefits to plants what is that which exactly makes hydrogen peroxide beneficial to plants?

Similar to water, hydrogen peroxide is also made up of the same atoms of hydrogen and oxygen, except that hydrogen peroxide has one additional atom of oxygen and this is what gives it the beneficial properties.

We might also wonder, if hydrogen peroxide is harmful to plants?

After looking into the make up of hydrogen peroxide, which is very similar to water, hydrogen peroxide is definitely not harmful to plants, provided it is used in diluted quantities. Generaly 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide is the one which is commonly available in stores. They can also go upto 35%. When it comes to gardening purposes, 3% hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is safe for plants.

The next common question is that, how much hydrogen peroxide should I use for the plants?

To give your plants a good boost of oxygen and to control the pests, dilute 5ml of 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide in 240 ml of water and spray it on the plants. If you want to treat plants with root rot or fungal infections, dilute 15 ml of hydrogen peroxide in 240 ml of water.

If you want to use hydrogen peroxide for a larger area of your garden, then consider using 35% hydrogen peroxide solution and dilute 1 part in 10 parts of water.

Once we know the amount to be used we also have the question, how often should hydrogen peroxide be used for the plants?
We can water the plants with hydrogen peroxide solution once a week and we can also use hydrogen peroxide after it rains.

5 extra nourishing homemade liquid fertilizers made with weeds in your garden - Gardening ideas for beginners.

Using homemade fertilizers for the garden has become an area of interest for almost every gardener. Gone are the days when we need to look upon the inorganic chemical fertilizers to keep our vegetable garden, indoor plants and other plants in our garden flourishing. These are also expensive. Let’s look into some easy to make liquid fertilizers. These fertilizers are made from certain plants in the garden and also from weeds which are generally considered as a hindrance to plant growth. Here are some gardening ideas on how to convert the useless weeds into nourishing homemade organic fertilizer. Gardening for beginners will also become easy with these homemade fertilizers. 

We will look into a list of 5 liquid homemade fertilizers, which you wouldn’t have known. We will also look into the benefits of each liquid fertilizer and here is the list of overall benefits of using such homemade liquid fertilizers for your plants. 

Benefits of weed fertilizer for plants:

• Enhances the proteins synthesis in plants, thus making the plant build up its structure well

• Prevents stunted plant growth and improves yield

• Reduces pest and other  plant infections

• Increases root growth

• Makes a strong cell wall, thus preventing plant damage

• Enhances the productivity of plants

• Increases foliage health

1. Alfalfa liquid fertilizer:

Alfalfa which is generally used as a livestock feed can also be used to feed your plants a nourishing food. Alfalfa is rich in potassium, folic acid, vitamin A, nitrogen, calcium and also contains other trace minerals. It is actually a weed that can be used to produce a nitrogen rich fertilizer tea for your plants. 

2. Comfrey liquid fertilizer: 

Comfrey is actually a shrub that grows up to 5 feet tall, in the backyard. This is rich in magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, vitamins A, B and other trace minerals. Comfrey fertilizer can actually add that extra required dose of phosphorus and magnesium to your plants. 

3. Willow liquid fertilizer:

These weeds contain high amounts of growth hormones and thus willow liquid fertilizer can be used to feed transplants and seedlings. 

4. Horsetail liquid fertilizer:

Another important liquid fertilizer made from weeds is horsetail liquid fertilizer. This is actually rich in iron, silica and potassium. Iron and silica are generally not found in other weeds, because these horsetails grow deep rooted and thus draw up the nutrients in deep soil. Using this to make your fertilizer tea will actually boost the nutrients for your plants. 

5. Stinging nettle liquid fertilizer: 

One caution while handling stinging nettle is to wear gloves as these are itchy when they come in contact with skin. Otherwise, stinging nettle liquid fertilizer is an excellent natural insect repellent, and also resists fungal attacks. Stinging nettle when used as a fertilizer for your plants provides iron, zinc, selenium, boron and magnesium which are rarely found in other fertilizers. It is also a rich source of calcium, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. 

How to make these fertilizers?

These fertilizers are just to be made in the same way as making any weed fertilizer. Here are the steps to make any liquid fertilizer using weeds.