need chemical to help stop rotting in hydroculture

toronto.and.brisbane

9 years ago

hi all..... I"m sorry this isn't a hydroponics question but hydroculture...although you may be able to help.

I wanted to know what you'd recommend for the water trays to prevent bacteria or virus growing and spreading to the plants.

As it is most of my geraniums are not happy ... first time growing cuttings in perlite only ... i've used wicking on them before and they were fine.

I know i contributed to the problem by having the water level too high and they were standing in water.

I also could have cleaned them much better when i originally rooted them. I should have stripped every tiny leaf, stem etc. that would later be surrounded by moist perlite.

Also i used clay pots which i thought would allow more oxgen around the roots like fabric pots do ... boy was that wrong.

As i said i did wick them before for years ...and the medium was heavy ... they did fine.... i thought that as a medium perlite is the most dry i can get and still have wicking ... maybe i should mix it with sand in the future? Although i can imagine the size might not work, maybe gravel then?

A couple of days ago i pulled all the geranium cuttings out of their communal pots, cleaned the cuttings best i could and re potted the ones with root systems in individual plastic cups.

Anyway ... i put cinnamon inside one pot ... a lot of it ... 1/2 teaspoon in a ? 10 oz cup... it's a do or die experiment.

I have neem oil ... can that be safely put in the water supply?

is there another chemical i can use which might help?

any advice is gratefully appreciated.

thanks ... silvana.

(the other plants i have under this system are philadendron moonlight, sanseveria (will transfer both to hydroton balls) and african violets (they seem fine in perlite). I also have some experimental cuttings of sage and rose.

i started with perlite because i could not get hydroton ....at the time ... i have some now but am hesitant to put mildewed/rotting geranium pieces in there ... perlite feels more resistant to spreading rot.

I also like working with perlite because it is more accessible in remote areas than hydroton ... but i am happy to use both.

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Comments (3)

cole_robbie
9 years ago
Hydrogen peroxide is what you're looking for.

In the future, once you get the air:water ratio correct in your media, you shouldn't need the peroxide.
toronto.and.brisbane
Original Author
9 years ago
;) thank you Cole-Robbie ... I was going to use it this weekend but am embarrassed to say my bottle has expired. I'll get some tomorrow....

i'm going to the drugstore and they sell 3/%.

is one tablespoon of 3% HP to one cup of water too strong if it will be sitting in the water for a few days?

How long should I use it ... ? one month?

thanks silvana.
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cole_robbie
9 years ago
If you're pouring it into stagnant water, you don't need to dilute it at all. As a general rule, don't give your plant anything that would burn your own skin. Dilute the drugstore to 2 or 3 parts water, and that should be fine for the plant. You'll have to experiment to find what works best for you.

Also, I hope the peroxide works, but remember it is just a band-aid for a larger problem. Try to find a method that works without the peroxide. If you aerated the solution with an air pump, that would tip the aerobic/anaerobic bacterial balance in your favor, and then you would not need the peroxide.

Good luck!