Seed Germination is one of the most vital courses of a plant’s life cycle, and Soaking Seeds In Hydrogen Peroxide gives this a headstart!
If you are propagating plants from seeds, it is necessary that the seeds must germinate successfully. For improving the chances of germination, soaking seeds in hydrogen peroxide helps a lot. How? Let’s find out!
Reason Why Seeds Fail To Germinate
If you want to germinate the seeds successfully, you must consider several factors other than water and soil. Seeds have nutrients stored in them, and to convert them to energy successfully, they require a significant amount of oxygen. As seeds, when you plant them, absorb oxygen through their outer coating, it becomes essential that they can do it well.
As the seeds mature, their outer shell becomes harder and harder over time, reducing the oxygen level they absorb. To help them in the process, you can use hydrogen peroxide to soften down the outer layer.
What Is Hydrogen Peroxide?
Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is quite popular in horticulture. It has an extra oxygen atom than water (H2O). When its molecule breaks down, this extra oxygen separates from the water, acting as a supplement to plants. It also helps in germinating seeds successfully by making them absorb more oxygen.
The Effect of Hydrogen Peroxide on Seed Germination
Soak your seeds in 3% hydrogen peroxide for 30 minutes. Rinse the seeds several times with water before planting and plant them as usual. Doing this breaks down the hard outer covering of the seeds and kills any pathogen present on them. This allows the seeds to absorb more oxygen, therefore helping them sprout efficiently.
How To Use Hydrogen Peroxide?
- Take a paper towel and moisten it with the Hydrogen Peroxide solution. Make sure that you are not soaking the towel.
- Place your seeds in the towel, wrapping them completely for 18-24 hours.
- Plant your seeds the next day into the pots.
Using Hydrogen Peroxide will shave off germination time from the seeds like corn, peas, cucumber, melons, gourds, sunflowers, squash, etc. Also, if you are growing peppers, eggplants, annual flowers, and celery, it can cut a lot of time!
Can you please provide a botanical study on the effects of peroxide on germination of seeds?
No.
I tried this last year after watching a video.i decided to try it on half of my mature seedlings. and everything I used peroxide on as per your instructions died. It’s a good thing I did not use it on all of my seedlings just half so I lost half of my yield.
Don’t use pure hydrogen Peroxide, dilute 1 ounce of hp in 1 pint of water. I germinate 10yr old seeds this way. Soak in glass of mixture for 12hrs-24hrs, rinse then plant in your medium.
Hey mate if I use 3% hydrogen peroxide store bought, do I need to mix with water or do I just soak the seeds in the 3% peroxide as is straight from the bottle?
Dilute with water (1-2tsp per litre of water)
Search for ‘HOW TO CORRECTLY USE HYDROGEN PEROXIDE IN YOUR GARDEN?’ by ‘Garden Tips’ on youtube for other hydrogen peroxide uses
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Thanks Balcony Garden Web for the useful videos!
You’re supposed to use it on seeds. Not seedlings.
Why would you use hydrogen peroxide on seedlings? And how do you think the seedlings would survive this chemical?
I am cleaning the outside of my dry gourds with 100% HP. And a tiny dab of bleach spray it on the out sides and let it dry. Works like a charm
Thank you for this tip, Paige!
Hahaha plank.. it’s for use on seeds not seedlings- of course they will die as it’s an acid solution
I dip mine in solution and then plant them instead. I found the roots get tangled in the towel Doing it this way. I found that Dipping them in The solution and planting them worked just as good. I used small cups with holes in the bottom so it’s harder to over water them.
I would not soak seeds like Echinacea in 3% H2O2. Hydrogen Peroxide is pretty reactive on organic tissues. It’s actually not recommended to use in wounds any more because of how much damage it can do. Seeds with hard seed coats can stand 3% H2O2 for limited periods of time. But even for those seeds knicking/cutting the seed corner usually does the job. A safer method for Echinacea germination would be to dilute down to 1/8th (0.00375 % H2O2) dilution and soak for 12-24 hours similar what Andrew mentioned above in his 1/16th dilution. I’ve been growing Echinacea as a hobby since the early 1990s. 60 days cold stratification (in a damp paper towel in the fridge) is also important to cause the chemical changes in the Echinacea seed to get you to germination. I would never use 3% H2O2 on live plants of any age. It is too reactive. It has been used diluted to deal with fungus gnats but it is still risky to the plants.
I have trouble w fungus gnats. I’ve tried everything from nematodes to nearly killing my plants drying them out. I tried yellow sticky tape. I tried that mosquito larvae insecticide sprinkled lightly on the soil. I tried it in a recommended it in a recommended solution. No luck. I saw on browsing to try a 1:20 H2O2 solution. In 10 days the indoor gnats were nearly gone. The outside gnats I have greatly diminished. I’m slowing winning that fight. I also noticed that my plants looked perkier. I have luck w germination of different seeds. Even super hot peppers notorious for slow germination sprouted. Over past few decades I’ve been unsuccessful w moonflower seeds. I tried cold, soaking, nicking, sand paper w near zero germination. A few weeks ago I saw an article on 1:10 H202/water warm soaking w moonflower seeds. I soaked 16 seeds for 5 hours. I planted them in biodegradable peat pots filled w quality container soil, watered and forgot them. 4 days later 13 had germinated and first leaves were nearly out of seedcover. 14 days post planting all had true leaves at various stages. I began reading more. I saw articles by different respectable places who recommended stratification w H2O2. I’m a reader before trying things. I see lots of articles on H2O2 use for plants: hydroponics to prevent molds, root rot treatments and more. The one thing stressed is proper dilution of 3% H2O2. I can honestly recommended it for certain situations in proper dilution.
Use food grade Diatomaceous earth for the gnats, look it up
Hydrogen peroxide is a more effective tool for combating fungus gnats then DE. DE helps treats but does not cure.
I have used peroxide mixed with water to water plants at my garden center when plants have been in pots a long time. It definitely perks them and rejuvenates them. I only do this on occasions and when the plants just aren’t looking happy. I also use Epsom salt and water on occasions as well. They work.
Long term fan of huge peroxide use but it’s use on seeds is new to me
Does the use of hydrogen peroxide this way render the seeds non-organic?
No, it does not.
Rain water is a mixture of water, dilute H2O2 dilute carbonated water as well as nitrogen etc.
If you look up the composition of atmospheric air rain is a composition of all those gasses plus water.
so yes it’s organic tho a portion of the H2O2 is neutralized in the air by fungi and other particulates in the air there’s still a bunch that makes it to the soil.
This is why watering plants with rainwater works so well.
Used hydrogen peroxide 1:1 water and soaked the seeds for 5-7 minutes did wonders- it spouted well and seeds that were treated with hydrogen peroxide grew 3 tines faster and larger than those that were not soaked in h202
Which % of H202 did you use?
Which ratio of H202 to water should i mix with pepper seeds and which % of H202?
And for how long?
I recently started a jiffy seed tray, and tried using a 1:15 dilution of 3% H2O2 (~1/2 cup H2O2 to 7.5 cups water) to expand the peat plugs. I sowed a mix of seeds (kale, spinach, oregano, chives, peas, lettuce) and plopped them on a heat mat – the kale sprouted in under 24 hours, and all of the plugs except lettuce were showing active germination within 48 hours. Even the oregano (supposedly ‘slow an erratic’ looks like a little meadow of sprouts). Blew my mind – I’m used to waiting a week or two at least!
Thanks for the experience sharing. How long did you soak them for?
How many ML Hydrogen Peroxide to 1L Water?
ANYONE..?
Tried this with ghourds and pumpkin seeds?
Do you still clip the seed end or no if doing a peroxide soak? Thanks!!!😁
I tried it with watermelon and cantaloupe seeds. Just left it on a covered plate, and occasionally recovered with water until I had time to plant them. By a couple of weeks, they looked like they were itching to be planted. Both have been planted and they are bearing fruit.
English speakers use non-exact measurements: teaspoons; tablespoons; pints; cups… the gallon of the English which differs from that of the USA…
French speakers use international and exact measurements. Why; everyone has their own measurements?
Those units of measurement are “exact.” For example, one teaspoon equals exactly 4.92892 milliliters, one tablespoon equals exactly 14.7868 milliliters, et cetera.
metric measurements are common in most of the world, USA uses the older standard of the Imperial System (IS).
Converting from IS to metric would be very expensive so America keeps IS.
Metric is being taught in American schools and many containers are labeled in both standards.
Got a question, can I just soak seeds in 3% hydrogen peroxide or do I need to dilute it more?
I grow outdoors and in a grow tent. I’ve had success with H2O2 in combating fungus on soil in the grow tent and seed germination. Gnats I find come from certain soils like Ocean Forest and other in their line and have stopped using them for this reason. Most seeds I plant are planted direct soil in grow tent under lights then moved outside. H2O2 does speed up germination but only for some hard shelled seeds.
I wanted to respond to John as I work in healthcare. Peroxide is still widely used in wound cleaning but usually not past the first day or so as the solution breaks open new cell growth creating a delayed heal time. It is still very useful in certain situations. I’ve also used Peroxide to lower ph in ponds. So little is needed to create change and better than chemicals
Lots of uses if respectful of the dangers.
I tried this with starting my seeds and was stunned! I soaked overnight in 1 teaspoon hydrogen peroxide to 3 cups of water. After soaking I poured seeds into a coffee filter, in a colander, and then poured tap water over to rinse. I then folded the coffee filter with seeds spread and put them in marked zip top snack bags until I could plant.
In less than 2 weeks my squash, peppers, watermelon and sunflowers are 4-6 inches tall and I am having to repot since I can’t transition to the garden for another month.
This is now my go to plan! Thank you for sharing.
That sounds great! Congratulations! And thank you for the overgrowing the pot sizes warning, I’ll be sure to buy larger pots then :)
I just learnt about Hydrogen Peroxide, but ran out before I could trying soaking seeds. It worked great for seedlings (1 spray a day) and they all sprouted new leaves overnight and existing leaves became bigger :)
I place my seeds in a 1.5% h2o2 solution insidea jar with a lid. I shake the jar for 2 minutes then open it and plant the seeds. This kills any pathogens on the seeds.
Also a 1.5% h2o2 solution can be used to control root rot in many plants.