Description
Oxyplus is an incredibly useful product for the grower to have on hand at all times. It is a useful way of adding fresh oxygen to a nutrient solution. At room temperature, a nutrient solution is lucky to have 10 ppm of dissolved oxygen, which can be rapidly depleted by active roots and unless the oxygen is replaced the roots will be growing in a low oxygen environment and their performance will suffer as a consequence.
Oxyplus is also a sanitising agent. If added to the nutrient solution on a regular basis it will combat diseases like Pythium, probably the main root disease found in hydroponic systems.
The active ingredient in Oxyplus is 50% hydrogen peroxide, so great care is needed when handling this product. Gloves and eye protection is strongly recommended.
Health and Safety
- always wear gloves and eye protection
- store in a locked cupboard
- keep away from children
- safety data sheet available
What is it exactly?
Oxyplus is a 50% solution of hydrogen peroxide. This is significantly stronger than the 3% solution you get at the chemists and it is a very useful product for serious growers to have on hand.
What does it do then?
It does two incredibly useful things. The first thing it does as soon as you add it to your hydroponic nutrient tank is that it starts to slowly break down, which doesn’t sound so brilliant until you realize that one of the things it breaks down to is oxygen. The same oxygen that is in the air that you breathe, except that this oxygen is dissolved in your nutrient solution. Roots cannot do their job if there isn’t enough oxygen dissolved in the nutrient solution.
If that isn’t enough, Oxyplus will also directly kill microbes in the nutrient solution. No more root rot diseases. So at the end of the day, better plants all round.
How does it do it?
There are a couple of things to remember about the hydrogen peroxide molecule. It is really unstable. It will split and make water and oxygen all by itself. It is also a strong oxidising agent. This means it will take apart microbes atom by atom which is quite useful in hydroponics. Hydrogen peroxide is also very reactive. This means it does its job quickly and efficiently.
OK, how do I use it?
Simple. Carefully pour out the required volume of Oxyplus and dissolve it in your nutrient solution. It is a good idea to agitate the nutrient to get it spread evenly in the nutrient.
What about dose rates.
Maximum dose: 1ml of Oxyplus per 5 litres of nutrient solution will give 100ppm of hydrogen peroxide, and this is the maximum dose you can give without damaging the roots. This is the sort of dose that you should use if there is a disease in the roots.
Preventative dose: 1ml of Oxyplus for each 10 litres of nutrient solution. This will give 50ppm of hydrogen peroxide which will help prevent disease and keep the nutrient solution oxygenated.
Sterilizing the system between crops: 1ml of Oxyplus per 1 litre of water. Allow 2 hours for this, and then rinse thoroughly with water.
How often should I dose the tank?
Twice a week is a good rule of thumb. If you want to be more exact then you can buy peroxide test strips online.
Any precautions?
Oh Yes. Gloves and eye protection are a must. Keep it well away from children. Store it in a cool dark place. There is a material safety data sheet available at www.growthtechnology.com.au
What should I expect if I use Oxyplus?
Clean tank, disease free nutrient solution, healthy vigorous white roots and fantastic plants.