Alternative Oxygen Supplier In Hydroponics By Jason Uvios No oxygen, no life – this is true in case of every living object on the earth. Plants are no exceptional. Where plants differ from the animals is that they can prepare their own food through the process of photosynthesis by using carbon dioxide. Plants are greatly responsible to bring about the balance between oxygen and carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere because it is one such living form which requires both the gases at different times and puff out both of them for other’s requirement.
Use of oxygen
In hydroponics, plants use oxygen directly from the water or the nutrient solution. But have you ever thought what will be the consequence if oxygen is insufficient from this source? Is there any chemical alternative to fulfill this requirement apart from pumping oxygen through an air pump?
Hydrogen peroxide – a suitable alternative
Hydrogen peroxide is a boon to the hydroponics way of cultivation. The temperature at which the nutrient reservoir is placed is very crucial in determining the status of oxygen. Agriculturists have already shown through different surveys and experiments that at and above 70 degrees, the nutrient reservoir gradually gets warmed up and the level of oxygen also gets reduced. As a consequence this nutrient solution apart from sustaining the growth of the plants also allows the growth of viruses, fungi and other microbes. In turn once again, there is a scarcity of oxygen in the solution. This can be compensated with the use of hydrogen
peroxide.
Chemical
composition of hydrogen peroxide
What enables hydrogen peroxide
so suitable in the process of hydroponics? Hydrogen peroxide has another
atom of oxygen more than that of water. So when it reacts in the solution
it actually breaks into water and an atom of oxygen. Thus there is
a double benefit.
The hydrogen peroxide is capable of supplying
extra oxygen instantly and on the other it has the capacity to neutralize
the state of the solution. The growths of anaerobic microbes that do
damage the growth of the plants are checked by this chemical.
The
common use of hydrogen peroxide is normally termed as 3% hydrogen peroxide.
But using this specific concentration in the hydroponics process might
not be that effective. If the purpose is adding oxygen and killing
harmful bacteria then a higher concentration of 35% is more preferable.
Around 3 ml in one gallon of solution is quite effective.
Thus
make use of this alternative supplier of oxygen in hydroponics gardening whenever required.
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