Ionizer (o3) and Plant Problem

Hi All,

Recently relocated a 4ft ww plant to a friends place. He left the ionizer in the room it was in on for 24 hrs straight and we when checked on the plant all the leaves were shrunken and wilted, but not completely dead. After the ionizer was shut off and a watering it seemed to be springing back to life.

Has anyone had this experience before or know of any research on it?

Thx

it killed the plant?

Not, but hurt it bad... when I last left it it had recovered after a few hours but what happened was the leaves had all curled up, but were still green... wilted...

is it possible it had something to do with the move itself.. and when you gave the plant water maybe that all it needed?

while we're on the subject an ionizer is just to neutralize the odour right? how exactly does that work.. just curious something to do with charging negative and positive ions or something .. think i heard that somewhere

no the move was fine... it had been there a bit before this happen and was doing very well... it was definitely correlated with the ionizer... now that its been turned off it seems to be getting better...

i'm doing research as to how plants are affected by o3.... and search continues... if anyone has anything to contribute please do....

thx

yea, i remember reading something about the ionizer & how the ozone it produces can harm plants.

can you tell me a little bit about what type of ionizer it was, or ionic breeze, or whatever type it was?

the ionizers in the smaller house appliances like an ionic breeze shouldnt be enough to harm the plant at all, in fact i know of one that is left on 24-7 at a friends place that causes no harm at all. the ionizers in them arent really too efficient tho they do put out the negative ions that are reported to affect not only plant growth but peoples moods

now a straight up ionizer would be a different story. if youre just using an ion generator then you should make sure you have a fan running directly in that area to keep a steady air circulation or you may suffer from ozone damage.

let me know what you have and i'll let you know if i can help

Ionization and Ozone generation are two totally different things aren't they? I believe it is the excessive ozone that can harm/cause a problem with a plant, not the process of ionization. I did some research prior to purchasing my 03/ionizer....Not alot of helpful info that I could find.

An ionizer does not produce O3 (molecular ozone), not even close. What exactly was in the room (brand, model, etc.)?

not sure of the make and model... its a friends... but it was an ozone generator, heavy-duty industrial type that was left on in a small 10 x 12 room... the concentration of 03 was so high it was very noticeable in the air (smell etc)....

yea, with an ozone generator you should keep a fan running to circulate that excessive o3 in the air so it doesnt damage the plants. i'm not sure how long you should run them tho, someone who uses one could probably cover that for ya.

so its ok to use ionizers just not ozone generators with out a big fan?

sopenderope said:

can you tell me a little bit about what type of ionizer it was, or ionic breeze, or whatever type it was?

the ionizers in the smaller house appliances like an ionic breeze shouldnt be enough to harm the plant at all, in fact i know of one that is left on 24-7 at a friends place that causes no harm at all. the ionizers in them arent really too efficient tho they do put out the negative ions that are reported to affect not only plant growth but peoples moods

now a straight up ionizer would be a different story. if youre just using an ion generator then you should make sure you have a fan running directly in that area to keep a steady air circulation or you may suffer from ozone damage.

let me know what you have and i'll let you know if i can help

Click to expand...

doesnt say all that.

HEAT STRESS
scroll down till u see ozone damage. Seems like all they know is that its typically found around the generator.

Unicks said:

An ionizer does not produce O3 (molecular ozone), not even close. What exactly was in the room (brand, model, etc.)?

Click to expand...

Some models of negative ion fountains aka negative ion generators can produce small amounts of O3 (ozone) as a by product. not all of them, but some can, Generally, these products produce far less than the .0.05 mg/hr FDA recommendation for safe exposure limit. I believe that OSHA requires that workers not be exposed to more than 0.10 /mg or ppm per eight hours, something along those lines if memory serves me correct.

It's rare a plant gets seriously ill from simple exposure to a ionizer like you described , sounds like the plant stressed during the move and the ionizer is taking the rap , now an ozone generator is another matter, to close to plants or very high doses and it's very possible you'll get necrosis in no time at all, hell you can get pretty ill from too much exposure to ozone. If it can ill mold, dust mites and remove virtually all organic smells and many chemical ones too. I think they outlawed them in parts of Canada, maybe all of Canada.

Some people are very ozone sensitive, others can tolerate it with no problem, the person I bought it from on Ebay was VERY sensitive, it was turned on once or twice, then sold on Ebay. I got a good deal, the MSRP is $599, paid $40 plus shipping. didn't even have a spec of dust on the fan or anywhere else.

Lots of people got duped by ozone generator manufacturers and a 'bit off false' advertising, mine puts out something like 500-800 mg/hour. A little bit more than the EPA recommendation of .05mg/hr

I use it sparingly and as little as possible. I generally have it on a timer when not home, on for a few minutes, then off, if not venting, the o3 dissipates in something like 30min to an hour depending on the a/c on and other factors, always off when I'm near it. If I'm home I plug it into a appliance remote outlet, then when I want it on, I hit the remote control and then off when I can smell it from the other room, (bleachy smell) then I shut it off (Usually just a couple minutes after its been turned on.) When buying a ozone generator, you really need to understand it, and understand how to use it safely.

Enough ozone talk, I'm glad your baby sprung back to life, good endings are always nice to hear, rather than having a funeral for your prized plant.

actually i have an update... the plant is dead.... 03 did enough damage that she couldnt bounce back...

pour some beer out for her... and have a good weekend...

cheers

aw sorry to hear it, i guess thats a good reason for me to start drinkin tonight. i'll pour some out for her.

good man...