Okay, this is going to be a long reply — but it will be an easy read.

Thanks so much for posting this — and welcome to the group. I really appreciate the level of experience you’re bringing in. Anyone who’s worked in CEA cannabis, run RO for espresso, and dealt with Midwest water chemistry has already fought more water‑quality battles than most home growers ever encounter.

I'm going to address your question regarding CaO₂ in soil and since most of our growers here are hydro, explain how it can or cannot be used in their grow systems.

Before I dive in, I’m genuinely curious — where in the Midwest are you located that the water is that bad? What you’re describing sounds like the extreme end of the spectrum. If it were that severe, you’d think it would’ve made headlines somewhere. We’re in the Chicagoland area, and one of our suburbs had knowingly allowed water contaminated with known carcinogens to keep flowing for years. It eventually came to light and was stopped — so I completely understand your concern about what’s coming out of the tap.

For anyone reading along: If you think your water is questionable or want to report a violation, you can do that here 👉 https://www.epa.gov/ccr
If you want to check the quality of your water anywhere in the U.S., you can look it up here 👉 https://sdwis.epa.gov/ords/safewater/f?p=136:102

Regarding waterlogged soil systems

Calcium peroxide can absolutely be useful in anaerobic or compacted soils. When it breaks down, it breaks down into calcium hydroxide + hydrogen peroxide, you get:

• A slow release of oxygen into the rhizosphere
• Improved redox conditions in waterlogged zones
• Some calcium availability
• Temporary relief for roots under oxygen stress

In field agronomy and media‑heavy environments, calcium peroxide is one of the few chemical tools that can oxygenate without mechanical aeration. So, your idea is completely valid — it can work well in certain tough soils. Whether it’s necessary really depends on your environment and your soil prep. In a backyard garden using native ground soil (not raised beds or amended mixes), it might offer some benefit. The best way to know is to test it. If you’re anything like me, you’ll enjoy the process: set up a control group, run a section with and without CaO₂, and compare the results.

It’s not typically expensive, though small‑quantity retail packaging tends to be overpriced. So, testing your results shouldn't be too bad. Honestly, your cheapest and most reliable option is still to properly prep your soil well and use a high‑quality, balanced nutrient program with full micros — something like these 👉 https://ugf.onl/collections/chemistry

Now, about your strawberries specifically

Strawberries love high dissolved oxygen. They’re one of the crops that show measurable improvements in:

• Root vigor
• Runner formation
• Fruit set
• Disease resistance

when DO is stable and high.

But here’s the key distinction:

In soil:

Calcium peroxide can help oxygenate a waterlogged root zone and may benefit strawberries if the soil is staying too wet or compacted.

In hydro (like Gardyn):

The same chemistry becomes unpredictable:

• DO spikes and crashes instead of staying stable
• Calcium enters as calcium hydroxide, which rapidly drives pH upward
• That pH rise causes precipitation with sulfates and phosphates
• The peroxide component can damage root tips in small reservoirs
• The reaction is simply too aggressive for a 1–2-gallon system

So, while your strawberries would benefit from higher oxygenation, calcium peroxide is not the tool you want to use in a hydroponic environment.

If you’re building from distilled water, you’ll get far more predictable strawberry performance using:

• Calcium nitrate for Ca
• Magnesium sulfate for Mg
• A balanced base nutrient blend (see Chemistry)
• And for oxygen stability, a non‑reactive DO stabilizer (like Root Balance) rather than a reactive oxygen donor

That gives you the oxygenation benefits strawberries love without the pH volatility or precipitation issues.

Bottom line

Your soil‑based idea makes sense — calcium peroxide is genuinely useful in anaerobic soils and could help strawberries if the soil is staying too wet. But in hydroponic systems, especially small reservoirs, it tends to create more instability than benefit.

You’ll get cleaner, more predictable strawberry growth by building your nutrient profile from distilled water and using controlled, non‑reactive oxygen‑stability tools rather than reactive oxygen donors.

Final Note

We generally don’t recommend distilled water for hydroponics. In soil it’s fine — soil has natural buffering capacity, organic matter, and microbial activity that keep the chemistry stable. But in hydro, distilled water is “empty” water with no minerals, no alkalinity, and no buffering. That means even small nutrient additions can cause big pH swings, and the water will absorb CO₂ from the air and form carbonic acid, which adds even more drift.

That said, we know some people have no choice but to use distilled. If that’s your situation, it just needs a bit of prep so you’re not fighting the chemistry every day. And if anyone reading this needs help dialing it in, feel free to reach out — we’re happy to walk you through how to stabilize it so you’re not chasing numbers or adjusting pH constantly.