How Much Does Co2 Speed Up Flowering Time?

Im growing Jack Herrer in Hydro running co2, constantly at 1500 ppms. Great conditions, no limiting factors.

its a 70 day strain, any ideas how soon it may finish with co2, or is there not a significant difference?

If it's a 70-day strain, then it will take 70 days, with CO2 or without it. Maybe using CO2 will shorten ripening by a couple of days, but don't count on it, use a magnifier and inspect the trichomes for ripeness.

FYI the seedbanks usually advertise a shorter ripening time than is actually required, and the sativa dominance of the Jack Herer strain will mean that it will probably take longer than that.

not at all

you can try using gravity from humboldt countys

heard that cuts up to a week off flowering but can slightly reduce yield... at least what i heard from a few local medical growers i know

i personally havent tried it yet

I don't think anything actually speeds up flowering AND results in good buds. C02 will definitely increase yeild (assuming all other climate conditions are met), but I doubt it will speed anything up. I personally advise you against buying anything that "speeds" up flowering. I don't understand why anyone would want to speed up flowering anyway. My favorite part of the grow is waking up every morning and seeing a bigger, happier plant, with bigger, happier nugs; chopping the plants makes me cry. Patience is the key man, it's really the key to everything in life, according to my latest acid realization.

axl said:

any ideas how soon it may finish with co2, or is there not a significant difference?

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I found that when I went to hydro and CO2 that my flower time dropped about 2 days on 56 day plants to 54. I figured mostly that the decreased time was from CO2 but i never controlled for hydro.

The literature is full of plants growing bigger, faster and ripening faster because of CO2. In 1993, Vegetatio, which was the #1 journal for plants up until 1997 and the precursor to the journal Plant Ecology did a 2 issue series, Vegetatio. Vol. 104/105, Jan., 1993 titled 'CO₂ and Biosphere'. In those issues are 50+ white papers providing field and lab data showing, sometimes massive, increase potential of CO2 across a wide variety of conditions. Over and over again I read on grow sites that 'unless everything else is perfect, CO2 will have no benefits'. It is my opinion that that is completely false and not supported by the literature or the data. CO2 is a limiting factor always. Increasing CO2 to optimal levels will only help conditions, even if something else is wrong. While there might not be a cost benefit because something else in the garden is off, from a biochemical point of view, elevated CO2 is better.

I hadnt noticed that the product gravity decreased time but it definitely increases yield.

Thanks guys. I have a vacation booked right around the time I expect the plants to be near finishing, that's all. I remember reading that co2 speeds flower time in one of my books. I trust that it won't, I have no experience, it's my first time running co2

ecofrog said:

Over and over again I read on grow sites that 'unless everything else is perfect, CO2 will have no benefits'. It is my opinion that that is completely false and not supported by the literature or the data. CO2 is a limiting factor always. Increasing CO2 to optimal levels will only help conditions, even if something else is wrong. While there might not be a cost benefit because something else in the garden is off, from a biochemical point of view, elevated CO2 is better.

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QFT!!

I too have seen this claim and I think it's bad advice and keeps some people from trying co2 supplementation. Light is the limiting factor at atmospheric co2 concentrations. If not everything is optimum, you still get an advantage from co2. As long as you have enough light, even if your nutes aren't dialed in perfect, the co2 will allow photosynthesis to proceed more rapidly. If you're plants are growing or making flowers, carbon fixation is occurring and will always help them to have more carbon available to them.

It doesn't speed up dick. It just increase yields and may increase potency. In theory it may speed up vegging times though since the plant is getting larger faster.

Ronjohn7779 said:

It doesn't speed up dick. It just increase yields and may increase potency. In theory it may speed up vegging times though since the plant is getting larger faster.

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Increase potency?? Wrong. Just listen to what potroast said, nuff said

I am very pleased with the results of using co2 so far. In fact i regret letting my plants get too big in veg because they absolutly exploded way beyond what i anticipated and its a mess in my tent. Next time i will literally have to only veg for a week or so. I am running 2 1000's in a 5x10 tent so light wont be a limiting facotr and the leaves are green so i know the nutes arent too low, and i am running my exhaust fan enough to vnet the smell, so i agree with above, its not as intimidating or difficult as i have read.

Cereall said:

you can try using gravity from humboldt countys

heard that cuts up to a week off flowering but can slightly reduce yield... at least what i heard from a few local medical growers i know

i personally havent tried it yet

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why would anyone wanna reduce yield to save a week? your going to grow and care for these plants for months and then a week before they are ready cut them early and waste all that time you put in it...lol all to save 7 days? lol seems silly to even say it outloud

303 said:

Increase potency?? Wrong. Just listen to what potroast said, nuff said

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I didn't say will...I said may...may meaning not in all cases. I could see it increasing potency if your room already was low on CO2 (i.e. didn't have enough in it or a way of getting it). Thats what I was speaking about.

@ AXL,
Co2 will help finish earlier..
i have a 70 day strain which is Tangerine dream from barneys farm. this is my 3rdtime using co2 with this strain and my first time i grew it with co2 it finishes about 3 days earlier. then the second time i finished about a week early..and now im into 6 weeks so i will let u know when i finish!

Carlos24 said:

@ AXL,
Co2 will help finish earlier..
i have a 70 day strain which is Tangerine dream from barneys farm. this is my 3rdtime using co2 with this strain and my first time i grew it with co2 it finishes about 3 days earlier. then the second time i finished about a week early..and now im into 6 weeks so i will let u know when i finish!

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I have noticed this thruout lots of strains. While I agree that one needs to check with a magnifying glass, the results ive seen in a few days earlier.

Another reason for this could be that my temp's are slightly higher when i am running CO2 and temperature determines reaction rates which speeds things up. So while in that case, CO2 isnt the direct cause, it enables the cause and good enough for me.

i thought it just increases yeilds

potroast said:

If it's a 70-day strain, then it will take 70 days, with CO2 or without it. Maybe using CO2 will shorten ripening by a couple of days, but don't count on it, use a magnifier and inspect the trichomes for ripeness.

FYI the seedbanks usually advertise a shorter ripening time than is actually required, and the sativa dominance of the Jack Herer strain will mean that it will probably take longer than that.

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Totally agree. You are not god. A bottle of some magic CO2 at the hydro store will not make the plant flower quicker. If i want to turn 40 years old, I cannot go buy a magic drink that speeds up my aging process. The same is true in nature, with weed. If it takes 9 weeks, it will take 9 weeks. sory bro

im guessing most of the ppl sayin it doesnt speed things up alittle, dont use it

well regardless of the speed of flowering, the co2 has helped substantially. I am blown away by the differnce, i have the same strain in two differnt tents, though one is soil, the co2 im running with hydro. There at the same place in flowering and the co2 rooms buds are literally over twice the size of the soil, non co2 tent. I dont think comparing it to a magic bottle is a fair analagy. co2 for plants is a fundamental component in its ability to uptake and utilize nutrients, magic bottle implies outiside non essential source, however, co2 is essential.

Eithe way i am in luck, my jack herrer sativa, which i thought would take a long time, seemed to pack on dense sort of hazey indica type nugs and its going to beat my ak 47 from serious, i started the flush today, at day 40 and plan to pick at 54 if they seem ready, but there close to done already. And my ak47 are swelling now and will definatly be done in time. I only asked about the co2 because its my first time and i have a vacation planned at the 70 day mark. I watned to be chopped and hung to dry before leaving. I grow year round, so sometimes i interfere with vatacations, notihin i can do about it, comes with the territory.

i wouldn't worry if its close to finishing. itll be some more perky smoke, mayb something different than usuall. i stop co2 a week before harvest and lower nutes by about a 1/3 to 1/2, and lower temps from 70-95 to 70-80. if its winter and i can i go down to 65 at night.