I use co2 tank and reg. I like it. Huge difference from when I didn't use it. My temps are low 70's. I don't care what anyone says, imo, plants use co2 at any temp. I mean sht, we'd have some huge problems in this world if plants only used co2 between 80-85F. But ya I use it and like it. Some believe the Earth is flat, I think its round! Try it. If you like it then great, if you don't then sell it. I picked up a co2 reg new on Ebay $40 with shipping....it outlasted my POS Hydrofarm junk. If you can find a tank cheap on craigslist...and don't like it, you'll have your money back in a week.
So how many people use CO2 on their grows, and whats the results like?
- Thread starter Nodgman
- Start date
acellular
Member
The root requirements are completely different from what is most optimal above ground. The roots need maximum O2. You don't want to pump any co2 into your rez/buckets. That's why if you're running co2 you should run a tube from the intake on your air pump to another room or get it from outside air. Your post implies that you have no clue what you're talking about.
i use co2 in a 1.2 by 1.2 sealed room 7 seconds every 4 mins with no extract fan . it has almost given me between 30 and 40 percent more sticky green stuff. yes it did pay fer itself . i gave co2 about one third way into flowering up to when i stopped my nutes . well worth the effort
Ibex
Active Member
Roots always breathe oxygen, leaves always breathe co2, the amount needed for optimal growth (ppms of co2) is different for day compared to when they "sleep" at night. The more oxygen you can give your roots the better in hydro.
This is also what has been said as an advantage of smart pots over plastic bags.
Unclebaldrick
Well-Known Member
Saw some talk on this thread about using LEDs in a CO2 environment. I don't use LEDs so I can't say from experience, but my understanding is that more intense light is required to benefit from enriched CO2. Doesn't matter if you run a 2x2 or 20 x 20, but your lighting does matter (from what I understand to be true).
Yes to CO2 with HIDs. You should treat it with care however. It'll amp up your plants metabolism so any screw ups will have amplified effects. Another side effect I have seen is that a grower will try to maximize the time a tank lasts by setting their temp and humidity triggers a little too high. This can lead to a number of problems. Don't let your desire to boost your yield ruin your crop. My best guess on the yield bump is 15-20%.
One of the biggest differences i have noticed is an increase in growth sites. More bud sites. Bigger, denser buds. I can't say that I have noticed a reduced time-to-harvest.
Yes to CO2 with HIDs. You should treat it with care however. It'll amp up your plants metabolism so any screw ups will have amplified effects. Another side effect I have seen is that a grower will try to maximize the time a tank lasts by setting their temp and humidity triggers a little too high. This can lead to a number of problems. Don't let your desire to boost your yield ruin your crop. My best guess on the yield bump is 15-20%.
One of the biggest differences i have noticed is an increase in growth sites. More bud sites. Bigger, denser buds. I can't say that I have noticed a reduced time-to-harvest.
cc2012
Well-Known Member
Not got round to messing with CO2 yet, but been looking into it since I Started reading up on Growing...did find this Article a while a go..Can't remember off what site or who wrote it...but Respect to Author/originator of the idea...caught my eye n seems like a affordable Introduction to CO2 -
Simple Fermentation DIY, CO2 producing setup
So yeah, I just finished making my Homemade CO2 Setup and so far It is looking SHWEEET! I am using the fermentation method and it looks like it works great! I made a bubbler for the tops of the bottles to prevent bacteria from getting into there and see results, then from the 2L bottle the 5mm tubing runs gingerly around the plants for optimal use of the CO2...
I Got PiCS of everything and the final setup here in the album.
Stuff that you need...
- 2L pop bottle +2caps
- 3" of 1 1/4" Clear Vinyl Tubing (something with a bit of stretch)
- 1.5m of 5mm tubing
- 15ml Yeast (I used dry baker’s yeast but
apparently Champaign yeast is the best)/ 480ml Sugar/ 2L Water
- drill with bits
- epoxy (waterproof)
To make the Bubbler on top:
-cut the 1 1/4" tubing to about 2.5" in length.
-Drill 5-6 super tiny holes (1/32" - 1/16") through one cap and one 5mm or 7/32" hole through the other, clean them all out and set aside.
-Soak the Tube in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, so it will have a little stretch to fit around the bottle caps.
-Push the bottle caps into the tube and stretch the tube around until flush with the bottom of the base of the cap.
-Let harden for couple hrs...
-Fin. Set aside...
To Make the Fermentation Mixture:
-Warm the 2l in a pot on the stove and dissolve the 480ml sugar, stirring constantly, as soon as all of the sugar is dissolved take it off the heat. Stick a thermometer in the sugar-water solution and let it cool to 38° C, this is the optimal temperature for yeast to activate, too hot will kill the yeast!
-Add the 15ml of yeast, stirring constantly, until it mostly looks dissolved.
-Let the mixture activate for half-hour to an hour before poured into the bottle.
Clean up a pop bottle with soap and water, bleach if you really want and make sure it is really well rinsed out. Add the fermentation solution to your newly cleaned out pop bottle almost to the top, probably 1.8L total, fill the bubbler from the bigger holed side and quickly screw it on to the top of the 2L without squeezing the bottle (it will suck all of the water out of your bubbler) you should notice small bubbles start to come through, that is the CO2, stick your 5mm hose through the hole, not into the water, just above the surface of the water; and wrap the other end (poked with small holes) around your plants. Now you have CO2! CHEAP!
***This Solution will last about 1week at optimal production, after that you can choose to either add more sugar to keep the yeast going or replace the fermentation mixture; if no more bubbles appear after the sugar has been added a second time then the yeast has been killed by the by-product of the co2 production, alcohol.
***THE FIRST MIXTURE does not need to be re-warmed for the addition of extra sugar!
First myth - you should add CO2 indoors because there is less co2 in a closed indoor environment than what an outdoor plant gets. This is just not true. A normal indoor situation of an inhabited structure with central heating/cooling has as much as twice the amount of co2 indoors compared to outdoors. You do not have to add co2 to equal outdoor conditions. For example, in my case the outdoor co2 is at 400 ppm (national average is 390 ppm, thank you climate change) and indoors it's 650 ppm.
Second myth - adding co2 will improve your grow. This is only true under special conditions. The reason experienced growers add co2 is that if all other environmental conditions are optimized (water, nutes, light, temperature, humidity, medium, container, ph, insects, etc.) then and only then will increased levels of co2 (typical target is 1,500 parts per million) be used by cannabis plants to grow faster. Adding co2 without dialing in your grow will not change anything. if you are just starting out then don't worry about co2 for your first few grows.
Third myth - a couple of plants in a closed closet will exhaust available co2, requiring action on the grower's part to compensate by (a) actively ventilating to bring in fresh air or (b) by adding co2. In the vast majority of cases this is not true either. Home construction of internal walls is just not that airtight. An easy experiment to test your grow room - close off any inputs you've created and turn on the exhaust - the fan will run and air will continue to be forced out of the room indefinitely. If you have a tight room you can lower the air pressure (ie create negative pressure) but you won't be able to pull a vacuum because air will leak into the room from thousands of tiny cracks. The rule of thumb for an un-vented room is a complete air exchange every two hours. That new air will have more co2 than outdoors. In addition, the higher partial pressure of co2 outside your grow room will cause co2 to migrate into your room faster than other components of air. I have checked repeatedly and the co2 concentrations in my grow room are always within 100 ppm of the rest of the house, and considerably higher than outdoors, even without noticeable negative pressure and with a closet full of plants. Unless you're growing in a refrigerator or tent or similar (or you are growing dozens of plants) you don't have to do anything to get enough co2 for your plants.
Fourth myth - carbon filters emit co2. no, they don't. Carbon filters remove smelly compounds from the air, they have nothing to do with carbon dioxide. Thanks to mydixiecrat for helping to point this out.
Fifth myth - you need expensive co2 generating and monitoring equipment to maintain the proper levels of co2 if you choose to enhance. Okay, I bought into this myth and I believed it enough to get a $400 co2 monitor and a $450 gas generator. So, I thought I'd get a little extra back from my investment. I have the gas generator running in my flowering room but nothing for my veg room. I'm going to use my monitor from the flowering room to test whether it's really possible to build a ghetto sugar/yeast co2 system that produces a steady and predictable concentration of co2. I'll keep updating this thread with results - maybe the next person can save the $850 plus propane costs with a couple of kitchen supplies. Results so far show that a sugar/yeast system is quite good at providing a relatively steady, predictable and meaningful amount of carbon dioxide.
Peace
Oh nearly forgot think you can find loads of Info/Arguments for this online....Different Folks,Different Strokes
Simple Fermentation DIY, CO2 producing setup
So yeah, I just finished making my Homemade CO2 Setup and so far It is looking SHWEEET! I am using the fermentation method and it looks like it works great! I made a bubbler for the tops of the bottles to prevent bacteria from getting into there and see results, then from the 2L bottle the 5mm tubing runs gingerly around the plants for optimal use of the CO2...
I Got PiCS of everything and the final setup here in the album.
Stuff that you need...
- 2L pop bottle +2caps
- 3" of 1 1/4" Clear Vinyl Tubing (something with a bit of stretch)
- 1.5m of 5mm tubing
- 15ml Yeast (I used dry baker’s yeast but
apparently Champaign yeast is the best)/ 480ml Sugar/ 2L Water
- drill with bits
- epoxy (waterproof)
To make the Bubbler on top:
-cut the 1 1/4" tubing to about 2.5" in length.
-Drill 5-6 super tiny holes (1/32" - 1/16") through one cap and one 5mm or 7/32" hole through the other, clean them all out and set aside.
-Soak the Tube in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, so it will have a little stretch to fit around the bottle caps.
-Push the bottle caps into the tube and stretch the tube around until flush with the bottom of the base of the cap.
-Let harden for couple hrs...
-Fin. Set aside...
To Make the Fermentation Mixture:
-Warm the 2l in a pot on the stove and dissolve the 480ml sugar, stirring constantly, as soon as all of the sugar is dissolved take it off the heat. Stick a thermometer in the sugar-water solution and let it cool to 38° C, this is the optimal temperature for yeast to activate, too hot will kill the yeast!
-Add the 15ml of yeast, stirring constantly, until it mostly looks dissolved.
-Let the mixture activate for half-hour to an hour before poured into the bottle.
Clean up a pop bottle with soap and water, bleach if you really want and make sure it is really well rinsed out. Add the fermentation solution to your newly cleaned out pop bottle almost to the top, probably 1.8L total, fill the bubbler from the bigger holed side and quickly screw it on to the top of the 2L without squeezing the bottle (it will suck all of the water out of your bubbler) you should notice small bubbles start to come through, that is the CO2, stick your 5mm hose through the hole, not into the water, just above the surface of the water; and wrap the other end (poked with small holes) around your plants. Now you have CO2! CHEAP!
***This Solution will last about 1week at optimal production, after that you can choose to either add more sugar to keep the yeast going or replace the fermentation mixture; if no more bubbles appear after the sugar has been added a second time then the yeast has been killed by the by-product of the co2 production, alcohol.
***THE FIRST MIXTURE does not need to be re-warmed for the addition of extra sugar!
First myth - you should add CO2 indoors because there is less co2 in a closed indoor environment than what an outdoor plant gets. This is just not true. A normal indoor situation of an inhabited structure with central heating/cooling has as much as twice the amount of co2 indoors compared to outdoors. You do not have to add co2 to equal outdoor conditions. For example, in my case the outdoor co2 is at 400 ppm (national average is 390 ppm, thank you climate change) and indoors it's 650 ppm.
Second myth - adding co2 will improve your grow. This is only true under special conditions. The reason experienced growers add co2 is that if all other environmental conditions are optimized (water, nutes, light, temperature, humidity, medium, container, ph, insects, etc.) then and only then will increased levels of co2 (typical target is 1,500 parts per million) be used by cannabis plants to grow faster. Adding co2 without dialing in your grow will not change anything. if you are just starting out then don't worry about co2 for your first few grows.
Third myth - a couple of plants in a closed closet will exhaust available co2, requiring action on the grower's part to compensate by (a) actively ventilating to bring in fresh air or (b) by adding co2. In the vast majority of cases this is not true either. Home construction of internal walls is just not that airtight. An easy experiment to test your grow room - close off any inputs you've created and turn on the exhaust - the fan will run and air will continue to be forced out of the room indefinitely. If you have a tight room you can lower the air pressure (ie create negative pressure) but you won't be able to pull a vacuum because air will leak into the room from thousands of tiny cracks. The rule of thumb for an un-vented room is a complete air exchange every two hours. That new air will have more co2 than outdoors. In addition, the higher partial pressure of co2 outside your grow room will cause co2 to migrate into your room faster than other components of air. I have checked repeatedly and the co2 concentrations in my grow room are always within 100 ppm of the rest of the house, and considerably higher than outdoors, even without noticeable negative pressure and with a closet full of plants. Unless you're growing in a refrigerator or tent or similar (or you are growing dozens of plants) you don't have to do anything to get enough co2 for your plants.
Fourth myth - carbon filters emit co2. no, they don't. Carbon filters remove smelly compounds from the air, they have nothing to do with carbon dioxide. Thanks to mydixiecrat for helping to point this out.
Fifth myth - you need expensive co2 generating and monitoring equipment to maintain the proper levels of co2 if you choose to enhance. Okay, I bought into this myth and I believed it enough to get a $400 co2 monitor and a $450 gas generator. So, I thought I'd get a little extra back from my investment. I have the gas generator running in my flowering room but nothing for my veg room. I'm going to use my monitor from the flowering room to test whether it's really possible to build a ghetto sugar/yeast co2 system that produces a steady and predictable concentration of co2. I'll keep updating this thread with results - maybe the next person can save the $850 plus propane costs with a couple of kitchen supplies. Results so far show that a sugar/yeast system is quite good at providing a relatively steady, predictable and meaningful amount of carbon dioxide.
Peace
Oh nearly forgot think you can find loads of Info/Arguments for this online....Different Folks,Different Strokes
I previously posted that I noticed a huge difference with co2...."now" is the key word that I forgot to add. I had alot of problems when I first added my tank. I use a repurposed closet. Everything for my grow is in there for equipment. One thing that I knew is that co2 is heavier than air. My airpumps were on the floor. I didnt realize at first.....I wiped my harvest out with root rot by "just throwing" co2 at them. My airpumps pumped gutloads of co2 into my res causing lack of oxygen to the roots. Think and reconfigure your grow to accomidate co2 and not just throw a tank, timer, and reg into your roomwithout thinking of what else that co2 can affect. Airpumps etc.