Can you use dry ice as CO2 in your growroom?

[Norman]

So Ive been toying with the idea of throwing some dry ice in my grow tent prior to the dark period each night. I have researched a little about the use of dry ice but cant seem to find much about using it for CO2 release for plant intake. Has anyone out here on the farm experimented with this method? Any suggestions, ideas, or reasons not to use dry ice? I am not familiar with the price of dry ice, maybe its not efficient enough. I understand the regulation of its release would be nearly impossible. Lets get some good discussion of this topic! Im interested!

 

[Cort]

.

 

[treehugger]

The idea is not cost efficient, nor easily controllable. (and you don't use co2 at night)

 

[theTinker]

I've never before seen anyone doing this regularly which says a great deal given the crazy things people try (music...)

Where i live (Ireland), Dry ice would be far too expensive to try it, I'd think the Dry ice would melt far too quickly over a 12 hour light cycle to make it anything more than a hassle to constantly keep topping it up every hour.

It wouldnt be controllable in any way other than cracking a smaller hole on your 'ice box'.

Given the hassle, cost, inaccuracy of it all. A small CO2 burner would be far better and cost efficent over a medium-long term. If its a no go because of heat, It would still be far easier to add a box of ice each morning(or an evaporative cooler) to cool it than many times a day with dry ice.

All of this is invalid if you can get it super super cheap :) Even a few days a week of dry ice might be helpful!

 

[MANDINGO]

You just need to make a CO2 Bucket dudder. It only cost $6 dollars to make and $3 a week to maintain. I have one to two on every each of my tents. It keeps the CO2 ppm around 600-800 depending on the size of tent, 24 hrs a day. Plus the plants use CO2 most during lights on in flower cycle, although effective in every stage of life...

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
5 gallon bucket w/lid
1/4" Clear tubing
1- 2 chamber flow monitor (used for making wine)
2- rubber corks for flow monitor
Clean Water
Sugar
Dry active yeast for baking bread

Drill a hole in top of the lid for the 2 chamber flow monitor. Incert monitor into the lid and attach 1/4" hose.

Add 4 gallons of warm water to the bucket, add 16 Cups of sugar. Then stir until the sugar dissolves and let the bucket sit for a few hours.

Make a piece of burnt toast. Float it on top of the water. Add one tablespoon of yeast over the toast, then add the lid. After a few days, the yeast will take over the toast and start making bubbles (CO2) in the bucket.

Run a hose up high because CO2 is heaver than air and will fall on your plants. I run mine to behind the circulating fan.

After that just add sugar weekly to keep the process going. You should only have to start the yeast one time with toast. It will go for 3-4 months (one grow cycle), then do it again!

Word.

 

[Jsän]

Dry Ice is roughly $1.00 a pound here in the States. (more or less depending on location.)
1pound of dry ice evaporates (sublimates actually) to 8.7cuft of co2.
1 cu ft of Co2 will increase the levels of a 1,000 cu ft room (10x10x10) by 1,000ppm.

but since it is so hard to handle and near impossible to control the rate of sublimation, most consider it a waste of time and resources.
but YES it can and has been done. ...check youtube for a pretty awesome showing.

on to the yeast and sugar method...

When yeast breaks down the sucrose molecule, it is searching for Oxygen.
yeast doesnt "eat" sugar as most believe. it is trying to breath.
adding some molasses to your mix would help greatly.
as well as "inverting your sugar" (boil in some water with some lemon juice.)

Only HALF of the sugar weight is turned into CO2. the other half (51% really) gets turned into alcohol. As the alcohol level increases, it will kill off the yeast colony.
Bakers yeast can take upto 11-14% alcohol by vol. at MOST.

16cups of sugar is about 6lbs. or 3 pounds of Co2 released of the course of the fermentation. (7-14days)
EDIT!!! forgot the fermentation process also brings in contaminates. yeast itself is a fungus. also make sure you arent fermenting at a high PH, Ammonia can be created at higher PH.

as you can see both methods make roughly the same amount of Co2. (6lbs sugar vs. 3lbs dry ice) Tho the dry ice evaporates to fast and the yeast ferments to slow. And both are pretty much negated by venting your grow space.

Compost buckets are another option. between 1/6 and a 1/4 of composts WET WEIGHT is converted into CO2 over a course of a month. and since the compost generates heat, the CO2 usually will rise up to the canopy.

IMHO, Co2 enrichment should be done right or not at all. Just spend more time with your plants. Humans expel .326 cu ft of co2 in an hour, just talk to your plants!!!

and remember that Co2 is only a part of photosynth, if the other factors are limiting you (ie light, nutrients) all the Co2 in the world isnt going to help.

Greens

 

[blackice151]

You just need to make a CO2 Bucket dudder. It only cost $6 dollars to make and $3 a week to maintain. I have one to two on every each of my tents. It keeps the CO2 ppm around 600-800 depending on the size of tent, 24 hrs a day. Plus the plants use CO2 most during lights on in flower cycle, although effective in every stage of life...

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
5 gallon bucket w/lid
1/4" Clear tubing
1- 2 chamber flow monitor (used for making wine)
2- rubber corks for flow monitor
Clean Water
Sugar
Dry active yeast for baking bread

Drill a hole in top of the lid for the 2 chamber flow monitor. Incert monitor into the lid and attach 1/4" hose.

Add 4 gallons of warm water to the bucket, add 16 Cups of sugar. Then stir until the sugar dissolves and let the bucket sit for a few hours.

Make a piece of burnt toast. Float it on top of the water. Add one tablespoon of yeast over the toast, then add the lid. After a few days, the yeast will take over the toast and start making bubbles (CO2) in the bucket.

Run a hose up high because CO2 is heaver than air and will fall on your plants. I run mine to behind the circulating fan.

After that just add sugar weekly to keep the process going. You should only have to start the yeast one time with toast. It will go for 3-4 months (one grow cycle), then do it again!

Word.

Hey, Mandingo, I am anxious to try your method of CO2 in a bucket but, I can't find the right 2 chamber flow monitor. Could you please send me a link or phone #. My e-mail is: [email protected]. Thanks

 

[soserthc1]

Hey, Mandingo, I am anxious to try your method of CO2 in a bucket but, I can't find the right 2 chamber flow monitor. Could you please send me a link or phone #. My e-mail is: [email protected]. Thanks

Dude his post was from 2011 and he hasn't been back

 

[MrBelvedere]

Hey, Mandingo, I am anxious to try your method of CO2 in a bucket but, I can't find the right 2 chamber flow monitor. Could you please send me a link or phone #. My e-mail is: [email protected]. Thanks

All you need is an empty spring water bottle aka carboy, 2 dollar bung, and 2 dollar airlock. Airlock is aka chamber flow monitor. When the airlock stops showing activity you know the mash is done and ready.

http://www.homebrewing.org/S-Shaped-Airlock_p_884.html

http://www.homebrewing.org/Universal-Carboy-Bung-Drilled_p_3331.html

The airlock top just drill a hole in airlock and attach hose to ceiling

Happy home brewing! If you find a good recipe for your mash you're not wasting anything and killing two birds with one stone when you distill the "done" mash. Or make beer or wine.

 

[Junk]

If you want to do co2 in a small operation, personally, I would just go the tank route. After the initial investment, it costs me about $50 a grow (my prices just went up) I don't use it during veg, just flower. I veg for a while so I don't want to waste the co2, nor do I need faster growth during veg (I'm already hydro) If you don't want to refill during your flower cycle, you will want a 50lb tank.

I will also monitor the plants a couple weeks away from due date. Co2, ime, makes the flowering time significantly longer. Which can sometimes work to your benefit, but with finicky strains I sometimes have to shut it off two weeks out of expected date, due to fox tailing or other undesirable traits. Sometimes, the tank just runs out at about 8 weeks anyway so I'll leave it.

But, no, I would not be messing with dry ice to augment co2. If you are large get a burner, small - get a tank. Put it on a timer & be done with it. Co2 should be cycled from what I have read. You don't want a constant flow, you want to fill & let the plants deplete, repeat. The instructions that came with my regulator say it's best if you can fill within 8-15 minutes. So every hour, it kicks on for 15 minutes & knocks it up to 1500ppm. The plants will then drop that to between 800-1,000 ppm, & the cycle starts again. I don't know if that is how everyone does it, but the 3 best growers I know (top notch) all do it this way.

I'm sure it would be a pain, constantly cycling dry ice every hour.

If it matters, in tests that I have done, as scientifically accurate as I can do, co2 increases my yields by about 20% on average, & just better bud compared to when I do not use it. It also makes the heat & humidity that I run at work for the plants. I have to run higher temps/humidity in flower than most. 85-90. Humidity I can alter more easily, but I find most of the strains I've tried do better at 55-60% RH. But I also avoid strains known for bud rot.

 

[Apollo13]

I put my mosquito deleto in my room as soon as I'm done using it this fall. Helps heat a little. Uses a propane tank every 21 days. I wish I could turn it off in night cycle but any multipurpose tool has some draw backs.. only run in flower.

 

[Junk]

I put my mosquito deleto in my room as soon as I'm done using it this fall. Helps heat a little. Uses a propane tank every 21 days. I wish I could turn it off in night cycle but any multipurpose tool has some draw backs.. only run in flower.

That is awesome!

 

[jumpincactus]

There is also lots of data that would indicate that C02 is best used at higher groom temps.

Using C02 at night is a waste of time and effort. Light cycle only.

 

[Junk]

Some of them were (& maybe still are) designed to be run constantly, not a start/stop design. The machines life is lengthened by operating like that. Also pilot lights that had to be lit by hand. You can't put that on a timer (at least I've not seen one).

I think that is what he was referring to when he says he can't turn it off in night cycle. He knows it's a waste, it's just out of his control.

"There is also lots of data that would indicate that C02 is best used at higher groom temps."

That is one of the few reasons I run Co2. I use a lot of light, it creates a lot of heat. Augment the Co2 & I've now gone from a stressful environment (slightly) to one that is closer to ideal. The plants are now lovin' those higher temps.

 

[Apollo13]

I use it for heat and co2 during the winter to help the electric heat at night. Then it helps co2 during the day..for the rest of the year it slaughters the mosquitos like it was designed to do. I have no idea if it really does that much as far as co2, it's like a person living in the room 24/7 i think(it's the big one). Winter is the only time I run sealed because I use a heat pump and its the only time it can keep up.. I get propane on sale and costs $45 for 60 days usually. If I didn't have mosquito problems, I'd buy a burner.

 

[Apollo13]

I use roosting chickens in the warm seasons for co2 drawing off the bottom of the roost. I run many filters and bug poison in my ducts. I run at night because the temperature difference.

 

[Ave.Joe]

Warning!
Please do not attempt to use dry ice in this manner. It is NOT safe, and can KILL YOU if you try it this way. It serves no co2 saturation abilities for any period of time.
Once again do not use this tek!
Brought to you by demontrich...only cause I care. Lol

So Ive been toying with the idea of throwing some dry ice in my grow tent prior to the dark period each night. I have researched a little about the use of dry ice but cant seem to find much about using it for CO2 release for plant intake. Has anyone out here on the farm experimented with this method? Any suggestions, ideas, or reasons not to use dry ice? I am not familiar with the price of dry ice, maybe its not efficient enough. I understand the regulation of its release would be nearly impossible. Lets get some good discussion of this topic! Im interested!

I have actually had the opportunity to utilized dry ice in my tent.....it isn't cost efficient........unless u got a guy I am lucky enough to have a place by my house that sells dry ice and my guy works there.....I get 80-100 lbs of chunk slabbed dry ice for $10 ......I go through this within a week and that includes the dissipation rate....I use two buckets ......one above canopy and one elevated to mid level of plants in center of tent on 2 milk crates so the co2 gets in the torso of the plant .....I boil a kettle or pot of water.....the hotter the water the bigger the reaction ......after the reaction slows down and stops....it'll sound like its boiling....when it's done smoking, add more boiling water.....keep doing this til no more ice.......dump pails....make sure they're sturdy plastic no bigger than 1 gallon ......fill up again with dry ice chunks and set in places but just let it dissipate ......don't add water.....repeat this 2-3 times a day for a week......I use it as fast and efficiently as possible would rather feed it to the ladies than let it dissipate....I like it.....DO NOT GET IN UR TENT WHILE REACTION IS HAPPENING DO NOT PUT UR HEAD IN THERE EITHER DO NOT REPLACE UR OXYGEN SUPPLY WITH CO2 ITS RETARDED AND CAN AND MAY IN FACT KILL YOU.

 

[1diesel1]

I have actually had the opportunity to utilized dry ice in my tent.....it isn't cost efficient........unless u got a guy I am lucky enough to have a place by my house that sells dry ice and my guy works there.....I get 80-100 lbs of chunk slabbed dry ice for $10 ......I go through this within a week and that includes the dissipation rate....I use two buckets ......one above canopy and one elevated to mid level of plants in center of tent on 2 milk crates so the co2 gets in the torso of the plant .....I boil a kettle or pot of water.....the hotter the water the bigger the reaction ......after the reaction slows down and stops....it'll sound like its boiling....when it's done smoking, add more boiling water.....keep doing this til no more ice.......dump pails....make sure they're sturdy plastic no bigger than 1 gallon ......fill up again with dry ice chunks and set in places but just let it dissipate ......don't add water.....repeat this 2-3 times a day for a week......I use it as fast and efficiently as possible would rather feed it to the ladies than let it dissipate....I like it.....DO NOT GET IN UR TENT WHILE REACTION IS HAPPENING DO NOT PUT UR HEAD IN THERE EITHER DO NOT REPLACE UR OXYGEN SUPPLY WITH CO2 ITS RETARDED AND CAN AND MAY IN FACT KILL YOU.

That's a bad deal and dangerous. Not a good way to show peeps what to do. This post should be dropped.

 

[Ave.Joe]

That's a bad deal and dangerous. Not a good way to show peeps what to do. This post should be dropped.

If u got a brain it's not and frankly have you done it? I have and it works out well....I posted a warning and that's that.....plz explain and elaborate on why it should be deleted

 

[1diesel1]

If u got a brain it's not and frankly have you done it? I have and it works out well....I posted a warning and that's that.....plz explain and elaborate on why it should be deleted

Sounds like your idea could possibly kill some one?