CO2 Secrets

[chuckz]

I'm sure most of us know the benfits of CO2 supplementation, but some of the new growers may not realise how easy it is to supply. Usually when starting out, growers seem to ignore this vital gas, due to the initial outlay of decent equipment (which has got cheaper over the years admittedly).

Since the right amount of CO2 can double the yield, it seems a silly thing to ignore...

What cheap solutions have people come up with to solve the problem?

Many years ago, I was told to leave a half empty opened bottle of red wine in my grow room, which was then a cupboard in the bedroom. The wine oxidises, and gives off CO2, change the bottle every few days, or add a bit of sugar to keep the process going for longer.

I kind of developed this idea, so now my grow room is also a brewery. Fermenting wine gives off plenty of CO2, and uses oxygen in the room (that is generated by the plants).

However, I'm not really into alcohol, so I kept thinking.

There are a few soft drinks that require brewing too, ginger beer, dandelion and burdock, etc. These are perfect. Ginger beer is easy. It is a chemical plant, and all you have to do is keep adding sugar. Every week or so, you take half of the yeast that has grown, and use it to make your drinks. Top up with water and sugar, then back in the room.

If you can measure the ppm, then you can adjust the rate it comes out by using a smaller/bigger yeast plant, or more bottles.

I like this system because it is cyclic, so would work well in a sealed room.

Anyone else got any good ideas?

 

[FastForward]

I've got CO2 planned for my veg and flower tent in a couple of months, but not atm. My main issue is finding bottled CO2 in the UK. I just want to flood the tent 3 times a day for 5 minutes, or whatever is the recommended schedule. I've read up about setting up dripper systems with vinegar and bicarb, which also releases CO2 apparently but I'd like to do it properly when I come around to doing it.

 

[rocky]

Only DIY thing that i know of is just water sugar and yeast in a 2 liter

 

[power]

Does co2 really make that much of a difference. I`ve never personally used it myself. But would love to know the results.

POWER

 

[rocky]

co2 is absolutely neccisary for photosynthesis to take place.

 

[logic]

I've got CO2 planned for my veg and flower tent in a couple of months, but not atm. My main issue is finding bottled CO2 in the UK. I just want to flood the tent 3 times a day for 5 minutes, or whatever is the recommended schedule. I've read up about setting up dripper systems with vinegar and bicarb, which also releases CO2 apparently but I'd like to do it properly when I come around to doing it.

LOL be careful buying C02 bottles in the uk you might get the cops raiding you thinking your terrorists i saw an article about these lads they got raided and big room busted.

 

[sokalkush]

LOL be careful buying C02 bottles in the uk you might get the cops raiding you thinking your terrorists i saw an article about these lads they got raided and big room busted.

wow, that's scary!

i hope they don't start doing crap like that in the U.S. Who knows though, they can do anything they want and use terrorism as an excuse after passing that Patriot Act.

 

[FastForward]

LOL be careful buying C02 bottles in the uk you might get the cops raiding you thinking your terrorists i saw an article about these lads they got raided and big room busted.

Yeah, that is always a worry...I can't even take photos in London anymore without getting aggro from the police, let alone a bottle of gas. Shiiiiit...does this mean CO2 isn't an option then? Where do people get theirs from?

EDIT: BEER! check out beer supply places - home brewers use it :)

 

[julsbagell]

If bottles are that risky in the uk get a burner they use propane like on the bbq kinda pricey but worth it in the long run.

 

[chuckz]

Where do people get theirs from?

EDIT: BEER! check out beer supply places - home brewers use it :)

Loo, err, did you read the first post?

I'm thinking i might brew cannabis beer next. But brewing beer is not the best for plants, because you only leave them open topped for a couple of days to a week, whereas wine gives a constant CO2 supply.

 

[Devilsharvest]

CO2 is good to use but its not easy to find in supply or its a mess to make it...now I don't like hearing it doubles your yeild .... it gives more folage in the early stage of veg or flower and ya you get a bit more on yeild but by having more folage does that and the buds look better.... its hard to control the flow of CO2 but all that said if you have the option to use it then do...and a tip do not use CO2 tanks that is used on beer.. it contains other gas aswell as CO2... if you want to find a supply of it contact your fire sation and ask where do you refill the co2 tanks used on fire's... they will also refill other tanks and you can get dry ice... mad the things I find out

 

[doubleds]

co2

If your looking for easy co2 just go down to your welding supply store, co2 is a must with mig welding. Bottles of co2 we can pick up at our local hydroponics shops very easily.
150.00 deposit and 25.00$ each time we return a bottle for a new one refilled. Might be an idea to suggest to your hydro shops. A statement like double your yield is a big one but not an accurate one, 30% more yield and a week cut off your flowering time is very accurate as i use co2. Plants grow 2wice as fast also but these statements are only true in hydroponics.

 

[chuckz]

I keep my brew in the room from start to finish, and I am pretty sure it has virtually doubled my yield, since the last grow where I didn't use it.

Much faster vegging means more and bigger heads, more tipping can be done, and it increases exponentially over a couple of weeks.

I guess other contributing factors have changed as well, but I still think CO2 is underutilised, and the main reason is because bottles are a pain for many reasons.

 

[Swerve]

im curious as to the whole wine thing.. is it any type of wine... being italian there a bunch of wine around..

i agree its underutillized but that also cause its cost so dam much to get the tank the regulator and make sure its good to go... quike cheap ways i think are the best.. i have only known of and or tried the water sugar and yeast in a 2liter and had minimal results...

 

[FastForward]

Loo, err, did you read the first post?

Errrm..kinda...probably the first half :)

 

[chuckz]

im curious as to the whole wine thing.. is it any type of wine... being italian there a bunch of wine around..

I believe all wines give off CO2 as they are fermenting.

I make blossom wines. They are quite easy. Just mix the blossoms with water, lemons and sugar, leave covered for a few days, then put in demi jhn with an air trap bullber. When the bubbling slows down, add more sugar. (Winemakers would not remove the air trap, but i don't care about the wine really.

Ginger beer is just as easy.

Only thing I need to keep it going is sugar. I would ultimately like to reprocess everything after making ice-has, to convert to cellulose, then to sugar!

i agree its underutillized but that also cause its cost so dam much to get the tank the regulator and make sure its good to go... quike cheap ways i think are the best.. i have only known of and or tried the water sugar and yeast in a 2liter and had minimal results...

That is the point of this thread!

The sugar/water/yeast idea only needs to be expanded to have a controlled supply...