Signifigant C02 increase when adding Sucanat to water

[Darktoast]

Hi Farmers -

I am posting today because I noticed something interesting this week. Iv'e been using Sucanat for a while to increase bud density. I don't add much, a couple of sugar packets worth in 5 gallons. It seems to be effective, and enhances the flavors. I have read that adding molasses or whole cane sugar (like Sucanat) can increase your C02 levels, as the bacteria in the soil consume the sugars. This really seems to be true.

My C02 tank ran out, and seeing that I am about 2 weeks away from harvest I decided to hold off refilling it until the next crop goes in. I have a C02 meter in my environment which is fairly sensitive, I can watch it climb due to my breath if I am in the space. The ambient C02 levels in my environment are around 450. When I apply C02 I generally get it to around 1200 ppm.

I gave a stronger than usual amount of Sucanat, perhaps 4 sugar packets worth, in plain water in order to start the flushing process. When I looked in on the plants a while later, I noticed that the C02 ppm were up at around 850, nearly double the ambient. For someone who does not have C02 enrichment and is growing in soil, this can be a very signifigant increase in C02 for a minimal cost. This effect has probably been happening all the while, but I didn't notice it until the tank was empty.

Take it easy,
D.T.

 

[slap14]

Very cool Toast, nice observation on the CO2 as that's quite a bump in the ambient levels at no extra cost.

 

[Darth Fader]

Which weeks in flower do you run the sucunat?

 

[Darktoast]

Which weeks in flower do you run the sucunat?

I add Sucanat every feeding beginning when the plants going into flowering. About 2 weeks before harvest I will make a stronger Sucanat solution for one feeding, then switch to water into the finish.

 

[gjreeves88]

Would organic blue agave work similar to sucanat?

 

[Seamaiden]

I'd like to know if there's anyone else here who monitors or runs CO2 in conjunction with an organic or partially organic program that includes the use of sugars. As I understand it, rate of CO2 production can be correlated with plant respiration, which is correlated with plant growth.

Any sugar, not just Sucanat.

 

[GR33NL3AF]

I'd like to know if there's anyone else here who monitors or runs CO2 in conjunction with an organic or partially organic program that includes the use of sugars. As I understand it, rate of CO2 production can be correlated with plant respiration, which is correlated with plant growth.

Any sugar, not just Sucanat.

I had 500 gallons of organic soil in a flowering room, fed consistantly with Molasses and Banana Manna. I had to turn off my CO2 because the room's ppms were sitting at 2000+ both lights on and off..

 

[Seamaiden]

Wow, alright, thanks for that! Being as I grow mostly outside and don't mess with CO2 this is something I'm not able to monitor. That's actually pretty impressive.

 

[squiggly]

Wow, alright, thanks for that! Being as I grow mostly outside and don't mess with CO2 this is something I'm not able to monitor. That's actually pretty impressive.

Indeed it is.

 

[squiggly]

I had 500 gallons of organic soil in a flowering room, fed consistantly with Molasses and Banana Manna. I had to turn off my CO2 because the room's ppms were sitting at 2000+ both lights on and off..

How often did you feed with sugars?

 

[GR33NL3AF]

How often did you feed with sugars?

Almost every feed, sometimes for the plants and sometimes to make sure the bennies had something to eat.

Even with previous runs not feeding as much sugar I have noticed extremely high ppms and have been told it is the off gassing from the microbes in the soil..

 

[Seamaiden]

Gr33n, just an FYI with regard to using ppm's (EC) to measure organic compounds like sugars--it's not very accurate. I've found, for example, that by going with a use rate of 1tsp/gal of molasses I can see my EC hit 2.0 easily, yet volumetrically and by the plants' reaction I know that's not a 'burning' EC level. Yet, if it were a salt I were measuring, I know very well it would burn.

Make sense?

In any event, like I said, this is fascinating to me because CO2 respiration equates to plant growth/activity.

I don't know about microbes releasing all that much CO2 in their life processes, can't speak to it at all, actually, but if you have more information to share about it I'd love to see it. :)

 

[GR33NL3AF]

Gr33n, just an FYI with regard to using ppm's (EC) to measure organic compounds like sugars--it's not very accurate. I've found, for example, that by going with a use rate of 1tsp/gal of molasses I can see my EC hit 2.0 easily, yet volumetrically and by the plants' reaction I know that's not a 'burning' EC level. Yet, if it were a salt I were measuring, I know very well it would burn.

Make sense?

In any event, like I said, this is fascinating to me because CO2 respiration equates to plant growth/activity.

I don't know about microbes releasing all that much CO2 in their life processes, can't speak to it at all, actually, but if you have more information to share about it I'd love to see it. :)

oh, I didn't mean measuring the nutrient solution, I rarely measure anything going into my res, one of the benefits of being entirely organic.

Here is a link discussing Off Gassing:
http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100324/full/news.2010.147.html