co2

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fivegreenlips

Member
hi

i have an indoor grow room . cant get a co2 tank and dont really know what its for anyway. but i have seen a vid on youtube mr green. he was saying that it is possible to use some carbonated water or basically fizzy tonic water in a sprayer and just spray directly onto the plants.

this seems a bit odd to me. and i have not read anything else like this anywhere.

so does anyone have any ideas or thoughts.

and if its ok to do this, at what stage should i begin and stop.

thanks
 
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fivegreenlips

Member
right thanks. very informative about what the co2 is for. any thoughts on whether spraying fizzy tonic water around and onto surface of plants would be beneficial for co2 absorption.
 
BeaverHuntr

BeaverHuntr

Well-Known Member
fivegreenlips said:
right thanks. very informative about what the co2 is for. any thoughts on whether spraying fizzy tonic water around and onto surface of plants would be beneficial for co2 absorption.
Click to expand...
No that wont work you can make some homemade co2 using dry ice , some people brew homemade co2 with yeast or baking soda. Google making Co2
 
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echlectica

Well-Known Member
Spraying soda on plants is as dumb as it sounds... That said, I have increased CO2 without a tank by fermentation. You can actually calculate the amount of CO2 produced by yeast from a given amount of sugar. Fermentation is not the best way but it is a way. I'm not sure why you can get a tank becuase they are available everywhere and CO2 is used for all kinds of things from soda fountains to paintball guns so its not like its watched.
 
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fivegreenlips

Member
right so homemade co2 is the way to do it, it seems. any ideas on whether its important at any particular stage, i.e. should i begin at a time or finish at a time. or continue throughout.
 
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fivegreenlips

Member
so where would you purchase a co2 tank. and is it something that can be refilled. also do you know if the plants need the co2 from the onset or what stages are best or just continue all the way through

ta
 
oakley1984

oakley1984

Well-Known Member
plants Always use c02.... by supplementing c02 and raising the environmental ppm your basically supercharging your air. c02 tanks can very much be refilled. c02 tanks can be purchased from any welding supply company. aquarium stores, hydro stores. just to name a few... to go along with a c02 tank vs homemade your going to NEED valves/regulators. a c02 monitor and a c02 controller & solenoid valve can be very useful but arent a necessity. aside from that there is also c02 generation via propane burners, there are multiple units available specifically designed for indoor growing... id suggest a prefabbed unit vs a DIY propane burning system as well, Fire = dangerous... propane gas in enclosed area = even more dangerous. gluck
 
BeaverHuntr

BeaverHuntr

Well-Known Member
fivegreenlips said:
right so homemade co2 is the way to do it, it seems. any ideas on whether its important at any particular stage, i.e. should i begin at a time or finish at a time. or continue throughout.
Click to expand...
No the right way to do it is go for the regulator, tank, and controller. Some people cant afford these components so they go for a cheaper method.
 
BeaverHuntr

BeaverHuntr

Well-Known Member
fivegreenlips said:
so where would you purchase a co2 tank. and is it something that can be refilled. also do you know if the plants need the co2 from the onset or what stages are best or just continue all the way through

ta
Click to expand...
Any welding supply store will exchange your tanks for about 10 - 15 dollars cheaper than aquarium stores or grow stores. I dont really use my co2 for veg at all. Once I hit 12/12 I use my co2 because I flower with a 1000W HPS you can actually grow your plants 85 degree temperatures. SO I start to use my Co2 once I go into 12/12 and use it all the way through.
 
growin4it

growin4it

Active Member
I'm about to add co2 to my set up as well... when you added it, did it cut down on flowering time at all? If so, by how much?
 
growin4it

growin4it

Active Member
I have my flowering cycle tuned in perfectly so I'm kinda hoping the the co2 won't change the length of time needed but simply increase the yield.
 
GodSlave

GodSlave

Active Member
My 2 cents... Tank, reg, and timer or controller is the best. I have tried lots of other home brew methods, it doesn't even come close to a tank, and if your room is big, forget about home brew unless you have room for like 100 gal jugs or 20 5 gal buckets lol.
I bought my 5 lb tank at a local welding supply for $100 filled. Refills are $25. I have a small area, so a 5 lb tank lasts about 4-6 months. My regulator was $100 on Ebay. Now, here is where you have a choice... You can either use a timer and time your injections, or you can spend another $200 or so, minimum, depending on what model controller you go with.
When you use the timer method, you have to use a calculator (http://www.hydroponics.net/learn/co2_calculator.asp) to figure your room size and how long to time the injection so it's filled to the desired 1200-1500ppm. I then would re-inject every 2 hours for a 1/3 of the initial injection, ie. if it takes 6 min to completely fill the room, I re-inject for 2 min every 2 hours after the initial injection when the lights come on (you only use Co2 during lights on). I used this method for quite some time with success.
I have since stepped up to a controller. 2 words...THE BOMB! It keeps 1200-1500ppm all the time. The timer method works, but it is not an exact science like the controller is. I am definitely getting more Co2 in there with the controller.
So there ya go, hope that answers some questions...
GS
 
BeaverHuntr

BeaverHuntr

Well-Known Member
GodSlave said:
My 2 cents... Tank, reg, and timer or controller is the best. I have tried lots of other home brew methods, it doesn't even come close to a tank, and if your room is big, forget about home brew unless you have room for like 100 gal jugs or 20 5 gal buckets lol.
I bought my 5 lb tank at a local welding supply for $100 filled. Refills are $25. I have a small area, so a 5 lb tank lasts about 4-6 months. My regulator was $100 on Ebay. Now, here is where you have a choice... You can either use a timer and time your injections, or you can spend another $200 or so, minimum, depending on what model controller you go with.
When you use the timer method, you have to use a calculator (http://www.hydroponics.net/learn/co2_calculator.asp) to figure your room size and how long to time the injection so it's filled to the desired 1200-1500ppm. I then would re-inject every 2 hours for a 1/3 of the initial injection, ie. if it takes 6 min to completely fill the room, I re-inject for 2 min every 2 hours after the initial injection when the lights come on (you only use Co2 during lights on). I used this method for quite some time with success.
I have since stepped up to a controller. 2 words...THE BOMB! It keeps 1200-1500ppm all the time. The timer method works, but it is not an exact science like the controller is. I am definitely getting more Co2 in there with the controller.
So there ya go, hope that answers some questions...
GS
Click to expand...
I pretty much have the same set up as this knowledgeable grower but I shelled out some major dough for my controller I use the Titan Atlas 1 which plugs into my regulator, my controller is light sensitive so it releases co2 only at lights on and then I calibrated it for 1500 PPM so anytime its lower than 1500 PPM during lights on it releases co2 untill it hits 1500 PPM then it stops. I never went the math route so I learned the lazy way letting my controller do all the work, basically plug and play.

As for flowering time I by trichome inspection I use my scope to look at buds and check for the trichomes to be amber/milky white.
 
GodSlave

GodSlave

Active Member
Right on Beaver, I only spent about $300 for my IGS. Someday I will have a dream controller like yours. :)

GS
 
dannyboy602

dannyboy602

Well-Known Member
There's a bucket CO2 system that might work for a smaller space. The only way to know is get a monitor and use it. Its an organic bacteria thing that breaks down organic matter and spits out CO2. That's a very simplistic description but most hydro stores have them. I have a CAP generator and monitor but it's hot, it smells, and my flower room is not small so I have to use 10 gal a week for eight weeks. But OMFG does it ever work.
 
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