When we grow indoors, especially in grow tents, we can control many external factors to increase yields or speed up plant growth. In addition to choosing the right equipment and growing method, adding CO2 to your tent is a great way to achieve better results faster.
What is CO2?
CO2 is short for carbon dioxide, a gas that exists in abundance in the air. As you remember from elementary school, animals inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, while plants do the exact opposite. This is why plants are very important to the ecological cycle of the Earth—without vegetation, the concentration of carbon dioxide on the earth would be so high that it would be difficult for humans and other animals to survive.
Plants, they also need carbon dioxide for photosynthesis, which is the process of converting chemicals and CO2 into sucrose and other organic compounds they use as resources for growing.
Why should I add CO2 to my grow room?
Studies have shown that plants grown in environments with high concentrations of carbon dioxide can tolerate higher temperatures. Carbon dioxide is measured in PPM (parts per million), and indoor CO2 levels are usually between 300-400 PPM. If you get your growing room CO2 concentration to 1200-1500 PPM, your plants can tolerate temperatures of 95°F (30°C).
Bigger yields, faster growth
As mentioned earlier, plants obtain energy through photosynthesis through CO2. With more CO2, plants can get more energy in the same amount of time, grow faster and produce higher yields than naturally grown plants. But please note that this all assumes your grow room is at high light levels. If your grow lights don’t provide enough light, adding more CO2 won’t be nearly as effective.
Is it suitable to add CO2 to my growing situation?
If your grow room meets the following conditions, you can add CO2 to your tent and vastly improve your grow:
Big grow lights
You need to provide more light than normal so adding CO2 to your grow room is at all useful.
A hot grow room
The inside temperature of the grow room needs to be maintained above 85°F (27°C).
Sealed grow space
You need a sealed grow space to prevent CO2 leaks. When the space is tightly closed, you may need to buy an air conditioner and dehumidifier to control the temperature and humidity inside.
How to add co2 to grow room?
Hanging carbon dioxide bags
Using Exhale CO2 bags is the easiest and most cost-effective way to add CO2 to your grow room. No setup is required, just hang it above the growing space, because CO2 is heavier than air. It will continuously release CO2 24 hours a day for about 6 months. This is more suitable for small grow rooms—if you own a large grow room, you need to stock up on a lot of CO2 bags.
Using regulated CO2 tanks
If you have a smaller budget but want to control the addition of CO2 yourself, using regulated CO2 tanks is a good option. CO2 tanks are usually made of aluminum and filled with compressed carbon dioxide. Connect it to the regulator and plug it into the wall and you can adjust the amount of CO2 you want to add through the regulator. This keeps your plants at the optimum level of CO2 without wasting extra gas in the process.
Set up CO2 burners
This is also a very popular method. Carbon dioxide is produced by igniting liquid propane (LP) or natural gas (NG). You need to be aware that this also creates additional heat and moisture, so use an air conditioner or dehumidifier to keep your growing room at a stable humidity and temperature.
Hang the burner from the grow room ceiling and plug the regulator connected to the liquid propane or natural gas into the CO2 controller. Of course, this comes with a fire risk, so we do not recommend this method for novices.
Once you have figured out how you will add CO2 into your grow room and you have a method for controlling temperature and humidity, you can begin adding CO2 to improve your growing results.
However, before you decide to add CO2, try to address all other factors that might detract from having efficient grow: make sure you know how to water, how to add nutrients, that your lighting schedule and spectrum are always accurate, and you have a lot of experience under your belt. There are a lot of ways to improve your yields without using CO2, but once you’ve mastered those, adding CO2 can be a huge boost.
In the process of growing plants, we often encounter various difficulties and challenges, but through our continuous learning and improvement, you will reach your goal. Let’s get growing!
Subscribe to the VIVOSUN newsletter for growing tips, grower stories, and special offers, and get 12% off your first order!
We love the new VIVOSUN Smart Grow System and we are certain that you too will love it once you try it.
And join our Facebook farmer’s community for even more exclusive contests and prizes!
Download VIVOSUN App to get 18% off and explore more information!
You may also like: