Need Co2!!!

[agent 420]

hey all,

I just put 20 skunks into flowering and am in need of co2 for my girls.
With the way my funds are right now, my only option is to make it myself.
I've heard alot about letting sugar and yeast ferment to produce it.

My question is, how much of the two do i need to produce a sufficient amout and how exactly do i go about mixing them. any advice is welcomed and needed! thanks.

 

[cough_cough_eer]

I was wondering the same thing, except using vinegar and baking soda. Rockymtnbuds has an intersting (homemade ) setup I was gonna try except I was gonna use an IV bag for the drip part instead of a bottle.uuummmmmm. I'll try to find a link.

 

[allmanbroskif]

grody

 

[Guest]

Heh

Heh

Farmer John: I wouldn't be so sure

 

[Okie grown]

Use a propane lantern (2 mantle).I leave mine on low for about 4 to 6 hrs. only when lights are on ,and only in flower.I figure thay work about the same as the propane co2 burners you cab buy for $300 to $500.Have only done 2 grows with this and it realy seems to help fatten the buds up.The little propane botles are only like $3.00 FOR 2 and last about a week or so.JUST BE CAREFULL! I installed a smoke detector when i started usin it. J.M.O O.G.

 

[daltron]

co2

co2

Hello all

another method you might consider....all though it will cost a few dollars.....

from a bicycle store pick up a co2 tire inflator tool.....mine was $19 and came with 4 co2 cartridges.......

from your local paint ball store......I get the 12 gram co2 cartridges for 15 cartridges $5

pop the cartridge in and push a button and it releases 12 grams of co2 into the air...around the top of the plants....I shoot off 2 - 1 hour after lights on then one half way though the light cycle.....

last harvest of NRS: K2 was 3 plants @ 4.0 oz / plant......current K-2 harvest using co2 from the start of flowering......will be much higher......I see that the buds are more dense and larger......in 2 to 3 weeks time I will be able to tell you just how much of an improvement I got and if it was cost effective.........right now just from seeing the current grow and comparing it to my last grow.....wow big difference......I'm guessing at a 20% to a 30 % increase in bud mass and size

I got this method from Bleek and BOG

daltron

 

[massass789]

i dont think enough co2 is produced using the yeast method to really affect your plants positively. i think it only makes a mess and invites bugs into the garden. just my 2 cents

 

[Guest]

Use a propane lantern (2 mantle).I leave mine on low for about 4 to 6 hrs. only when lights are on ,and only in flower.I figure thay work about the same as the propane co2 burners you cab buy for $300 to $500.Have only done 2 grows with this and it realy seems to help fatten the buds up.The little propane botles are only like $3.00 FOR 2 and last about a week or so.JUST BE CAREFULL! I installed a smoke detector when i started usin it. J.M.O O.G.

This is one ides I did not find online & I wish I had a co2 monotor to try out with - as in theory it is the same as a C.A.P. gen & much cheaper - U can pick lanterns up from a pawn shop on the cheap

& FWIW = IMHO every grow room should have a smoke alarm & a fire ex. near by - a small fire U 'may be able to handle' could other wize attract some unwanted attnetion

 

[agent 420]

thanks for all the feed back everyone.

Daltron, I've about heard ur method before and it sounds like it works well, but the funds are too tight right now. I just need something cheap and easy.

Farmer J, do you know exactly how much sugar, yeast, and water I should use to produce enough co2 to last for a while. thanks.

 

[Guest]

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Cheap+Co2+for+growing+cannabis&btnG=Google+Search

 

[Bozo]

co 2 kicks ass when you have lotsa light unless you are running a 50 watt per sq ft garden is co2 nessesary ? i wouldnt think so but hell im wrong half the time

 

[shopvac]

if funds are so short...why do you NEED co2?

just thought i would ask because your gonna end up spending prolly close to 1/2 the price on all these lil supplies as opposto to just waiting and saving for somthing you know would work?

 

[Stacatto]

CO2 is always a must stick with Green Air products and get your CO2 like your a welder at any industrial pack depot, there are tons of them if you look around getting the tank can be cheaper at the hydrostore but filling it up once per grow is no big deal at a measely 40 bucks for a superior enviroment. The choice is yours.

Don't waste your life with little CO2 concotions, thats just silly! Your room will be rotten and youll must likely make a mess for nothing. Burning propane makes excessive heat and is not the same as releasing co2 in your nicely controlled room.

 

[Guest]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4367207408&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT

http://www.greenair.com/

http://futuregarden.com/cgi-bin/shop/60-3030.html

I am looking at the Ebay injection system / or a Greenair CD-3 or 6

 

[Guest]

Elevating carbon dioxide levels can increase growth speed a great deal, perhaps even double it. It seems that the plant evolved in primordial times when natural CO2 levels were many times what they are today. The plant uses CO2 for photosynthesis to create sugars it uses to build plant tissues. Elevating the CO2 level will increase the plants ability to manufacture these sugars and plant growth rate is enhanced considerably.

CO2 can be a pain to manufacture safely, cheaply, and/or conveniently, and is expensive to set up if you use a CO2 tank system. CO2 is most usable for flowering, as this is when the plant is most dense and has the hardest time circulating air around its leaves. If your strictly growing vegetatively indoors, (transferring your plants outdoors to flower), then CO2 will not be a major concern unless you have a sealed greenhouse, closet or bedroom, and wish to increase yield and decrease flowering time.

For a medium sized indoor operation, one approach is to used CO2 canisters from wielding supply houses. This is expensive initially, but fairly inexpensive in the long run. These systems are good only if your area is not too big or too small.

The basic CO2 tank system looks like this:

20 lb tank $100

Regulator $159

Timer or controller $10-125

Fill up $15-20

Worst case = $395 for CO2 tank setup synced to a exhaust fan with a thermostat.

CO2 is cheaply produced by burning Natural Gas. However, heat and Carbon Monoxide must be vented to the outside air. CO2 can be obtained by buying or leasing cylinders from local welding supply houses. If asked, you can say you have an old mig welder at home and need to patch up the lawnmower (trailer, car, etc.)

For a small closet, one tank could last 2 months, but it depends on how much is released, how often the room is vented, hours of light cycle, room leaks, enrichment levels and dispersion methods. This method may be overkill for your small closet.

It is generally viewed as good to have a small constant flow of CO2 over the plants at all times the lights are on, dispersed directly over the plants during the time exhaust fans are off.

Opportunities exist to conserve CO2, but this can cost money. When the light is off you don't need CO2, so during flowering, you will use half as much if you have the CO2 solenoid setup to your light timer. When the fan is on for venting, CO2 is shut off as well. This may be up to half the time the light is on, so this will affect the plants exposure times and amount of gas actually dispensed.

Environmentally, using bottled gas is better, since manufacturing it adds to greenhouse effect, and bottled CO2 is captured as part of the manufacturing process of many materials, and then recycled. Fermenting, CO2 MARIJUANAs, and baking soda and vinegar methods all generate new CO2 and add to greenhouse effect.

CO2 generation from fermentation and MARIJUANAs is possible. A simple CO2 MARIJUANA would be a propane heater. This will work well, as long as the gases can be vented to the grow area, and a fan is used to keep the hot CO2 (that will rise) circulating and available below at the plants level. Fire and exhaust venting of the heat are issues as well. A room that must be vented 50% of the time to rid the environment of heat from a lamp and heater will not receive as much CO2 as a room that can be kept unvented for hours at a time. However, CO2 MARIJUANAs are the only way to go for large operations.

Fermentation or vinegar over baking soda will work if you don't have many vent cycles, but if you have enough heat to make constant or regular venting necessary, these methods become impractical. Just pour the vinegar on baking soda and close the door, (you lose your CO2 as soon as the vent comes on). This method leaves a great deal to be desired, since it is not easy to regulate automatically, and requires daily attention. It is possible however, to create CO2 by fermentation, let the wine turn to vinegar, and pour this on baking soda. It's the most cost-effective setup for most closet growers, for whom $400 in CO2 equipment is a bit much to swallow.

In fermentation, yeast is constantly killing itself; it takes a lot of space. You need a big bin to constantly keep adding water to, so that the alcohol levels will not rise high enough to kill the yeast. Sugar is used quickly this way, and a 10 pound sack will run $3.50 or so and last about 2-3 weeks. This is also difficult to gauge what is happening as far as amounts actually released. A tube out the top going into a jar of water will bubble and demonstrate the amount of CO2 being produced.

Try sodium bicarbonate mixed with vinegar, 1 tsp: ~30cc- this will gush up all frothy as it releases CO2. do it just before you close the door on your plants. A MUCH cheaper way to provide CO2 is 2 Oz sugar in 2 liters of water in a bottle [sterilized 1st with bleach and water, then rinsed], plus a few cc urine[!] or if you insist, yeast nutrient from a home brewing supplier. Add a brewing yeast, shake up and keep at 25 deg celsius[~70 F] . Over next 2 weeks or so it will brew up about 1/2 Oz CO2 for every Oz sugar used. Keep a few going at once, starting a new one every 3 days or so. With added CO2 growth is phenomenal!!! I personally measured 38cm growth in 8 days under a 250watt HPS bulb[tubular clear, Horizontal mount.

A good container is a 1 gallon plastic milk jug, with a pin-hole in the cap. Also, the air-lock from a piece of clear tube running into a jar filled with water will keep microbes out and demonstrate the fermentation is working.

A variation is to spray seltzer water on the plants twice a day. This is not recommended by some authorities, and receives great raves by people who seem to feel it has enhanced their crop. It stands to reason this would work for only a small unvented closet, but may be right for some situations. It could get expensive with a lot of plants to spray. Use seltzer, not club soda, since it contains less sodium that could clog the plants stomata. Wash your plants with straight water after 2 or 3 seltzer sprays. It's a lot of work, and you can't automate it, but maybe that's good! Remember, being with the plants is a beautiful experience, and brings you closer to your spiritual self and the earth. Seltzer is available at most grocery stores (I get it at Lucky's @ .79 for a 2 litter bottle). Club soda will work if seltzer water is not available; but it has twice as much sodium in it. A very diluted solution of Miracle Grow can be sprayed on the plant at the same time. One factor of using selzter water is it raises humidity levels. Make sure your venting humidity during the dark cycle, or you could risk fungus and increased internode length.

CAUTION: Don't spray too close to a hot bulb! Spray downward only, or turn off the lamp first.

Even though CO2 enrichment can mean 30-100% yield increases, the hassle, expense, space, danger, and time involved can make constant or near constant venting a desirable alternative to enrichment. As long as the plant has the opportunity to take in new CO2 at all times, from air that is over 200 ppm CO2, the plants will have the required nutrients for photosynthesis. Most closets will need new CO2 coming in every two or three hours, minimum. Most citys' will have high concentrations of CO2 in the air, and some growers find CO2 injection unnecessary in these circumstances.

Some growers have reported to High Times that high CO2 levels in the grow room near harvest time lower potency. It may be a good idea to turn off CO2 2 weeks before harvesting.

 

[Guest]

In order for plants to make use of co2, they have to be healthy enough and be exposed to enough light to deplete the levels naturally occuring in the atmosphere. Believe me, your setup has to perfectly dialed in to make the gas do any work for you at all and you need to be using massive amounts of lumens. Your exhaust and fans have to be a timer so you dont blow or remove the gas from the space your plants are at. Co2 is heavier than air so you have to provide enough to fill in the room from the bottom up to your best leaves and then maintain that saturation level. You should be using higher than normal temps to make the best use of it, like in the 90's or 100's F, which goes hand in hand with no fans or exhaust. Digital timers with multiple on/off positions for several units make life so much easier to shut down one piece in the room and run another.

There are so many reasons why homemde devices are not worth the trouble, but the biggest is they have to mounted above the plants and be open to the air to work. This is a recipe for disaster for any plant directly below. I know, I dropped a setup on one of my first grows. It totally sucked and it was for a 6 tube fluoro setup. Duh on me.

Good luck

 

[Guest]

know, I dropped a setup on one of my first grows. It totally sucked.

perhaps we should start a 'Grow room misshaps' thread;

hmm - don't fill the water jugs over the power strip & then tuch the reflectors = don't ask but I was wired & charged up'ed for my next female encounter :smile:

 

[Guest]

Hey Fred. Dont get me started down this path. I have stories that will curl your ears.

 

[Guest]

Go man - that was just one of mine so far & this is my first big indoor grow in 12 years

 

[agent 420]

thanks for all the good info everyone, especially Fredster and Cap.

I'm using a 1000 watt hps and the temps in my room stays pretty warm(about 80).
Also, I dont have exhaust fans, just a common box house fan that runs all day.

I'll probably try the vinegar over baking soda with the fan off for an hour or two during the day, manually venting(opening the door)after the solution has completely dissolved and Co2 has been used.

Next go around I'll probaly upgrade to the tire inflator and co2 cartridges. thanks again everyone