CO2

Annabanana

Annabanana

Well-Known Member
Hello fellow OzStoners
I've not grown for 15 years and the bulk of my experience is in outdoor cultivation.
I've set up two tents ; 1 is 1.5 sq/ m, the other is 4 sq/m and am waiting for my seeds.
But my question is; is there an alternative for the production of CO2 via canister & regulator (old school)?
I've ordered CO2 Pads and have seen various other products e.g. My CO2 boxes, small bottles with
refills etc.
So I'd LOVE to hear any stories of experience with any of the CO2 products available. The marketing
blurbs all sound convincing but I really want to hear reviews by real growers.
 
I've never actually grown with co2 but I plan to soon and this is what I've read:

The most efficient co2 production would be with a burner, but that produces heat. So you generally only use a burner for larger grows in a larger space. A smaller grow could use those co2 bottles, but you need to put the bottle in the tent to get the most use out of it because you can't regulate it and it'll probably never push concentrations past 1000ppm.

I think the best option for a small-medium grow is still the refillable tanks and regulator.
 
I use co2 in my fridge setup using fermenting sugar. To give you an idea, 2kg sugar and a tablespoon of yeast in about 10-12L water gives me ppm over 1000 for just under a week. Like I said, in a sealed fridge. You would need alot of them to do a tent and achieve high ppms.

I like the idea of those co2 bags you hang over top. At least they would fall directly on your plants like a nice shower. Let us know what you decide to do hey!
 
Another option is to use a dry ice block. This works well, just like using commercial CO2 bottles. It's a good idea never to overdo CO2
or it becomes toxic to the plants and can stress them out. Always have a CO2 sensor to measure the ppm. Less is more.
 
Update: I ended up buying a My CO2 Bag that has a mycelia mass inside and is constantly producing CO2 without any involvement by the grower and should last 6 months.
I thought it was too good to be true but figured for $70 it was a try. It could've been unrelated but the plants had a massive growth spurt overnight after putting the bag in the tent. Actually, I joust bought 4 more to have 2 in each tent.
 
I have a grow going on in a fridge... 2 plants... I use a 1.5 l juice jug that I've washed out... I heat 3 cups of water to 190, add 3 cups of white sugar and stir until dissolved... the slowly add 3 TBSP of active bread yeast... I drilled 4 small holes on a bit of an angle through the cap... tighten the cap and throw it in the bottom of my fridge...
I change it every 4-5 days when the bubbles have stopped... costs me about $0.90 a week...

It probably doesn't produce cubic meters of C02, but for my small fridge the plants seem to like it and show a healthy dark green leaf...

But I'm a rookie just trying to figure all this out! My first grow is in my signature and I'm only 2weeks in after germination...
 
Peeece said:
I have a grow going on in a fridge... 2 plants... I use a 1.5 l juice jug that I've washed out... I heat 3 cups of water to 190, add 3 cups of white sugar and stir until dissolved... the slowly add 3 TBSP of active bread yeast... I drilled 4 small holes on a bit of an angle through the cap... tighten the cap and throw it in the bottom of my fridge...
I change it every 4-5 days when the bubbles have stopped... costs me about $0.90 a week...

It probably doesn't produce cubic meters of C02, but for my small fridge the plants seem to like it and show a healthy dark green leaf...

But I'm a rookie just trying to figure all this out! My first grow is in my signature and I'm only 2weeks in after germination...
Click to expand...


Here my grow and my C02 generator

First Grow - Stealth Fridge Conversion - White Widow & BubbleG

First Grow - Stealth Fridge Conversion - White Widow & BubbleG
 
Annabanana said:
Update: I ended up buying a My CO2 Bag that has a mycelia mass inside and is constantly producing CO2 without any involvement by the grower and should last 6 months.
I thought it was too good to be true but figured for $70 it was a try. It could've been unrelated but the plants had a massive growth spurt overnight after putting the bag in the tent. Actually, I joust bought 4 more to have 2 in each tent.
Click to expand...

I grew mushrooms for a few years in tubs that held 4x more mycelia than one of those bags. It's true the fungi will produce CO2 but only while it's growing through the media, and even then it doesn't produce much CO2. Once the bag is fully colonized the CO2 production will drop off dramatically. Every time I see them on the shelves in the stores they're at least halfway already colonized... for $70 it's a big ripoff to be honest. You bought 4x $70 bags... that could have got you halfway to a legit setup.

I've never tested those bags specifically but from my experience with fungi they seem like a gimmick. You should at least get a CO2 monitor to tell you whether it's actually increasing CO2 levels before you buy more. And idk if it's in the instructions on the bag but if you break up the mycelia mass once it's fully colonized, you can force it to restart the colonization and give you another week of fungal growth and 'co2 production'.
 
Thanks for the advice, Versai. I agree with you, for sure. And I actually complained to the manufacturer about the process being already underway before I received the bags. He gave me some story about the only size bags supplied to Australian customers are all pre-initiated with the white stuff or something.
And now I've been using the recently bought ones, I'm convinced the growth spurt was indeed unrelated and purely coincidental.
I'm back to my original plan; whereby I wait until I have managed to successfully provide all the other factors for optimal growing before getting a proper CO2 system in place!
 
Tunkers said:
I use co2 in my fridge setup using fermenting sugar. To give you an idea, 2kg sugar and a tablespoon of yeast in about 10-12L water gives me ppm over 1000 for just under a week. Like I said, in a sealed fridge. You would need alot of them to do a tent and achieve high ppms.

I like the idea of those co2 bags you hang over top. At least they would fall directly on your plants like a nice shower. Let us know what you decide to do hey!
Click to expand...
Mate can you explain this more? You use what like a little bar fridge or something and have it INSIDE your grow room?
 
I usually waut untill the flowering period to introduce CO2 But I have never used tanks or regulaters But is what I do ues is 2 ort 3 times a week will have a plate with baking soda on it and i have something I made with an IV drip i stole from the hospital when I had Lithotripsy done on my kidney stone. Anyways i hooked the part that goes int the bag into the lid of a gallon jug and hang it upside down with vinegar (White Distilled) over the plate or the bowl and set the drip to like 5 drops a minute. When the Vinegar hits the baking soda it has a chemical reaction and the waste product is CO2
 
I'm currently using a bag as well. However, mine came with the mycelium separate. When I opened the package it was sealed in an upper portion of the bag. Pull out a plastic rod, unroll the top of bag, and it drops into the medium. Then you replace the rod and you're good to go. Takes a few days to get going, then will create CO2 for 6 months. I doubt it lasts that long, that's just the info from the bag. Not sure how much it raises my PPM and I'm also on my first grow so I can't compare any buds I've grown without the bag. It can't hurt to put it in though, I know that much! :goodluck:
 

Similar threads

A
Need some help With CO2
Replies
5
Views
1K
jhfhklsnhfldk
J
S
Co2 Bags?
Replies
18
Views
3K
ruddie
R
goofyfoot
CO2 debate need help
Replies
15
Views
3K
goofyfoot
goofyfoot
F
Controller (CO2 and AC) ... which controller?
Replies
1
Views
1K
exile19
exile19
M
Co2 bag or pad
Replies
13
Views
8K
Papageno
P
Back
Top Bottom