How To Control cO2 Output?

How do you control how much co2 your putting out? i have a co2 tank, and a regulator, tubing, and a tube punch... but i have no clue how much i should let out, and how fast it should be released. I have a 6'x8'x7' room... but i dont have a co2 ppm meter unfortunately. Any help would be greatly appreciated! And should i keep my fan running whil im using it?? and should i just use it for 5-10 mins at a time, a few times a day?? right now im running 24:0 photoperiod.

google co2 ppm calculator....I forgot the exact site but you put in the dimensions of you room and it adds up the rest

If you want to find out how much Co2 you're outputing per minute, try filling up a plastic bag that you already know the volume of and see how long it takes. Once you know that you can use some simple math to figure the rest out.

@dopeedogg Ive seen the calculator, but i dont know how fast it needs to be released since you can have it come out pretty fast, or pretty slow... catch my drift?? @nomiss Thats a great idea!! Thanks alot! That makes the most sense!! And do you think i should have it running non stop or just an hour or 2 a day... and should i run it with the fan on?? Any help would be great!

It is generally best to have CO2 running constantly at a slow speed. Since CO2 is heaver than air, make sure that the outake hoses are above your plants. It is best to have the CO2 running when the lights are on so photosynthesis can occur. Although having fans on while CO2 is running can be wasteful, it is a nessesity to keep the temperature down. Studies have shown that having CO2 running in the last two weeks of flowering decreases yield so you should turn it off then.

I don't even use co2 enrichment until flowering

Ive started using the co2 with 1/4" tubing and punched about 15 holes in it, every 5" or so... i left it on for about an hour at a very slow rate... and within about 36 hours, saw a 200% gain! NO BULLSHIT!!! I dont know if it was completely all the co2 or not, i also used a foiage spray from GH (General Hydroponics) organic stuff called diamond black... that might have played a part... ??? Any suggestions on getting the stem stronger??? its really low and getting full!! but i want a nice thick strong stem for my babies!

i left it on for about an hour at a time at a very slow rate 2-3 times a day.

do you know how many cuft's you're pumping out per day?

i set it at around 8 on the meter... and i do that for about an hour or so... 2-3 times a day...

@Nomiss... Also my tomatoe plants are about a month old. The first 2-3 weeks they grew they only grew about 5 inches, and it was all stem and only the first leaves. so i read a thread about long stretchy stems and replanted them dow to thier first round leaves, and dropped the regular flourescents as close to them as possible and they have been growing wider and fuller within the last week than the first 3 weeks of thier lives. Now when do you think would be a good time to move them under the MH. I have a 400w MH and a 1000w MH. I also have a 400w HPS and a 1000w HPS. I was thinking moving them under the 400w MH once they get to about 6". Is that too long to wait or am i good to move them under now?? I dont want to get those long stems again, so im really nervous to do that. I dont have T5s, I only have regular flourescents... nothing great. but they seem to be doing pretty well under them!! Let me know what you're thinking! Thanks again nomiss!

You can move you plants under the 400W MH right now. I grow straight from seed with my 400w MH and I never have problems as long as I keep the 400w about 18 inches away from the tops and don't forget to water more often because the 400W will dry the soil out pretty quickly. In 2-3 weeks I suggest hanging up your 400w HPS along with your 400W MH. Your plants will really love the dual spectrums while they are transitioning into flowering. By the way, how many plants are you growing and in what size space?

If you want to do co2 rite you need to get a ppm moniter. doing the math on the room size and trying to adjust the flow rate with a regulater is very difficult and not very accurate. I use a ppm 3 and it is the way to go. they are about $450 but it is worth it. It moniters the air and dispenses co2 whenever the room is lower than the setting you choose. I set mine so it holds at 650 ppm during veg and 1350 ppm during flower and i get outstanding results. the temps should be around 81F during lights on and 50%rh/ dont run the exaust fans while the room is filling with co2. you should dispense co2 then exaust 15 mins later and so on but always keep the circulation fans running. you'll find that the accelerated growth rate requires you to feed more often and watch out for the plants turning light green. if they start turning light green you are most likely giving to much co2. plants dont use co2 during lights out so set it up on a timer so it wont turn on during that time. try to seal your room off so you dont lose all your co2 out the leaks and you'll see results gauranteed. Have fun and enjoy and dont let it get to serious or it becomes work.

dLoc07 said:

Ive started using the co2 with 1/4" tubing and punched about 15 holes in it, every 5" or so... i left it on for about an hour at a very slow rate... and within about 36 hours, saw a 200% gain! NO BULLSHIT!!! I dont know if it was completely all the co2 or not, i also used a foiage spray from GH (General Hydroponics) organic stuff called diamond black... that might have played a part... ??? Any suggestions on getting the stem stronger??? its really low and getting full!! but i want a nice thick strong stem for my babies!

Click to expand...

hammer your plants with Fans for a stronger stem and for C02 control

nomiss said:

You can move you plants under the 400W MH right now. I grow straight from seed with my 400w MH and I never have problems as long as I keep the 400w about 18 inches away from the tops and don't forget to water more often because the 400W will dry the soil out pretty quickly. In 2-3 weeks I suggest hanging up your 400w HPS along with your 400W MH. Your plants will really love the dual spectrums while they are transitioning into flowering. By the way, how many plants are you growing and in what size space?

Click to expand...

Ill do it first thing in the morning too late tonight. Im just really worried about them stretching again. Its been weeks of nothing! its a pretty small space... 7x9x7.3 ish... and about 6 fems. I appreciate all the advice youve been giving me! Anything else you could help with, would be much appreciated!!!

queenster said:

If you want to do co2 rite you need to get a ppm moniter. doing the math on the room size and trying to adjust the flow rate with a regulater is very difficult and not very accurate. I use a ppm 3 and it is the way to go. they are about $450 but it is worth it. It moniters the air and dispenses co2 whenever the room is lower than the setting you choose. I set mine so it holds at 650 ppm during veg and 1350 ppm during flower and i get outstanding results. the temps should be around 81F during lights on and 50%rh/ dont run the exaust fans while the room is filling with co2. you should dispense co2 then exaust 15 mins later and so on but always keep the circulation fans running. you'll find that the accelerated growth rate requires you to feed more often and watch out for the plants turning light green. if they start turning light green you are most likely giving to much co2. plants dont use co2 during lights out so set it up on a timer so it wont turn on during that time. try to seal your room off so you dont lose all your co2 out the leaks and you'll see results gauranteed. Have fun and enjoy and dont let it get to serious or it becomes work.

Click to expand...

Ive been trying to enjoy this experience, but it seems to be more of a pain in the ass than anything! Theyre just now starting to fill out and grow a little fuller. I have so many nutes, and supplies, pretty much enough to run a nice setup, but no idea where to start. Right now i dont have the funds to spend 450 on the meter... if i did i would already have it!! And my RH, and temp are perfect!! no problems there!! i have a grow tent ive been dying to use too! Its a 4x4x8, but i only have 7'3" height to work with. anyone ever have to do a makeshift frame?? Any ideas on how to go about it??? I heard not to use pvc b/c when it heats up it lets off a gas thats bad for plants....?? not sure if it is true or not, but want the best! Thanks for responding and helping out the newbie!

DrFever said:

hammer your plants with Fans for a stronger stem and for C02 control

Click to expand...

I just explained to queenster that i really cant afford it right now. And ive been hammering those girls since the day they sprouted to no success! Ive even tried turning the speed to the highest possible setting and it still wasnt enough. And i have a pretty big, and strong fan! But i sppreciate all the advice and help... Anything else you could help with would be greatly appreciated!!

Ok... I got my MH up... got the fan going... and not too sure how this is gonna turn out... Im hoping i didnt put it too close to them. I dont want them to fry. But i think i got it right. Before i put them under the MH i sprayed the foliage with General Hydroponics black diamond to help with growth and as a little extra protection from the heat. Ill let you guys know how everything turns out tomorrow. I was also thinking about switching to hydro. do you think that would shock the plants doing a transplant from soil to soiless?? Let me know your thoughts and ideas on how to go about that change!

Transplanting from soil to hydro is not a good idea at this point. At this point, the plants have built a complex root system in the soil medium. Attempting to transfer your plants to hydro will not only damage your plants root system, but it will also put them into shock. In this case, it would be best to finish the grow off in soil. You have all of the lights and equipment that you need to do a more than satisfactory grow. You just need to put in the time and the effort. I remember how stressful my first grow was. I would worry if everything was not perfect. My advice is to just relax and let your plants grow. Just make sure that if you foliar feed, you do it right before the lights go off so your plants do not burn. The drops that the water forms on the the leafs form a magnifying glass and can burn the leafs.

Ok. It is surprisingly stressful....I'm trying to have fun with it, but just seems like everything is going wrong!! I've been using miracle grow and now I just heard that its not a good soil to use.... But I just started using GH bio weed, bio thrive, and bio CaMg+. I just gave it to them yesterday, and haven't checked on them since. Now my next grow, I've decided I'm going to go hydro. I was told I need to purify my water... Should I use distilled water or use my fridge which has a purifier in it??? Distilled could get pretty expensive seeing how its a 40 gallon resivoir. And when you have to change the water every week, that could cost quite a bit