Grow Room CO2 Enrichment

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is in the air we breathe, typically around 300-400 ppm (0.03-0.04%). In an enclosed grow room cannabis plants can use all of this within just a few short hours. Without CO2, photosynthesis slows to a snail-like pace, photosynthesis is the process that plants use to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water allowing for plant growth. Adding CO2 to an enclosed building stimulates growth, the ideal level to raise concentrations widely accepted in the industry is 1200-1500 ppm (0.12-0.15%).

With carbon dioxide enriched plants comes more, faster growing, stronger stems and branches leading the plant to hold more flower. How much growth can you expect to see? Well that depends on who or what source you contact, I’ve seen/heard from 10-40%. But keep in mind you have many other variables in a grow room; lighting, soil, nutrients, etc. But what everyone agrees on is that dosing indoor grows with CO2 is inexpensive when compared with larger product yield equaling more money in hand.

You have two primary options for an economical way to use CO2 for your grow; low pressure bulk CO2 tanks that can be installed either inside or outside your building and are filled on site for customers ease of use with sizes ranging from as small as a 300 pound micro bulk tank to a 50 ton stand tank. While for the smaller grows you can easily use high pressure cylinders with typical sizes of 20 or 50 pounds, either type can be plumbed directly into your grow rooms and circulated with your fans. While there are several ways to to regulate the concentration of CO2 at your desired level the simplest and most accurate way is to purchase a CO2 regulator with a solenoid that plugs into a wall mounted controller that functions much like your homes thermostat keeping concentrations in the desired range.

Now with the injection of carbon dioxide into an enclosed area you are obligated by law in many states to install CO2 (not CO or carbon monoxide monitors) monitors as a fail safe in order to keep you and your employees safe. So if you want to increase your profits with minimal overhead, Bulk CO2 is the way to go!

Pictured here is a 300#, 550# and 750# Bulk CO2 tank.

By: Raymond Davis, Michigan Beverage Company