So from that article I conclude that plants are actually an advance intelligent life form that has tricked the humans into over carbon dioxiding the atmosphere and heating the planet up so they can party like rock stars in the resultant CO2 enriched and super-heated environment. Bastards. Look how hard I work to weed the damn garden!!! The flower beds? Ha! Already overgrown! :XXbuzzsaw: Sneaky ass bastards :happy3:
So I gots a question - do you NEED high temps for the plants to use the extra co2? I am having trouble getting it to 80 in my flower room with the exhaust fan off 24/7. Damn LEDS....
Just lower your CO2 to 1000 ppm. A quick rule of thumb on temps and CO2. For each additional 100ppm of CO2 add .7 degrees Fahrenheit to the garden temp. Most baseline atmospheric CO2 is around 400-500ppm. If you go to 1250+ ppm you need a 10F jump in temp to fully utilize the additional CO2. So...if ideal garden temp without supplemental CO2 is 75F (roughly) and you can maintain 80F then your CO2 target range should be 1000-1100 ppm. That make any sense? Kinda lit and not thinking too clearly. assit: The hardest thing for me to learn with CO2 was how not to have plants deplete themselves. Hot fast growing plants suck a shit pile of nutrients. But they don't suck an equivalent shit pile of H20. The problem for me was the supplements. Any imbalance is magnified so the only thing that worked consistently for me was upping the regular nutrient schedule and stopping any supplemental additives (boosters and all that shit). But one small misstep and it's like going into a high speed spin with a midengine sports car. Everything happens fast, too fast.
It hasn't been easy to keep the temps up in one of my flower rooms. The reflectors are vented and it even has the generator in it and still just kicks the fan on for a few minutes now and then. I dug out an old 400w hps unvented fixture to add to the room with 3 more plants. I figured if I needed a little more heat I might as well do it with another light. By the time the additional plants flower out it will be getting warmer out and I'll take it down. Then drag it back out next winter. Yeah, when the CO2 and the temps are working right they suck up some nutes. I used to feed ever other watering in soil. Started noticing a little yellowing just before feed time. Now I feed twice and straight water once and they don't show any nute burn. Be Cool, CG
That's right about where I ended up (soil). Went from water-water-feed, to water-feed-water-feed. Don't know what that equates to for you hydro guys though?
I've given the tables a break during the cold weather. Going all soil for now. I started these new strains and wanted to see a couple rounds before I put them in hydro. The OG is going to be way too tall for the tables but the 8-Ball and the Critical Kush will work if I can find a way to support those heavy ass tops. I've got the LSD too which appears to be a shorter stocky plant. Be Cool, CG
Yeah, now the fabric bags dry out quicker than the buckets and they'll get a shot of strait water in between. Be Cool, CG
Ok - question for you guys running generators.... How do you control it - timer?, CO2 controller?? Mow do you measure the CO2 in your space??
get a hold of CC, I think I will do propane here soon. Got a bigger space, but worried about leaks etc. A propane leak is ten times scarier than a co2 leak
Same controller as you would use on a tank regulator. It just ignites the burner instead of opening a regulator solenoid. I don't measure, just trust the controller setting....probably not the best idea, but it works for me. If you can safely hook-up a gas grill, you can safely hook up a CO2 gen.
You should invest in a $100 co2 meter I would love to see levels measured and get an idea how fast a generator replenishes- Is your controller a co2 sensor or just a timer??
A sensor. Just set it and forget it. Room fill is an easy math problem. Look up the c/ft/min CO2 production on the gen and divide that into the cubic footage of the room. For the tank just look at where you have the flow set on your regulator and do the same. If you want to chase that rabbit hole you can compute how long a tank of CO2 lasts vs LP in a given room size. A $100 meter? I got one of those, it's a $350 controller too. :redbong:
Just curious.... I started with a set it and forget it CO2 controller - levels were all over the place as the fan does run room time to time. Bought a cheaper (250) controller that turned the co2 on/off based on when the fan was running but the temp sensor in that unit was crap - never buy a titan product again - ended up biting the bullet and buying the Autopilot Master Greenhouse COntroller - temp, (night and day), CO2, heat, fans everything is controlled by the unit and works together - WITH an accurate probe unit that goes inside the space. Night or day, all my stuff has been staying right on the numbers - I have a digital readout of PPM, temp, and RH real time from inside the space. COnfirmed the probe readings with separate meters.. lol - now I have three of the Autopilots... Working on getting them networked together and adding some alerting capability....
I'm so backward I'm turned around and going forward on this one. Nothing I use in my own garden is integrated. If the exhaust needs tuning it gets an inline thermostat, it goes on the wall and has a neat easy to use dial. Cost me $20. Lights get banked through 20 amp outdoor timers mounted right under the handy dandy analog thermostat. Peripheral uses such as heaters or circulation fans are set on independent timers through an independent 15 amp breaker. The only digital thing I got is the CO2 controller and it's not even being used right now. Since going to well water haven't even replaced the broken ph pen.
I know I know........... Was difficult to justify in my mind 450 for a controller but after spending almost that much on junk,,,,,
