Why C02 Matters in Your Cannabis Grow: And How to Generate More of It
Medium Size Indoor Garden / Photo by David Downs
“Before you add another light, add C02.”
The importance of carbon dioxide cannot be understated in the cultivation process. Having robust C02 levels ensures optimal plant health and maximum yield.
Plants create sugars using the process of photosynthesis which is powered by light.
The light is used to separate water’s two elements oxygen and hydrogen. The oxygen floats into the air. The Oxygen is combined with CO2 to create sugar, which is used as food to power metabolism and to grow.
As noted in the Cannabis Grower’s Handbook: Cannabis is a C3 plant so it gathers carbon dioxide only when it is photosynthesizing. With adequate light and water, the plant absorbs more CO2 when its concentration in the air increases. This increases the plant’s photosynthetic efficiency, producing more sugars, resulting in faster growth.
The 420 ppm of CO2 found in the Earth’s atmosphere is on the low end of the continuum of C3 plants’ ability to use it as an ingredient for photosynthesis. Outdoor plants growing in the bright light of summer grow heavier and faster when supplemented with CO2. Raising the level of CO2 up to 0.15% (1500 ppm), or a little less than four times the amount usually found in the atmosphere, increases plant growth rate significantly.
When plants are growing in an enclosed area, there is a limited amount of CO2 for them to use. Under bright lights, CO2 is used up quickly. Enclosed gardens with no ventilation are also rapidly depleted to the point where the photosynthetic rate slows to a virtual stop at 200 ppm. Only when more CO2 is added to the air does photosynthesis resume!
The text goes on to reveal that C02 levels of between 800-1,500 parts per million (ppm) will increase cannabis plant growth tremendously. These numbers are far higher than what’s found in the natural environment. Therefore, supplementation is a must for cultivators whether the garden is inside or out.
Link4 Sensors in a cannabis Garden / Photo by David Downs
Options for C02 Enrichment
Some cultivators utilize C02 generator machines that deploy sensors and regulators. While this method is effective, it can also be cost-prohibitive—especially for craft or home growers.
There are also other tricks, such as placing a C02-producing compost pile near an outdoor garden. Fermentation from home beer brewing kits may also provide a small amount of C02 but not enough to raise the levels to that 800-1,500 ppm sweet spot. Hanging products like mushroom bags are also viable but tend to have a shorter life span.
If you are a craft grower, I have a cost-effective, reliable, and easy solution for you.
Supplementing C02 with Green Pad
The Green Pad C02 generator is a great option. As one of the most popular C02 supplement tools on the market today, Green Pad’s solutions are consistently well-reviewed thanks to their ease of use and impressive results. They’re perfect for cultivators who need to boost their C02 without the added expense of machine generators.
Created by a legacy cultivator seeking a better way to boost crop health, the Green Pad suite of products is specifically made by growers for growers. While it may look like a plain sheet of paper inside a bag, the Green Pad is actually quite sophisticated yet incredibly effortless to deploy.
Company founder Mark, a longtime grower, cannabis advocate in his community, and Ed devotee who started his garden in the late 1970s debuted the Green Pad in 2009 as a viable way to help fellow cultivators boost their yields.
“At that point, there were very few ways to effectively add C02 to an indoor garden,” he explained. “A lot of hobby growers did not want to set the expense they needed to set up tanks and sniffers and burners—our product is perfect for these cultivators.”
Using a Green pad is super easy and effective.
How Green Pads Work
The Green Pad contains a proprietary blend of carbon and acids that react to moisture, creating C02 via a chemical reaction. The multilayered pads are spritzed with plain water, activating the C02 production. Humidity within the garden continues the cycle, but additional sprays of water now and again help to kickstart the process.
A built-in hanger makes them easy to place at the top of your canopy, helping evenly distribute the carbon dioxide as it falls to the ground. Green Pads generally need to be replaced every two weeks but have nearly unlimited shelf life prior to use, a benefit over alternative methods like mushroom bags.
To see if the pad needs to be replaced, simply mist the pad. Listen close, a fizzing sound indicates a reaction —silence means the pad’s compounds are depleted and a new one should be placed.
For modest gardens between 200 and 400 square feet, the original Green Pad is ideal. Spaces over 800 square feet should look to the GDP (aka Grand Daddy Pad), which has the power of four individual pads. Some growers find the GDP model works best when a moderately damp sponge is placed inside, as this ensures there is always moisture, even in drier conditions.
However, once canopy space begins to exceed this size, it may be a good idea to consider exploring other traditional methods of C02 supplementation such as generator tanks. While a bigger investment, the overall production capability may be more suitable for larger grows.
Cannabis Clones love an extra CO2 supply.
C02 and Clones
Carbon dioxide is also a crucial component of the propagation process as it can help promote clone health and accelerate rooting. Photosynthesis produces oxygen, an especially important compound for cannabis roots, a part of the plant that tends to be the most at risk for oxygen depletion.
Fortunately, Green Pad offers a Jr. model for this purpose.
Designed to fit securely inside humidity domes, Green Pad Jr. gives you higher strike rates, less leaf yellowing, and faster rooting by 2-3 days or more, allowing you to move healthy rooted cuttings and seedlings to veg faster. Because they work rapidly, the pads should be replaced every other day.
“There had never been any commercial products for putting C02 in clones, nor had anybody really given it much thought,” Mark said. “People that see it work are very impressed by how much faster the cuttings start rooting, and how the leaves stay nice and green.”
The Green Pad Jr. requires very little if any water since they react to the high levels of humidity within the clone tray. However, a gentle spritz will activate the C02 production automatically if needed.
Give your plants a hand and they will reward you with amazing flowers. Photo by David Downs
Green Pad - A Viable and Efficient Option for Generating C02
Supplementing C02 levels in the cannabis garden is one of the foundational ways growers promote plant growth and yield size. And while there are many different ways to go about generating carbon dioxide, the Green Pad method is arguably one of the most convenient and innovative options on the market today.
Great for craft growers, the Green Pad products are simple and cost-effective. While cultivators in larger gardens may want to consider investing in machine generators or tanks, Green Pad is a good option in small tents, closets, and gardens up to 800 cubic feet.
Take a look at the Green Pad Store and click this link
