When to use a CO2 Booster in your Growbox

When should you add a CO2 booster to your grow room?

Ask five different growers, and you'll get five different answers. This isn't something that really has a convenient and easy explanation. It's one of those controversial elements of growing that people work through as they go through the trial and error process of building better plant cycles. But with that in mind, here are some basic thoughts on adding a CO2 booster for hydroponics.

Get the basics right first!

In general, a CO2 booster isn't going to do any good unless other conditions are optimal. That means keeping plants at the right temperatures during light and dark cycles, having the right amount of humidity, and making sure that there's air flow. You need to also look out for the pH value of the hydroponic reservoir, and the nutrient intensity. Unless all of these other things are right, a CO2 boost isn't going to magically save your plants.

An airtight environment

It's also necessary to provide CO2 in airtight conditions. Otherwise, it just leaks out and floats away. Yes, you have to have air vents and other types of air circulation for plants, but make sure that the CO2 that is added is in a place where it will stay with the plants, not dispersing into the general room or space that you're keeping your grow system in.

How much CO2?

A lot of people go by the simple rule of 1500 parts per million for carbon dioxide. This varies according to many factors, what kind of plants you are growing, what kind of nutrient solutions you are using, etc. It's just something to go by when you're starting to test a carbon booster in your own unique environment.

Keep it up top!

Experts and some relatively experienced amateurs keep telling others that you don't want to put a carbon boost under the plants. Root systems, they argue, just don't do anything with carbon dioxide. You need to have the carbon dioxide up in the air around the plant stems and leaves to be effective.

The flowering phase

Some growers claim that it's best to add a carbon booster before the flowering phase, to get a healthier and more robust result at harvest. Others say that CO2 only works by the placebo effect. They claim that those growers who have seen great results by adding CO2 either had something else in play, or convinced themselves that the carbon dioxide made a difference, when in fact, it didn’t. We’re not going to weigh in on this -- because most of hydroponics involves running test cases and test cycles and following your own results. You're better served by getting the research yourself than by going with someone else’s canned opinion. So try a carbon boost under the best circumstances and see what it does for your plants!