Test: Slow-release pellets of CO2
Christian Cantelli
Indoor Gardening The test of the month focuses on a revolutionary new type of brake pads to slow release of carbon dioxide.
THE CO2
First is the case of say a few words about the use of CO2 for indoor cultivation and its benefits: all plants are made up of three main basic elements, hydrogen, oxygen and carbon; The first two elements in water (composed of two molecules of hydrogen and one oxygen) are absorbed by the plant through the root system, while the carbon is removed from the air. Specifically, the plant breaks down the molecules of carbon dioxide (CO2 also known by its bi-molecular composition or carbon monoxide) into a piece of carbon and releasing two parts of oxygen through the process of photosynthesis.
USE
Saturate a microclimate of carbon dioxide will allow the plant to absorb a greater amount of carbon and consequently have more construction material available for its growth: a room full of CO2 will allow rapid and luxuriant plant growth.
The professional systems for the administration of carbon dioxide usually comprise a gas cylinder, a timer to regulate the release and possibly an instrument for measuring the gas concentration in the environment. The optimum quantities of CO2 of about 1600 up to 2000 parts per million during the vegetative phase, and between 1000 and 1500 parts per million during the flowering stage. To get an idea of the amount of CO2 necessary to supplement the one normally present in a close and narrow as it might be a typical installation for indoor cultivation just think that the average level of carbon dioxide usually settles between 300 and 500 shares per million. It 's also good to note that in the absence of an adequate system of ventilation plants quickly deplete the supply of carbon dioxide remaining in the grow-room soon run out of carbon. The plant growth will be slow and labored.
At a higher concentration of CO2 in the environment must correspond to a higher temperature because the carbon is most efficiently metabolized in this way. If a plant for example requires a temperature of 24-26 degrees in the presence of high concentration of carbon dioxide of the same plant will need to 30-32 degrees. During the flowering phase instead, they required a lower concentration of carbon dioxide, temperatures can go between 26 and 28 degrees instead of the hypothetical 22-24 degrees with necessary atmosphere not enriched.
Another fact to remember for the home grower is that the plants, in the presence of a higher temperature and a metabolism accelerated by the saturation of CO2, they will also need a greater amount of water and fertilizer. Moreover, if the plants are grown in hydroponics is good to ensure that they receive a supplement of oxygen through the root system, adding a pump with Oxygenator or adding water to oxygen.
PADS
For a small domestic cultivation is not always possible to have a plant for administration of professional gas, but it can still take advantage of the benefits of enrichment of the atmosphere using the pads of carbon dioxide present in commerce. These pads can be used both for radical administration in hydroponic tanks (the plants can absorb a percentage of their consumption of CO2 by the roots) or be dissolved in a container of water within the crop to allow dioxide carbon present in them to be released into the air. Obviously, the slower the release process of the gas the better the diffusion and saturation of the environment by the same.
A PRACTICAL APPROACH
To make the most of the pads of carbon dioxide inside a small home-grown one can proceed in this way: when the lights plants will "wake up" and open their stomata, this is the best time and increased breathability , and will be the best time to give them a dose of CO2. Will be appropriate to temporarily stop the ventilation system in order to avoid that the gas is carried away, in this way will also a rapid increase in temperature that will further the metabolization of the carbon. Leaving dissolve a tablet or two in a low, wide bowl filled with water a dose of carbon dioxide is released into the air which then become saturated. If temperatures are too high will not reach peak ventilation system should leave the firm for a couple of hours to ensure optimal absorption of the gas. Then you can restart the circulation of air.
This small treatment plant to ensure exceptional growth and an accelerated metabolism, small cost, great results.
SOME 'OF MATHEMATICS
But how much carbon dioxide is needed? Certainly with a CO2 meter is all easier, but for lack of one can calculate the amount of gas required to saturate our grow-room.
1) First calculate the volume of the area of cultivation by multiplying height x width x depth.
2) We estimate a CO2 concentration of 400 parts per million, and if we have to reach the hypothetical 1500 shares per million we will have to raise the concentration of 1500-400 = 1100 ppm
3) multiply the volume of the room to 0.0011 (1100 parts per million equal to 0.0011) and obtain the volume of carbon dioxide necessary to saturate the environment.
Example: grow-room 100cm x 100 cm x 200cm 200 cm cubic volume multiplied by 0.0011 gives 0.22 cubic cm of carbon dioxide necessary to raise the concentration from 400 to 1500 ppm.
THE TEST
For our tests we tested the speed of dissolution of three types of pads of carbon dioxide. The traditional right, slow-release center and the revolutionary new guy on the left. Taken three glasses of simple tap water to 16:00 part the experiment for each container a different type of pellet.
From the first minute you notice how fast the gas is released from a traditional pill, not only, is also known as residual leave the surface.
In a record time of 3 minutes and ten seconds the conventional tablet is completely dissolved, it released all the gas very quickly.
The slow-release tablet behaves much better with a more slow and gradual, while the new type releases only a few bubbles at a time.
After another ten minutes the pads are both still in action, but the difference between the two starts to become noticeable, the challenge is not already looks more like a butt.
Over thirty minutes after the immersion in the slow-release tablet is still giving gas but is nearly over, a much slower release is now evident in the new type of pill, and when the clock strikes 13:35 remains only one competitor for our test.
The slow-release tablet, however, has acted for more than thirty minutes more than the traditional pill, already very good.
Fifteen minutes after the tablet of the new generation still stands.
At 17:15 the tablet rises to the surface, then descend back. In another fifteen minutes then dissolves completely.
He resisted an hour and thirty minutes, three minutes of the pad against the traditional and the thirty for a slow-release. An amazing result.
Furthermore, we observe a near absence of residue in both slow-release tablets compared to the traditional one.
A further small amount of carbon dioxide will be released from the water in the subsequent 2 or 3 hours, this is the time required for complete evaporation;
A slow release will be better progressively to saturate the environment while the plant metabolizes the carbon, and the small additional quantity of gas will maintain the optimum level for the time necessary. A daily treatment with air enriched with CO2 will give us great results with our plants.
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Tags: growroom management , products , tests , ventilation
December 31st, 2009 at 12:27
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