When buying Hydroponic Kits, it is often suggested that you add a Co2 Unit. However, they seldom give you any information on why you should add it to your purchase or how to use it. Here’s some in-depth information that might help with that decision.
CO2 is Carbon Dioxide. Basically it is made up of one carbon molecule and two oxygen molecules that are in a gaseous form at standard conditions for temperature and pressure. The role of CO2 in hydroponic kits is not a complicated one to understand. Photosynthesis is a process that all plants use to converts carbon dioxide into organic compounds, especially sugars, using the energy from light. Now what this means to you is that your plants require CO2 in hydroponic kits to make food for themselves. Pretty simple.
Where is it? It is in the very air you are breathing right now. With that being said, why would you need CO2 in your hydroponic kits at amounts greater than what is in the air? Good question.
CO2 in the air is at about 400-450 ppm (parts per million). At first glance that seems to be pretty good. After all, if plants outside of hydroponic kits can survive quite nicely on that concentration, why mess with it? The primary reason for increasing CO2 levels in is plant growth. As said before, CO2 is used to make food for your plants. Increase the supply of what makes food in hydroponic kits and you have bigger plants.
Now, like all things, moderation is key. There comes point where you can have too much CO2 in the environment and actually damage your plants. The most serious impact of excess CO2 in hydroponic kits is to reduce the plant’s stomas opening. Why is this important? Stomas, in the botanical sense, are pores in plants leaves which allow it to breathe or transpire. This reduced opening results in less CO2 absorption and less transpiration.
Transpiration is a key process for plants because water and nutrient absorption depend on it. What is transpiration? It is like sweating but for plants. In your hydroponic kits, the nutrient solution is absorbed by the roots, it travels up the plant and the extra water that the plant does not need is released by the stomas into the hydroponic kits. That is transpiration in a nutshell. About 90% of the water that enters a plant’s roots is used for transpiration.
So that brings us to humidity as a result of increased CO2 in your hydroponic kits environment. Think of it in these terms – your plant is in optimal growing conditions- what does it do? It grows like mad. With that increase in growth – there is an increase in the byproducts of photosynthesis, mainly water and oxygen via transpiration. So, you do need to watch for the increase in humidity in hydroponic kits as it can allow for the growth of fungi and no one wants that in their hydroponic kits. Good ventilation is vital.
You will also need to pay close attention to your hydroponic kits temperature. When you “enrich” your crop with CO2 you need to adjust the temperature as well - as much as 13oC (8oF). Just keep in mind that the plant’s metabolism works much faster when exposed to that “enrichment” so all your crops requirements will increase as well. CO2 as an addition to hydroponic kits can increase your yields and be of benefit to your crop when it’s done properly. If you are just starting out in the wonderful world of hydroponic growing, CO2 enrichment is something that is not absolutely vital to your system. Our recommendation is not to jump into CO2 enrichment in your hydroponic kits without proper knowledge.
