Carbon Dioxide (co2) Gives You Bigger Harvests

Carbon Dioxide (co2) Gives You Bigger Harvests

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Carbon Dioxide Gives You Bigger Harvests! Oxygen, Carbon and Hydrogen are what makes up about 90% of the vegetative matter of a plant. The Carbon (CO2) that exists in the ambient air is the only source of CO2 for any plant growing in its natural environment.

Just like animals, the plants we love breath in Oxygen and exhale Carbon Dioxide continuously for the duration of their lives. During daylight hours plants need Carbon Dioxide in order to produce sugars. When darkness falls the plants will breathe out Carbon Dioxide as a waste product.

Plants use Carbon Dioxide and light for photosynthesis. The greater the amount of light that is available to the plants, the greater their requirement for Carbon Dioxide. Science has shown that that it takes approximately 10 photons (quantum units of light) during the photosynthesis process to produce sufficient energy to split one molecule of Carbon Dioxide into its base components of Oxygen and Carbon to form a sugar.

With trillions of photons hitting the surfaces of the plants leaves, there needs to be sufficient Carbon Dioxide in order to convert their energy into sugars. When there is not enough Carbon Dioxide the unused photons will literally bounce off the leaves. It will be lost. The more light the plants are given the more Carbon Dioxide they require in order to produce the maximum amount of sugars from photosynthesis.

Plants growing outside in full sunlight receive about 5000 lumens per square foot. Given this amount of light plants can process around 2000 ppm of CO2, however ambient CO2 levels outdoors are far below this level.

When growing indoors with artificial lighting and providing around 3000 lumens of light per square foot a plant will make full use of about 1500ppm of CO2. With a light level of around 1000 lumens the maximum useable CO2 level would drop to about 300ppm.

Within an enclosed room the lower the levels of CO2 the more air needs to be exchanged with fresh air from outdoors. When growing outdoors with only 300 to 400 ppm CO2 the more the air must be moved across the undersides of the leaves in order to provide sufficient exchange. Naturally, the wind takes care of this for you.

If the plants have enough CO2 and enough light they will perform to their maximum with increased rates of growth and higher yields. Keep in mind that they will also consume greater amounts of water and nutrients.

About the Author:
Dave Anthony, the author of this article, has been an advocate of hydroponic horticulture since the early 70s and has worked with a multitude of different systems and crop types. He teaches simple ways to achieve maximum results with your hydroponic garden. Get your FREE monthly newsletter covering all aspects of hydroponic growing. Visit Steves Hydroponics online at http://www.steveshydroponics.ca



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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