co2 in the garden
Nothing makes the indoor gardener
happier than a large, healthy crop—
beautiful green leaves, colorful fruits
and vegetables, heavy and aromatic
flowers. But no matter what you are
growing, the limiting factors to crop
health and overall yields are the
same: nutrients, climate, lighting and
pest control. Every plant has different requirements for optimal health,
but these four limiting factors can
make or break a harvest in any gardening scenario—if a single factor
is imperfect, crops can be negatively
affected. Some imperfections can
destroy a crop entirely.
One important, and often overlooked, aspect of the garden’s
climate is the level of carbon dioxide in the garden. What many of us
don’t understand completely is that
CO2 is actually consumed by our
plants. Carbon dioxide is made of
two oxygen atoms and one carbon
atom bonded together. During
photosynthesis, when the lights
are on, plants absorb CO2 through
the stomata (pores) found on the
leaves of the plant. The plant turns
the carbon atom into plant material such as leaves, flowers and fruit,
and discards the two oxygen atoms
during transpiration—usually when
the lights are off, with few notable
exceptions. Adequate CO2 levels are
absolutely vital to the health and
growth of plants, and elevated levels
can contribute to explosive growth
and production.
Normal levels of CO2 in the
atmosphere are generally between
300 and 500 ppm, but this is a
basic range and can vary somewhat based on location. Under all
circumstances, your plants should
be provided w