Last updated: Jul 29, 2024

CO₂ Grow Room Calculator

Q: Should I add CO₂ to my grow room?

You don't have to add CO 2 to a grow room. However, if you care about plant yield and have already tried other methods influencing growth, adding CO 2 is an excellent next step.

Q: What is the optimal CO₂ level for plant growth?

The optimal CO 2 concentration for plant growth is 1200 to 1500 ppm . However, a high CO 2 concentration won't affect plant growth if you don't also provide enough nutrients, water, and light.

Q: Can you add too much CO₂ to a grow room?

In short – yes, you can for several reasons: You don't provide enough light for your plants, so adding more CO 2 doesn't affect growth. Adding too much is toxic – don't exceed 1500 ppm, as it might result in plant damage. Don't add CO 2 at night! At night, no photosynthesis occurs, so there's no need for CO 2 supplementation.

Q: How much CO₂ do I need if my grow room is 70 cubic feet?

You need about 0.05-0.07 cubic feet of CO 2 (1.5-2 liters). The exact number depends on the ambient and target CO 2 level. The higher the final level of CO 2 , the more you need. Find the exact volume of CO 2 you need with the CO 2 grow room calculator.

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Table of contents

How much CO₂ to add to a grow room?How to use the CO₂ grow room calculator?FAQs

Find out how much CO₂ to add to a grow room with our CO₂ grow room calculator! Read on to learn the optimum CO₂ level for plant growth and how to calculate the CO₂ flow rate of a tank to reach that level. But first, let's answer the most critical question: why would you add CO₂ to a grow room?

As you may or may not know, plants perform photosynthesis, transforming carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight into oxygen and compounds they use to grow. While we have plenty of CO₂ in the atmosphere (around 420 ppm), adding more CO₂ may be beneficial if you care about yield. However, adding CO₂ alone won't do much. You also need to provide enough nutrients, water, and light. Even if you add plenty of CO₂, the amount of light can be a limiting factor if it's not intense enough, and the CO₂ will go to waste.

🙋 You should also check out our potting soil calculator to find out how much soil you need for your containers.

How much CO₂ to add to a grow room?

To calculate the volume of CO₂ for a grow tent, you need to know the following:

The dimensions or volume of the room/tent, and
The current and desired CO₂ levels in parts per million (ppm).

Then you can use the following formula to find how much CO₂ you need to add to your grow room:

\scriptsize \text{CO}_{2\text{ needed}} \!=\! \frac{(\text{CO}_{2\text{ target}} \!- \!\text{CO}_{2\text{ current}})}{10^6} \!\cdot \!\text{V}_{\text{room}},

where:

Target and current CO₂ levels should be expressed in ppm; and
The unit of the needed CO₂ is the same as the one you used to express the room volume ( $\footnotesize \text{V}_{\text{room}}$ ).

Based on the calculated volume of CO₂, you can also find what should be the CO₂ flow rate from a tank:

\scriptsize \text{flowRate} = \frac{\text{CO}_{2\text{ needed}}}{\text{time}}

🙋 Now that you know how to calculate how much CO₂ to add to a grow room, check out how much fertilizer you should add with our water soluble fertilizer calculator.

How to use the CO₂ grow room calculator?

Here's how to use the CO₂ grow room calculator:

Input the grow room's or tent's dimensions or, if you know it, the room's volume.
Type in the current CO₂ level in your grow room. The atmospheric CO₂ is typically around 420 ppm.
Type in the desired CO₂ level.
Input the time the CO₂ will be on.
The CO₂ grow room calculator will tell you how much CO₂ you need to add to your grow room and what should be the CO₂ flow rate. If the flow rate is too high, increase the tank's open time.

❗ While a high concentration of CO₂ can be good for your plants, it can be dangerous for you. If you're adding CO₂ to a grow room, don't stay there too long, or turn it down while you're there. If the CO₂ concentration doesn't exceed 5000 ppm, you should be safe, but you can still notice symptoms like decreased concentration, headaches, dizziness, etc. Learn more in the CO₂ breathing emission calculator.

FAQs

Should I add CO₂ to my grow room?

You don't have to add CO₂ to a grow room. However, if you care about plant yield and have already tried other methods influencing growth, adding CO₂ is an excellent next step.

What is the optimal CO₂ level for plant growth?

The optimal CO₂ concentration for plant growth is 1200 to 1500 ppm. However, a high CO₂ concentration won't affect plant growth if you don't also provide enough nutrients, water, and light.

Can you add too much CO₂ to a grow room?

In short – yes, you can for several reasons:

You don't provide enough light for your plants, so adding more CO₂ doesn't affect growth.
Adding too much is toxic – don't exceed 1500 ppm, as it might result in plant damage.
Don't add CO₂ at night! At night, no photosynthesis occurs, so there's no need for CO₂ supplementation.

How much CO₂ do I need if my grow room is 70 cubic feet?

You need about 0.05-0.07 cubic feet of CO₂ (1.5-2 liters). The exact number depends on the ambient and target CO₂ level. The higher the final level of CO₂, the more you need. Find the exact volume of CO₂ you need with the CO₂ grow room calculator.

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