Yeast CO2 Production-"CO2 Idea" re-written

In an earlier thread, I proposed a system to provide CO2 to budding marijuana, it reads as follows:

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Not sure if anyone has done this yet or not... Just seems like a good idea!

Check it-
I've seen in another thread that CO2 could be distributed to plant using a bucket containing a mixture of sugar, water, and yeast.

Assuming this is true

What if that bucket had a cover on it. On that cover, a hose comes out stretching the length of of your plants, capped off at the end. Out of this main hose (PVC would suffice now that I think about it), smaller tubes are attached feeding directly to each pot. -Kinda like a drip irrigation system, but CO2 instead. The CO2 being created by the yeast would be forced out of the the bucket through the main tube, and going directly to your plants via the connected smaller tubes...

Would this work/make a significant difference????

Hope it made sense, attached is a paintshop drawing of the idea...

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I still believe that this is a good idea, for a cost efficient way to provide CO2 to plants. I decided to research a little more, to see what was indeed a fact-not just an uninformed opinion.

A couple searches later:

In an article by Hoa G NGuyen
"If you want to grow a wide variety of plants and have vigorous growth, you need higher light levels, adequate nutrients, and supplemental CO2."

"Now mix the yeast, sugar and water solution as follows:
Put 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of yeast into the bottle with about a cup of warm water (bread yeast is fine). Some people have theorized that champaign or wine yeast should last longer (due to its ability to tolerate the alcohol generated from the brewing process), but recent tests reported on the net have not indicated any difference.

Shake to mix the yeast well.**

Add water to bring the solution up to 3/4 of the bottle.

Add 1 to 2 cups of sugar and shake well. The amount of yeast and sugar will determine the rate and duration of CO2 generation. More yeast will result in stronger CO2 production, but will exhaust the sugar quicker. Using 1/4 teaspoon of yeast and 2 cups of sugar will result in CO2 production for about 4 to 5 weeks.
In areas with soft water, some people recommend adding a teaspoon of baking soda to buffer the water and extend the life of the solution (prevent the acid formed by the brewing action from destroying the yeast prematurely)."

Based on this article alone I disagree with the post previously made on my other thread:

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Originally Posted by BONG0

LOL this is baout the 400th time ive seen this post about using yeast and sugar for co2 its a waste of time u can get more CO2 to your plants by breathing on them, talk to your plants like 15 minutes a day and u will get more CO2 than that will in a week

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People have been using yeast-produced CO2 in aquariums for awhile, why not growing MJ?
Imagine a 5 gallon bucket filled (3/4) with a mixture such as the one in the article-Surely that would produce more CO2 than by simply "talking to your plants."


Post more info when I have more time... All input is appreciated!:rasta:

In principle, it works fine. The problem comes when you have to shut off your ventilation for extended amounts of time to allow for the co2 to build up to the desired levels.

Atmospheric co2 is around 300 ppms. You need to get as high as 1300-1500 ppms for the co2 to have max effect. This takes a while to build up with a yeast and sugar setup. But when you shut off your ventilation, temps rise. This is ok to a point, since photosynthesis can occur at higher temps with co2 enrichment, but once you get over 100 degrees then you need to evacuate.

So, the question you need to ask yourself is, does my yeast/sugar setup raise ambient co2 levels quicker than my temps rise above 100? If the answer is no, then most of your co2 will be sucked out when you ventilate.

If you made a nice 5gal pail of wine, then at least you would be getting about 27 bottles worth for your trouble.

I did that with three straws coming out of a 1 ½ litre coke bottle. Just a load of work for what seems to be not much.

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1/4 teaspoon of yeast and 2 cups of sugar will result in CO2 production for about 4 to 5 weeks.

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I vehemently disagree. You can check whether there is CO2 coming out of the tube by putting the tube into a jar of water and observing the bubbles. I've done it loads of times, and after 2-3 days there are no bubbles, unless you shake it. If you shake it after that period of time, you still only get CO2 production for a couple of minutes.

Also, make sure you're changing the water often because it builds up alcohol, which kills the yeast after a while.

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Thanks for the posts!

Faithless-Although I haven't tried it myself yet, I believe you are right... After 3+ days CO2 production would have to slow significantly. Assuming the following statement is correct- "The amount of yeast and sugar will determine the rate and duration of CO2 generation."-Wouldn't the yeast continue to produce CO2 as long as there is still sugar for the yeast to "feed" on?

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So, the question you need to ask yourself is, does my yeast/sugar setup raise ambient co2 levels quicker than my temps rise above 100? If the answer is no, then most of your co2 will be sucked out when you ventilate.

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Temps dont really get to 100+ degrees in the winter... The only ventilation would be a fan on the light-if that...

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Originally Posted by ridethefire

Temps dont really get to 100+ degrees in the winter... The only ventilation would be a fan on the light-if that...

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Speak for yourself. That's really why this method is limited to small scale growers.

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Speak for yourself. That's really why this method is limited to small scale growers.

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I do speak for myself...

In this topic, I believe it is more limited by climate...