By Hervé Maumus-Hue

As the need for a more energy-efficient method of cannabis cultivation builds, an increasing number of growers are turning to sealed greenhouse cultivation to stay viable and competitive in the market. One key factor in successfully growing cannabis “indoors” is creating an optimal growing environment, and that includes mainthttps://cerescann.com/greenhouses/aining optimal levels of CO2 for plant growth. Carbon dioxide enrichment can significantly increase cannabis plant growth and yield, making it an important consideration for any cannabis cultivator. In this blog we will explain why, when, and how CO2 supplementation is important and what the potential outcomes can be.

Topics we will cover (in case you would like to jump ahead):

  1. Different types of plants, different biological processes

  2. C3 plants: the importance of CO2  supplementation for a greenhouse

  3. Supplying CO2 – Considerations

  4. Injection techniques

  5. Estimating the cost of CO2

  6. Injecting CO2 can be more cost effective than supplement lighting

  7. Environmental considerations

 

1 – Different Types of plants, different biological processes:

Plants are characterized by how they acquire CO2 and what type of carbohydrates they create during photosynthesis. Plants’ photosynthesis pathways are divided into 3 categories: C3, C4, and CAM. C3 accounts for 95% of the species on earth, the rest are equally divided between C4 and CAM. 

Photosynthesis Reaction: The Importance of CO2

Photosynthesis is divided into two sub-processes: a light dependent reaction and a light independent reaction. The light independent reaction, also known as the Calvin cycle, doesn’t need light to occur.

Combining those two give an overall reaction as follows: 

H2O + CO2 + Light -> Carbohydrates + O2

Or 

Water + Carbon dioxide + light -> Carbohydrates + oxygen

Carbon dioxide is therefore vital and necessary for plants to thrive, whether they are C3, C4 or CAM. The difference between the categories is how they assimilate the carbon dioxide to be used as a source of energy and build carbohydrates. 

2 – C3 plants – Horticultural application: why is CO2 important to plants?

Atmospheric air contains approximately the following proportions of gasses:

For human beings, there are a lot of oxygen molecules in the air to breathe. Plants are limited to a very small amount of carbon dioxide. If you are sharing a room with your plant, you can think of it this way: one fifth (20%) of the volume of the room is usable for you to breathe (oxygen) when only 0.04% (400 ppm) is carbon dioxide available for the plant. 

Figure 1 below summarizes data from 60 scientific greenhouse experiments worldwide and shows:

The wide band is due to variation between crops and to conditions. This graph is based on data from about 60 publications of experiments worldwide in many greenhouse crops. (Source: Nederhoff, 1994).

CO2 graph of growth
Figure 1. CO2 -curve. Crop production (%) at various levels of CO2 (ppm). The production at the ambient CO2 level (calc. 340 ppm in 1985) is assumed 100%.

 

3 – Supplying CO2 – Considerations

As leaves exchange gasses, water vapor leaves, carbon dioxide enters the stomata, the concentration of CO2 is slowly reduced and needs to be replaced with a new influx. If not replaced, CO2 levels inside the greenhouse will be lower than atmospheric, known as CO2  depletion. With a proper air exchange from ventilation, CO2 should be at the same level inside the greenhouse as outside. 

There are times that it can be detrimental to bring air into a greenhouse from outside, like if there is a large temperature differential or pollen in the air. Assuming a bright sunny day, therefore a high photosynthetic rate, CO2 depletion is common. CO2 enrichment is the only way to solve that problem. 

In the summer or on warm days, when ventilation is high in order to cool the greenhouse, enriching the air with CO2 is not economically feasible. In fact, Ceres greenhouses are designed for having 1 air exchange per minute (60 air exchange per hour), and a minimum acceptable air exchange in the industry is around 1 air exchange every 3 minutes (20 air exchanges per hour), meaning CO2 supplementation for a greenhouse during venting would exhaust the CO2 immediately, wasting CO2 and money.

CO2 molecules are heavier than other gasses, therefore they tend to stay low in the greenhouse. Placing your injection system high above the canopy is a good practice. Consider the importance of both horizontal and vertical airflow, to evenly distribute CO2 throughout the growing environment. Some vertical flow fans can ensure that this precious gas is moved in a perpetual way, and is not stuck below the canopy, hence not optimally assimilated. 

No matter the size of the greenhouse, if you plan on using CO2 for cannabis, it is highly recommended (if not mandatory) to have sensors installed that detect dangerous concentrations, and ideally to install small exhaust fans that will clear the air with fresh air in the case of an emergency.

4 – Injection techniques

The most common way of introducing CO2 is from compressed liquid CO2. Manufactured CO2 has the advantage of being contaminant free. Many commercial grows use compressed liquid CO2 with a resupply contract, which usually includes a large interior or exterior storage tank that is resupplied monthly or bimonthly from a supplier.

The second method of CO2 supplementation is from fuel combustion.

Disclaimer: In many commercial operations, burning fuel inside a growing space for CO2 injection is not authorized due to fire codes. Make sure you are compliant with your local codes. 

If you do decide to combust fuel to produce CO2, propane and butane are the most common types of fuel used because they burn cleaner than other fuels. 

There are two different types of devices used to inject the gas: either small wall mounted burners installed inside the greenhouse or larger boilers installed outside the greenhouse. The disadvantages of the smaller burners is that flue gas can cause extremely high CO2 levels inside the greenhouse due to incomplete combustion during the on/off times of the device. The other disadvantage is that they produce heat as a byproduct of the combustion. Heat is mostly needed at night, while CO2 is mostly needed during the daytime to promote growth.C3 plants don’t uptake CO2 at night. 

The second option is an outside boiler. The heat produced by combustion is ducted and either distributed through a hot water pipe network or stored in a water tank (buffer) for later use. The CO2 injection and the heat produced as a result are controlled separately. This is a preferred method compared to burning fuel inside the greenhouse and widely used in large greenhouses in Europe. 

Lastly, a less known solution is using a “Combined Heat and Power” (CHP) system also known as cogeneration. This consists of burning natural gas to generate electricity, heat, and CO2. CHP is mostly used in places where electricity is not available or where electric rates are very high but natural gas is much cheaper.. In conclusion, CHP produces a “all in one” (electricity, heat, CO2) solution. However the cost effectiveness needs to be considered relative to the scale of the facility, and CHP usually isn’t an option in facilities under 20,000 to 30,000 square feet. 

5 – Estimating the cost of CO2 

As mentioned before, the atmospheric level of CO2 is 400 ppm. Here are things to consider when you are trying to predict the amount of CO2 supplementation needed:

Once you have calculated the air exchange rate and the intake of CO2 by the plants, the amount of supplementation can be determined. 

6 – Injecting CO2 can be more cost effective than supplementing lighting

Members of the Greenhouse Lighting and Systems Engineering (GLASE) have shown that the photosynthetic rate and yields can be similar with different combinations of CO2 concentrations and light level (measured as Daily Light Integral). 

CO2 graph
Table 1. Different experiments on combinations of controlled light and carbon dioxide for growing lettuce. [2]
All the different combinations gave a yield of 190g of fresh weight. This is an interesting result because it demonstrates that you can adapt your lighting strategy and CO2 supplementation to lower the operating cost depending on the environmental conditions. 

7 – Environmental considerations 

CO2 is a gas that increases the greenhouse effect on our planet. If possible, try to take this into account and be as efficient as possible when supplementing CO2. Instead of adding CO2 to the atmosphere, you may want to consider recycling CO2 from a neighboring commerce burning fuel, or from a brewery that actively rejects CO2.  

Conclusion

We have given an overview of the benefits and ways to use CO2 for cannabis in a greenhouse environment. Yield increases are substantial and justify the massive use in commercial operations. The techniques in which enrichment is used depends on the size of your facility and your budget. Note that combining light strategy and CO2 enrichment through smart controls is a way of making the whole process more cost-effective and less resource intensive. 

As presented in our previous “Plant Diet: How to grow healthy plants” blog, CO2 is a part of the 9 cardinals (besides light, root zone temperature, air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, oxygen in the root zone, nutrients, and water). CO2 needs to work in symbiosis with the rest of the parameters. 

Are you interested in purchasing a greenhouse? Check out what we have to offer. 

Sources

[1] Elly Nederhoff, Carbon Dioxide Enrichment, Practical Hydroponics & Greenhouses. (1994).

[2] GLASE Webinar Strawberry and tomato responses to light and CO2 control.

https://glase.org/webinars/strawberry-and-tomato-responses-to-light-and-co2-control/

[3] John W. Bartok Jr.  CO2 Enrichment for Cannabis. https://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com/article/co2-enrichment-for-cannabis/