The summer season is a time of blooming plants, the warmth of the sun on our backs (fingers crossed) and barbecues a plenty. But, we here at Adams Gas know that any dedicated gardeners and growers have been toiling year-round to get the best results possible. In the past we have looked at hydroponics and at what stages to apply CO2 to your plants: here we will share few top tips on how to maximise your yield using CO2 this summer.
Your Growth Space
First of all, it is important to make sure that your greenhouse itself is in the right shape for maximum efficiency. Proper labelling, organisation and sectionalising your plants is a great way to keep an orderly environment to achieve high yields.
Ventilation and shading are also important aspects of your greenhouse set up. Greenhouses are vulnerable to overheating from spring until autumn, and without protection from heat and a dry atmosphere few plants are likely to survive unharmed. Ventilation can come in a number of forms: simply opening the door of the greenhouse at high temperatures, installing roof vents or even side vents to allow air to move over plants and provide cooling.
The minimum amount of shading should be used if needed to keep the optimum temperature of 25-27ºC in your greenhouse – the plants need light to grow, but in between late spring and early autumn a small amount of shading can be very beneficial, either using external or internal blinds. Often it is not necessary to provide shading for sun loving plants, such as tomatoes for example, but the greenhouse is a more pleasant work environment when shade is provided.
The CO2 Effect
CO2 is vitally important in the process of photosynthesis and overall plant health (as high school biology taught us, once). Plants will often deplete the CO2 in a greenhouse drastically over time. So, artificially enriching your greenhouse is a logical step in improving plant development. The equipment needed includes: tank of compressed CO2, a pressure regulator, flow meter, valve, short-interval 24 hour timer, and connecting tubing, fittings and adaptors. Using this you can then set up a system that suits your particular greenhouse. Advantageously this method has fairly precise control, easily obtained equipment, does not add extra heat to your growing space, works well in small growing spaces and is not an expensive method to operate once you have set it up.
We offer a wide range of sizes in our CO2 canisters, so whether your greenhouse is a small hobby shed-size construction in your garden or on a much more industrial scale then we have the gas to cover your needs.
Managing CO2 Enrichment
Once you have successfully set up this CO2 system you will obviously want to monitor it and make sure that it is doing its job properly, there’s no point going to all that effort if it doesn’t work! But, CO2 is a not a gas that we can see, smell or taste so there is no way for you to do this without specialist equipment. So, don’t taste the soil or anything crazy like that. Instead, buy yourself a CO2 test kit! It is a simple case of taking a sample of the air in your greenhouse into a syringe, then pushing the air sample into a tube with a thermometer-like display on it which will tell your levels and makes it easy for you see if they are at optimum levels. Simple, but effective!
If you have any questions about how CO2 can help your greenhouse to flourish, don’t hesitate to contact us at 0800 195 445. Our team of dedicated specialists are ready and waiting to take your enquiries today.