Ben GreenfieldFounder, Ben Greenfield Life

The Costly Mistake That Taught Me About CO2 and Plant Growth

11 Jul 2023 · 1 min

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Ben Greenfield's grow operation failed catastrophically when he pumped CO2 into the room without realizing it would sink into the water troughs and suffocate the roots. All six plants died within 48 hours, two weeks before harvest. The mistake taught him that roots need oxygen and leaves need CO2, not the other way around.

Questions this video answers

200 gallons

Six plants

14 years ago

6,000ft (as stated)

48 hours

Chapters

I was growing in these massive horse troughs that were like 200 gallons and I was growing like six plants in a horse trough. It was very archaic compared to how we grow today. But you know, this was 14 years ago, so cut me a little slack. CO2 is heavier than our atmospheric air. Well, I figured this out the hard way in the most very expensive way. But in this room was big, it was like 6,000ft. And I didn't know this but the plants root zone breathes oxygen, the plant's canopy breathes CO2. So I was pumping CO2 into these rooms, getting ready for a harvest, trying to make as much money as possible. That CO2 sank into those big horse troughs where it had nowhere to go and it literally suffocated those roots. Every single plant in their died in 48 hours and I was like two weeks away from harvesting. Wow. Yeah. Did you lose it all or were you able to fix the plants?