Frequently Asked Questions
Find out everything you need to know about Using your CO2 Grow Bag, How CO2 Grow Bags Work & other Common Questions about CO2 Grow Bags below.
Using Your CO² Grow Bag
CO2 Grow bags arrive living and producing CO2.
To activate your bag:
1. Sit it upright in your growing environment
2. Peel off the sticker on the front so the white filter is exposed. (Do not remove the white filter patch under the peel-off sticker).
3. CO2 will then flow out of the filter 24/7 in to your growing environment.
Once you have removed the sticker on the front of your CO² Grow Bag -- CO² will be emitted through the white filter patch.
No, your CO² Grow bag comes ready to go -- it does not require any maintenance once in the grow room.
No, mushrooms do not use light like plants -- light is not necessary for growth or CO² output.
CO² Grow bags will produce CO² in complete darkness.
Furthermore the inverse is also true - 24/7 light exposure will not inhibit CO² production at all.
We recommend placing your CO² Grow bags under the plant canopy so they do not block any light to your plants.
Yes, CO² output is influenced by temperature to some degree.
The ideal temperature range for peak co2 output is in the 15-30deg range.
CO² output will begin to slow down in temperatures below 15deg and pretty well stop below 3deg.
The lower the temperature the more slowly CO² will be emitted (and the bag’s life will likewise be longer).
Temperatures above 33deg are not ideal and may begin to damage the mycelium inside the bag over time. CO² bags will die with prolonged temperatures above 38deg.
We recommend keeping bags on the floor for cooler temperatures if inside hot growing environments.
Yes, it is best to keep your CO² Grow bag at a safe distance from any heating system.
If a heat source is placed too close to your CO² Grow bag the moisture content in the bag may be reduced shortening the productive life of the bag.
It is important to not allow surfaces of the bag to get above 35deg from heat sources. The carbon matrix in the bag is a high percentage water and the mushroom uses this to make CO² -- losing too much water from a close heat source will result in less overall CO² output.
Temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius will damage the mushroom substrate and CO² production may stop.
No, light exposure does not affect the mushroom substrate in the CO² Grow bag.
However, if your lighting system produces a lot of heat, we recommend placing your bags under your plant’s canopy - this shade will help stop the bag from drying out prematurely.
Tunnel house growers -- we recommend trying to keep the bag under plant leaf canopy to help reduce the bag heating up from direct sunlight.
As with most plants, be sure to keep your CO² bag at least 1+ft away from high powered lights to stop potential light burn to the mycelium in the bag.
How CO² Grow Bags Work
Plants use carbon dioxide (CO²) in a process called photosynthesis to create energy-rich organic molecules such as glucose. During photosynthesis, CO² enters the plant through tiny pores on the leaves called stomata. Inside the plant, the CO² is combined with water to form simple sugars in the presence of light energy captured by the green pigment chlorophyll.
In short, plants require CO² to make food, utilise light, grow and reproduce.
As plants grown indoors, under lights, frequently do not receive adequate CO², supplementation assists them in the process of photosynthesis.
With the advancements in LED light technology many growers now actually give their plants more light than the plants can use: increasing CO² levels allows your plants to utilise more intense light resulting in stronger healthier plants & better yields.
Plants grown in elevated CO² levels are more tolerant of environmental stressors such as heat and pests.
Plants grown with CO² levels in the optimal 600-1200ppm range have reported yield increases anywhere from 20-40%. (As ambient CO² is currently at 420ppm, most commercial greenhouse growers therefore use CO² supplementation).
Please note we cannot guarantee set % yield increases due to a wide range of variables such as lighting, fresh air exchange, amount of foliage/ plants etc.
CO² Grow bags produce CO² for around 4-6 months, sometimes a little longer. They usually stop producing CO² entirely after 9ish months. Please note this date starts from when you peel off the activation sticker.
They produce peak CO² production for the first 2-3 months when in the 18-30deg range.
In cooler temperatures (5-17deg celsius) they will produce CO² more slowly and last longer overall.
Note, these are approximate figures as this is a living product - growing conditions, the temperature in your growing environment, and the time of year, therefore inevitably create variance in the life cycle of the product.
As the bag ages the contents inside the bag will shrivel and turn soft and spongy - this is the result of the material being turned into CO² and being emitted through the white filter patch.
As mushroom CO² bags are a living product Fresh Is Always Better. Imported products have a long journey by sea to reach you.
Our bags have sealed filter patches to make the bag dormant while in transit to you, ensuring you get the maximum CO² output from the bag.
You can view the production month of your CO² Grow bag for yourself - it is on the back of every bag.
A single XL size CO² Grow Bag is designed to cater for a 1200 * 1200 growing space. Grow spaces with dense heavy foliage can easily take multiple bags.
Dual L size CO² Grow Bags match the same size environment.
A number of our customers do use many more bags in the same size environment - but we’d recommend you use a CO² sensor to check that you are in the optimal range of 600-1200ppm when you do so - and adjust ventilation accordingly.
Note, many factors affect the CO² requirements of your specific growing environment - how much fresh airflow you run, how many plants you have, size of plants, stage of growth of plants, light intensity, style of growing system etc - therefore this is just a basic rule of thumb guideline.
For larger spaces simply increase the number of bags relative to the size of your growing environment.
For peak levels we recommend you bring in new bags every 2-3 months. Leaving the older bags in the growing environment with the new ones. Rotate the older ones out on the second or third cycle - at 4-6 months (or, if you have space, bags can stay in for their full life of 9 months).
In this way, as the bags CO² production rate decreases somewhat after month 2-3, you’ll maintain a steady elevated CO² level with the high output of the fresh bags coming in.
This rotation gives the best CO² levels possible and most CO² per $ spent. You can also rotate every 3-4 months, or 4-5 months, for a more economical rotation - but slightly lower average CO² levels will be maintained.
For accurate results a CO² sensor system is recommended. Check your levels each week. Please be aware cheap CO² meters are highly inaccurate.
The optimal level of CO² for plant growth in a greenhouse setting typically ranges between 600 to 1200 parts per million (ppm). This range is higher than the atmospheric CO² concentration, which is currently around 420 ppm.
For most growers targeting a 600-700ppm range will give the largest benefit for the least amount of input cost -- the difference in results from 400-600ppm is obvious. However, too much of a good thing is also true for CO², with diminishing returns as you push from 700ppm up to 1200ppm.
Increasing CO² levels beyond the optimal range may not necessarily lead to increased plant growth, and in fact, may have negative effects on plant health. CO² concentrations above 1500 ppm can lead to a condition called CO² toxicity, which can result in reduced growth rates and stunted development.
With adequate fresh air exchange, and good foliage cover it is very unlikely you will reach toxic levels of CO² in your growing environment. Healthy vigorous plant growth quickly consumes available CO² keeping a healthy balance with optimal growth.
It is important to monitor CO² levels in your growing environment and maintain them within the optimal range for the specific plants being grown. This can be done using CO² sensors and adjusting ventilation or CO² supplementation systems accordingly. Proper CO² management can enhance plant growth and productivity in a greenhouse, while excess CO² can harm plant health and waste resources.
The material inside of the bag is a CO² Grow proprietary blend of carbon-rich material and locally-sourced mushroom nutrient-mix. It is a matrix of rapid-break-down nutritional food, and a slower decomposing carbon-rich food source for the mushroom.
This mix gives a large burst of early CO² release followed by a slower longer release. The carbon matrix is sterilised and then our in-house CO² producing culture is added in the lab.
Each bag is inoculated by hand, mixed by hand, incubated at our farm and inspected before labelling for absolute quality control throughout the manufacturing process.
Common Questions about CO² Grow Bags
As CO² Grow bags advance in age, the mycelium in the mushroom substate inside the bag will also age, harden, and change colour.
Orange to yellowish colours are normal as the block ages.
If your bag has gone green it has been contaminated with trichoderma (green mould). This is a very rare occurrence which affects the odd CO² Grow bag. Usually bags will only go green if they are pierced or overheated. If your bag is less than a month old and has gone green it should be returned for a free replacement under our 30 day Guarantee.
Note, trichoderma is harmless to plants and is an important part of healthy soil structure, however it will kill mushrooms fighting for the food inside the CO² bag.
Firstly, a contaminated bag is defined as anything other than our CO² producing culture growing in the CO² bag.
Very rarely CO² bags can contaminate but it does happen now and then. They are most commonly contaminated with a green mould (called trichoderma). Trichoderma is harmless to plants and is very good for soil -- however it is parasitic in relation to the mushroom strain in CO² Grow bags.
Most commonly CO² bags will contaminate from being punctured or overheated. Overheating the bag can cause the mycelium to die back leaving the substrate open for a competing contaminant to take over.
If your bag is only partially contaminated (less than 30% green) you can leave it as it will still be producing CO².
If the bag is near fully green it should be removed from the growing environment and composted, it will no longer be producing large amounts of CO².
CO² Grow guarantees 1 month free of any contamination with all our CO² Grow bags. In the unlikely event you have a contaminated bag please return it to the place of purchase and you will receive a replacement. We do not deal with replacements to customers directly.
As your CO² Grow bag ages the mycelium breaks down the carbon matrix inside the bag. As this happens the contents of the bag will visibly shrink and become soft and squishy over time.
The contents are literally turning into CO² and leaving the bag through the white filter patch to feed your plants.
Mushrooms are water lovers.
The contents of your CO² Grow bag are a hydrated carbon-material-mix containing water + mushroom mycelium.
As the mushroom mycelium breaks down the material inside the bag - converting it to CO² - a clear-to-yellow liquid will pool inside the bag as a by-product. This is a natural, healthy, harmless liquid that does not need to be drained.
If your bag does leak, you can simply wipe it up or leave it to naturally evaporate/ soak into the soil.
It is best to keep the bag sealed so moisture does not evaporate out of the bag too quickly.
If holes are made in the bag the water in the carbon mix will evaporate and CO² production could stop prematurely. If you do accidentally put a hole in one of your bags simply seal it with some plastic tape or duct tape.
No, the contents of your CO² Grow bag are 100% steam-sterilised during the manufacturing process -- so there is no chance of introducing harmful bugs, pests or diseases to the growing environment.
Furthermore, the mushroom culture used inside your CO² Grow bag is entirely harmless to plants. It is a saprotrophic mushroom - an organism that only feeds on non-living matter at a microscopic level. Even if your CO² Grow bag were left open in your growing environment it could not eat your plants.
In the very rare case of a CO² Grow bag becoming contaminated with trichoderma (green mould), only the CO² producing mycelium within the bag is adversely affected. Trichoderma is, likewise, entirely harmless to plants.
If you do accidentally puncture your bag simply tape it up using plastic tape or duct tape.
Please don’t deliberately pierce or pop your CO² bag - this will likely reduce overall CO² production, risk the bag contaminating with a competing organism and void any warranties.
It's important to keep the bag sealed so mushrooms do not grow outside of the bag.
Inside the bag, as it ages and the mushroom mycelium grows upward, you will get some white hard growth on top of the white block. However, as long as the bag is kept sealed mushrooms will not grow outside of the bag.
No, CO² bags will not produce any heat that could cause an issue in the growing environment.
Once the bags have done their dash the contents can be easily composted.
Cut the bag open and add the contents to your compost pile or garden. They will finish breaking down there naturally - turning into great organic soil.
You can also spread the contents on top of soil in the vege garden. This will help feed soil organisms and build soils.
Please dispose of plastic bag in the rubbish bin, they are not recyclable.
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