The Uses And Dangers Of Ozone (O3)In The Grow Room

Ozone or Trivalent Oxygen (O3) is an unstable gas made up of three Oxygen atoms. It is formed when a single Oxygen atom attaches itself to an Oxygen molecule (O2). Ozone is very unstable and will revert back to Oxygen very easily, (2O3 = 3O2).
Because this third atom is so easily dislodged from the molecule, it will freely combine with any other molecule that has a spare space for it.

This process of is called Oxidation and is the reason why Ozone is an excellent killer of bacteria, moulds and viruses. It is also an effective means of removing odours, which it does by attaching to the scent molecule and altering its chemical makeup. This does not mask the smell, it destroys it at source.

Ozone is produced naturally in two ways; Firstly by the chemical reaction with the sun’s Ultra Violet rays in the upper atmosphere and secondly by Corona-Discharge.
For most practical applications Ozone is generated using the Corona-Discharge method.

In nature, when there is a thunderstorm, massive voltages are passed through the air as the lightning jumps from cloud to Earth. This electrical discharge with its accompanying blue/white corona causes some of the Oxygen Molecules to break down from O2 to 2O which in turn immediately attaches to another 2 Oxygen molecules giving the equation 2O2 + 2O = 2O3. This also happens when the energy produced by very heavy rain and waterfalls causes the natural production of Ozone.

Because any impurities in the air around us, for example exhaust fumes, will have been cleansed by the Ozone molecule combining with them and then reverting to pure Oxygen and oxidised pollutants, which are virtually odourless, the air will smell clean and fresh. So the advantages of using O3 as a means of providing your plants with extra Oxygen are several: The increased Oxygen levels, the odour control, and the anti-microbial and spore controlling properties.

Ozone generators can be purchased from most reputable Hydroponics suppliers. These work by passing Oxygen through a strong UV light or, more commonly, by using a high voltage discharge to break down the Oxygen molecules. In practice the UV system produces considerably less O3, per unit of energy used, than does the Corona-Discharge method.

There has been a lot of discussion about the dangers associated with Ozone in confined spaces. Ozone has a strong recognizable odour, so very low concentrations soon become apparent. This makes it generally safe to work with. The use of Ozone is thought to be safe in low levels (0.05ppm); however in higher concentrations it can be very dangerous. Because it oxidises materials readily it can cause severe irritation to lung tissue and mucous membranes. Other symptoms include headache and a feeling of tightness in the chest, coughing and dryness in the mouth and throat.

Recommended safe levels of maximum acceptable concentration (MAC) for humans are: 0.06 ppm for 8 hours per day 5 days per week (ppm = parts per million). For a maximum of 15 minutes a MAC value of 0.3 ppm may be applied. These levels far exceed that where the gas is noticeable by smell.

While it is quite possible and fairly easy to make an Ozone generator at home please bear in mind that a good working knowledge of high voltage electricity and its associated safety procedures is essential to avoid injury or even death.

It is always better to spend a little extra money on an article and know that it is safe for you and your family to be around, rather than risk a less safe alternative which could end in a tragedy.

Copyright (C) 2004, 2005.
J R Haughton.
— All Rights Reserved —

A partner in a thriving retail hydroponics supply business,
Rickie Haughton is the owner of hydroponics-gardening-information.com which aims to cater for all levels of expertise in the field of
hydroponics gardening. The website is packed with good content about
all aspects off hydroponics gardening and offers a free hydroponics
Club membership to all subscribers.

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How Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Can Keep Your Plants Growing!

Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen make up about 90% of the dry matter in a plant. CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) in the air supplies all of the Carbon in the plant. Like animals, plants breathe in Oxygen and breathe out Carbon Dioxide all the time. The plant needs Carbon Dioxide during the hours of daylight and uses this to produce sugars. During the hours of darkness it will breathe out Carbon Dioxide, which is a waste product.

The plant uses light and Carbon Dioxide for photosynthesis. The more light there is available the greater the plant’s requirement for Carbon Dioxide, It has been found that it takes about 10 photons, (quantum units of light) during photosynthesis, to create enough energy to split one Carbon Dioxide molecule into its basic components of Carbon and Oxygen and form a sugar.

Because there are trillions of photons hitting the plant’s leaves, sufficient Carbon Dioxide is needed to convert their energy into sugars. If enough CO2 is not available, then the unused photons will bounce off the plant’s leaves and be lost. So the more light the plant is given the more Carbon Dioxide it will need to produce its maximum yield of sugars from photosynthesis.

Plants absorb different spectrums of light in differing amounts. This light is affected in different ways by a range of factors, such as distance and percentage of reflection etc. Because any unusable light is wasted, the calculation of how much useable light the plant is getting is quite complicated. It can be measured using a special PAR meter (PAR = Photosynthetically Active Radiation).

This machine takes into account the lumen level of the light striking the leaves and discounts the unusable fractions of the available light.

Plants outside, in full sunlight, will get about 5000 lumens per square foot. This means that the plant could process about 2000 ppm of CO2. It is unfortunate that the Carbon Dioxide levels outside are nowhere near this level.

Indoors, using a light level of 3000 lumens, the plant will need approximately 1500 ppm of CO2. If the light level was at 1000 lumens this would drop to around 300 ppm CO2 (city air is about 400 ppm) which is within the normal range. The lower the concentration of Carbon Dioxide the more the air has to be moved across the plant’s leaves in order for it to get sufficient exchange.

It is known that if the plant has enough CO2 and enough light it will perform to its optimum, so if we increase the light levels and up the CO2 available then we can expect a good increase in growth and subsequent yield.

Copyright (C) 2004, 2005.
J R Haughton.
— All Rights Reserved —

A partner in a thriving retail hydroponics supply business,
Rickie Haughton is the owner of hydroponics-gardening-information.com which aims to cater for all levels of expertise in the field of
hydroponics gardening. The website is packed with good content about
all aspects off hydroponics gardening and offers a free hydroponics
Club membership to all subscribers.

Bookmark to:

How Oxygen Keeps Your Plants Thriving!

Oxygen is used in large quantities by plants. If you were to analyse a dried plant you would find that about 45% consisted of Oxygen atoms. Just like humans, plants need fresh air and their cells use Oxygen in the same kind of quantities that ours do. In air conditions with a low concentration of Oxygen, or where the air is poor, plants do not thrive. Those that do manage to eke out an existence remain poor stunted specimens.

The leaves of a plant have easy access to Oxygen. They make it as a natural bi-product of the process of producing plant sugars
and breathe it out as waste during the process of photosynthesis.

The roots of the plant do not have the same amount of Oxygen available to them. They have to work a lot harder to find enough for their needs. Insufficient Oxygen at the roots will reduce the plants root respiration and result in the shutting down of photosynthesis.

A plant’s growth and its yield are governed by the size and health of its root system. It can only grow to its full potential if the roots have enough Oxygen for their needs. In plants grown hydroponically this essential ingredient is supplied dissolved in the nutrient solution.

Dissolved Oxygen in the nutrient solution can be measured by a DO meter. These are available from all good hydroponics equipment suppliers.

The amount of Oxygen dissolved in the solution will vary depending on both temperature and pressure. The warmer the water the lower the gaseous content will be. Really cold fresh water has a DO reading of up to 14 ppm or 14mg/litre, while water at 30 degrees centigrade can only hold about 5ppm or 5 mg/l DO.

This DO only amounts to a very small percentage of the roots needs. All water culture systems have to utilise some other form of oxygenation for the roots as well as DO in the nutrient. Root systems that have insufficient Oxygen available will soon turn brown and become very sick.

We aerate the nutrient in our systems in order to get the best saturation that we can, (from 5ppm to 8ppm) but the main function of this aeration is to kill off the anaerobic bacteria around the roots. Anaerobic bacteria are pathogens that cannot survive in an oxygenated environment; (Anaerobic meaning without air).

Because the dissolved Oxygen in the nutrient can only supply about 1% of the roots requirements, the balance must be made up by breathing air. This air is trapped within the soil in conventional gardening and in the growing medium in normal hydroponics systems. This Oxygen search uses up energy that the plant could better use to produce root growth.

The only type of system where this does not happen is the aeroponics system. The aerated water being sprayed directly onto the roots, allows the plant to take in free Oxygen from the surrounding air, while still keeping the roots moist and supplied with nutrient.

One of the functions of Oxygen is to facilitate the exchange of nutrients and gasses between the plant roots and the surrounding solution. It does this by changing the electrical charges within the water, so allowing the roots to absorb the available nutrients with the least expenditure of energy. For this reason, if no other, the roots need all the Oxygen they can get.

Copyright (C) 2004, 2005, 2006.
J R Haughton.
— All Rights Reserved —

A partner in a thriving retail hydroponics supply business,
Rickie Haughton is the owner of hydroponics-gardening-information.com which aims to cater for all levels of expertise in the field of hydroponics gardening. The website is packed with good content about all aspects off hydroponics gardening and offers a free hydroponics Club membership to all subscribers.

Bookmark to: