omg global warming in my window!

June 17, 2007 6:43 PM

would my window sill plants benefit from enclosing them and ramping up co2 levels?

assuming of course I also ramped up water, nutrients and heat. (ill worry about appropriate levels later - i just want to know if it would be worth it before i go any further)

if the species help - im growing lychee, pomegranate, artichoke, lime and mahuang.

posted by nihlton to science & nature (6 comments total)

What result are you trying to get, simply healthier plants, or faster growth?
posted by parallax7d at 7:35 PM on June 17, 2007

either really. Faster growth would be awesome, but so would hardier/healthier plants.
posted by nihlton at 7:44 PM on June 17, 2007

They actually respirate over the course of a day, ramping up and slowing down their metabolism, so limiting their air may interfere with that. Plants aren't enclosed (generally) to modify their air mix, but rather to up their heat and humitidy levels. Too much heat could scorch the plants and too much moisture and stagnant air could introduce disease.

You can look up their ideal growing conditions online to check.
posted by cowbellemoo at 7:52 PM on June 17, 2007

That said, CO2 injection has been used by generations of closet hydroponic gardeners to speed growth rates, and it works.
posted by flabdablet at 12:30 AM on June 18, 2007

My ex-gf had run a series of experiments looking at the effects of global warming scenarios on various plants, and she found that yes, many plants (including the weeds she was working on) responded quite well to elevated levels of CO2.

So I'd give it a go, and please report back!
posted by flutable at 2:16 AM on June 18, 2007

If you want fruit, you will need healthy plants. Artificially increasing their growth rate means a lot more tender new growth, and the accompanying increased susceptibility for pests and diseases. Indoor plants in an enclosure are even more susceptible. Remember that professional hydroponic growers are most often growing annual plants, meaning they go from seed to producing offspring in one season; if these growers have crop failure by pushing their plants beyond tolerance they are up and running again in a couple months. Not so with a pomegranate. (Your artichoke is an annual that prefers cool temps- I wouldn't enclose that plant for any reason other than frost protection if I was trying to produce a very early crop in an inhospitable climate.) Also keep in mind that fruiting indoor plants may require hand pollination (the lime will definitely need this).

Basically, it is probably more trouble than it's worth in your situation; you're not monocropping- you're not even growing plants that have the same cultural requirements as one another. Do what cowbellemoo suggests, and then do your best to meet each plant's individual needs, and you will have the greatest chance of success. Keep in mind that very few crops in the world are grown with added CO2.
posted by oneirodynia at 4:57 PM on June 18, 2007