Fruiting tent CO2 control

Biology
1

Hi all,

How are the mushroom cultivators in here regulating their CO2 levels?
Currently I’m not yet investing in a CO2 sensor. I’m constantly flushing in filtered air in a positive pressure way.

Paul Stamets book describe CO2 levels for different stages of cultivation and mentions flushing a number of times per hour the air inside the cultivation room. (depending on the type of mushroom etc)

My idea is, best to measure and act upon required levels.
Ideally a EZO-CO2 – PID controller – Fresh are intake fan setup.

I think by the end of the day It would result in a more efficient system. Especially when scaling up because now I’m just venting constantly which also makes my water consumption higher.

I must be honest and say that the challenge of integrating a CO2 controlling PID loop is more of an exercise. I have a feeling that in my setup, apart from the experiment, value can be limited.
I’m curious what are the perspectives on this.

Best regards,
Thomas

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2

For small operations, just having periodic exhaust should be enough. You can gauge by how your mushrooms fruit if there is too much CO2 buildup, especially oyster muahrooms, which will elongate their stems.

For precise control, you will need a CO2 sensor. They are not very expensive (~$20 for a MH-Z19B; or $40 for SCD-30, which also has a temp/hum sensor) and are easy to integrate into a system. It adds a great dimension to understanding what’s going on in your grow environment.

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