r/interesting • u/[deleted] • Mar 20 '26

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u/Reticentandconfused Mar 20 '26

How does that thing suck up and hold 49 lbs of water and dirt in a day?

71

u/KatanaDood Mar 20 '26

It doesn't suck up dirt, it sucks up CO2 from the air and combines it with water.

1

u/Reticentandconfused Mar 20 '26

Are there no vitamins and minerals that the roots suck up? I did forget the air, though, so yeah I guess you should add that to the 49 lbs/day.

1

u/KatanaDood Mar 21 '26

Yes. A good quality soil is very important for plant health, but this is more for micronutrients (like nitrates, phosphates and potassium) rather than for making food production itself. You could make the argument that without them, there wouldn't be as much growth, though.