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A comment on A sealed bottle garden thriving after 40 years without fresh air or water. Parent comment

Re:A sealed bottle garden thriving after 40 years without fr... by minikites on Friday June 06, 2014 @11:08AM (#7858298)
Hmm. So over time the soil mass will decrease into nothing as the plant expands?
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Re:A sealed bottle garden thriving after 40 years without fr... by kordless on Friday June 06, 2014 @11:14AM (#7858347)
Bits of the plant are going to decay back into soil.
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Re:A sealed bottle garden thriving after 40 years without fr... by saalweachter on Friday June 06, 2014 @08:56PM (#7860907)
Most of the mass of plants comes from the atmosphere, not the soil. 95%+ of a given plant is oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon. The soil provides trace elements and a place from which to absorb water.
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