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Lucky bamboo grow with just water, if you just stick it in a vase with nothing but water. How is it possible? Bamboo stems and leaves are solid, and how can it grow them with just liquid?
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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All plants and trees grow with just water, they just grow better with fertilizer or nutrients from the soil that are absorbed by the water. I often root cuttings in a glass of water, and plant them into pots or the ground when there are enough roots. The Lucky Bamboo, like many other marginals can live with roots under water all the time. Similar to water plants, like lily pads, water hyacinth, water iris. Even some of the tomatoes grown commercially are hydroponically grown, in just water, but they normally don't like soaked roots so the system drains and refills regularly to let them get air or uses a drip system and non-soil potting medium.
Unlike regular plants with its roots into the soil, they absorb more than just liquid. What I don't understand is that how do you turn liquid into solid. A lucky bamboo in a vase with nothing but just clear tap water will grown into many solid leaves. How does clear liquid turn into that solid stems and leaves?
The OP has a good point. Plants require more than just CO2 and H2O. They need nitrogen for protein, phosphorous for DNA, and a slew of other minerals. If the plant is not cannablizing itself, then these nutrients must come from somewhere. It must be that the water is not as pure as you think. Also, some parasitizing bacteria can take nitrogen from the air and turn it into a form useable by some plants. Maybe that is also going on here.
Lucky bamboo grow with just water, if you just stick it in a vase with nothing but water. How is it possible? Bamboo stems and leaves are solid, and how can it grow them with just liquid?
The OP has a good point. Plants require more than just CO2 and H2O. They need nitrogen for protein, phosphorous for DNA, and a slew of other minerals. If the plant is not cannablizing itself, then these nutrients must come from somewhere. It must be that the water is not as pure as you think. Also, some parasitizing bacteria can take nitrogen from the air and turn it into a form useable by some plants. Maybe that is also going on here.
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