Hyproponics Although the cycle of plant life is quite intricate, it can be explained in simple terms. A plant is a sort of natural workshop, each section of which is engaged in the task of changing raw food material into living tissue. To ensure good growth all higher or green plants— and the vast majority of flowers and vegetables belong to this category—require certain essential things including water, light, air, mineral salts, and support for the roots. Unlike animals and human beings, most plants cannot ingest solid or organic food material, so they are obliged to absorb part of their nourishment from gases in the air and part from solutions of inorganic salts or chemicals and water. These simple substances are transformed by the various departments of the plants into living tissue through the expenditure of energy, obtained from light. Some oxygen is needed for these processes, but a major contribution to growth and development is made by the gas called carbon dioxide, present in the atmosphere. To complete the work, mineral salts in combination with water are absorbed through tiny hairs located on the plants' roots, by the use of a force known as osmosis.




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December 4, 2008