When we think of gardens, or no longer gardens, but plants, we assume that they will need a series of care to be able to grow and maintain well. But what would you say to me if I told you that this is not always the case?
A man named David Latimer planted a seed in a glass bottle on Easter Sunday 1960. To this day, It is a garden that was last watered more than thirty years ago: in 1972. How is it that plants are still alive?
Image - Daily Mail
After pouring some compost into the globular bottle, Mr. Latimer inserted a Tradescantia seed with a wire and then watered it a little. He closed the bottle and put it in a corner where it was very bright and… everything else was taken care of by the sunlight.
As the seed germinated and the plant grew stronger and stronger, its leaves have been able to photosynthesize, getting food for her. This process generates oxygen and humidity in the air, a humidity that accumulates inside the bottle that, again, is received by the leaves. But no friends, this is not all.
Image - Daily Mail
In the same way that it happens in a temperate forest or in a tropical forest, leaves that fall to the ground rot, thus releasing the nutrients that were used to make them. Thus, an ecosystem has been created that does not need any kind of care.
Without sunlight none of us would be here, as there would be no plants to photosynthesize. It is amazing that Latimer, who is now 82 years old, has achieved a garden in a bottle, although more than a garden, it looks like a micro-jungle 😉.
This is certainly a very interesting experiment, don't you think?
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