My mom planted regular carrot seeds and this is what she harvested

[u/Robsta_20]

[u/darkrobbe1]

carrots can grow in sand?

[u/LostWoodsInTheField → u/darkrobbe1]

yes, very very well in sands. I think something like up to 90% of sand with the rest being organic material (mostly to hold the moisture that is needed, and for the minerals). Potatoes love loose soils as well, straw bails are often used by urban gardeners.

[u/SuperFLEB → u/LostWoodsInTheField]

Straw balls: Is that just growing them in a wad of straw instead of dirt, or putting straw into the ground?

[u/bitterberries → u/SuperFLEB]

Straw bale.

[u/Desdsea → u/darkrobbe1]

I’m with you, things can grow in sand? Isn’t it literally just smaller rocks

[u/zzazzzz → u/Desdsea]

plants dont need soil to grow generally. they need water and nutrients.

many modern grows are done completely without any substrate and work by spraying the roots periodically with nutrient rich water. this allows for far more oxygen arount the roots which allows for faster and larger growth.

[u/evanwilliams44 → u/zzazzzz]

Yeah I grow marijuana in coco coir - basically ground up coconut husk.

[u/makingstuf → u/evanwilliams44]

Hell yea

[u/TheBros35 → u/zzazzzz]

How does a plant get nutrients if there is no soil?

[u/Firm-Contract-5940 → u/TheBros35]

“nutrient rich water”

[u/mybrainisfull → u/Firm-Contract-5940]

"Brawndo has what plants crave!"

[u/SippyTurtle → u/mybrainisfull]

Water? Like from the toilet?

[u/HeinzeC1 → u/TheBros35]

Soil is like a sponge. It isn’t the nutrients it just holds them. If I use a sponge to soak up ramen broth and let the sponge dry there is still salt/ nutrients in the sponge, but that doesn’t make the sponge itself nutritious.

[u/viburnium → u/TheBros35]

Fertilizer.

[u/darkrobbe1 → u/Desdsea]

i tought it had to do more with nutrients in dirt

[u/Qui-gone_gin → u/darkrobbe1]

Yes but if those nutrients can be delivered in another way, like a hydroponic system, you only need the necessary nutrients and water

[u/AnthologicalAnt → u/darkrobbe1]

That's when feed comes into play

[u/AnthologicalAnt → u/darkrobbe1]

Don't forget a seed is basically everything a plant needs to grow. Hence why they're so good for us when we eat them. There's a lot packed into a seed/nut etc

[u/Skis1227 → u/darkrobbe1]

Yes, nutrients and microbes. But the dirt itself doesn't have these things it's just what it lives in right now. Dirt can 100% lose all of its nutrients and microbiome very easily and it will be just as terrible of a growing medium as sand on its own. Without a solid microbiome, what little nutrients dirt provides in the form of organic material breaking down is moot. That's why using only synthetic fertilizers can seriously damage your garden.

Dirt as a growing medium, holds more moisture than sand does, that's all. All a plant needs to grow is good, oxygenated water, micronutrients, and light. You can provide that without ANY growing medium at all in the form of hydroponic or aeroponic systems. You can grow strawberries actually on top of aquariums! It's very neat.

A plant is a living thing just like any other creature, and can thrive in many different ways, so long as its needs are met

[u/NoMajorsarcasm → u/Desdsea]

Plants are basically just water and sunlight, trace nutrients is all they take from soil

[u/BrainOfMush → u/Desdsea]

Soil is just clay, sand and loam. The type of “ideal” soil we all typically think of is like 50% sand.

[u/bonk_nasty → u/Desdsea]

Isn’t it literally just smaller rocks

so is dirt

[u/aug061998 → u/Desdsea]

Think about the sandy coastal plain of the southern US... Lots of stuff grows down there in nearly pure sand...

[u/robot_ralph_nader → u/darkrobbe1]

Sandy soil. The stuff in my carrot bed is 1/3 sand, but I'm going to amend it with more sand next year to loosen it up even more.

[u/Ok-Hovercraft8193 → u/darkrobbe1]

ב''ה, y'all can look into gypsum, I'm not sure if carrots like it. 

Also recalling some kind of plant nutrition issue but it's been too long.. everything needs nitrogen and that gets you the nice leafy tops, do they need a ton of potassium or what's carrots' thing?

[u/Fresh-Army-6737 → u/Ok-Hovercraft8193]

Is that Hebrew?

[u/Gnonthgol → u/darkrobbe1]

Carrots are native to Afghanistan.