How does a massive tree grow from a tiny seed if the tree is only absorbing nutrients from the soil and sunlight? Has a 20 foot oak tree removed its equivalent mass in nutrient matter from the world around it and replaced it with its own mass?

Question

How does a massive tree grow from a tiny seed if the tree is only absorbing nutrients from the soil and sunlight? Has a 20 foot oak tree removed its equivalent mass in nutrient matter from the world around it and replaced it with its own mass?

In: 8

Answer 1

99%(rough figure) of the tree mass is taken from the air. If you burn the tree you are left with few kg of ash. That few kg of ash is the actual part taken from the soil, aka minerals. That’s why ash is a great fertilizer. The rest is carbon captured from air, mixed with oxygen and hydrogen to make molecules that form the tree.

Note: this are very approximated numbers.