– if we throw away, say, 1T of grass clippings every year, and grass is just the nutrients of the soil, some sunlight and water, why do we not need to add 1T of new soil to the lawn every year?

Question

– if we throw away, say, 1T of grass clippings every year, and grass is just the nutrients of the soil, some sunlight and water, why do we not need to add 1T of new soil to the lawn every year?

In: Biology

Answer 1

Most of the mass of grass and other plants actually comes from carbon dioxide absorbed from the air. The plant uses a process called photosynthesis to combine water, carbon dioxide, and the energy of the sun to produce glucose (a type of sugar) which is used as a source of energy for the plant. It also produces oxygen as a byproduct.