Why do weeds grow almost anywhere so easily, but growing food crop requires so much care and is so difficult?
In: 47
A “weed” is a crop we don’t like
We don’t like them because they pop up everywhere, stealing nutrients from our crops that take time to grow
Plants have a certain amount of energy to work with to grow. Food plants and weeds spend that energy differently.
Food plants have to put a lot on energy into things humans like, such as large tender tasty leaves, abundant large seed pods that don’t spread unless intentionally opened by a human, and certainly they leave out nasty foul chemicals that humans dislike.
Weeds can put their energy into strong tough leaves, poisons and other distasteful chemicals to deter insects and animals, and seeds that spread just perfectly. Their tough leaves may help them conserve water.
Humans “help” food plants make up for their lack of distasteful chemicals with pesticides and careful tending. We make sure they receive the right amount of water and other things they might have to do the hard way otherwise.
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