# House plants



## foxfish (29 Nov 2018)

I have a question about pot plants kept in the house,...  I recently re potted a big Swiss cheese plant, it was planted about 5 years ago in a 2 gallon pot full with nice soil.
When I cut away the pot with scissors, all that was inside was roots! 
Maybe a cup full of soil but that was all!
So my question is ... what happened to the 1.5 gallons of soil?


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## dw1305 (29 Nov 2018)

Hi all, 





foxfish said:


> So my question is ... what happened to the 1.5 gallons of soil?


Sphagnum peat based composts just oxidise away, they are basically 100% carbon and so can be converted to CO2, and disappear. Any mineral nutrients will end up in the plant.

The peat builds in peat bogs ("ombrotrophic mires") because they are water-logged and oxygen, nitrogen and mineral poor. Once you add nutrients and oxygen, the peat <"starts shrinking"> as the carbon content it is converted to CO2.  

An even quicker way to oxidise the peat <"is to burn it">. 

cheers Darrel


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## foxfish (29 Nov 2018)

That is such a disappointing answer!
I was hoping my plant had special powers or had at least eaten the soil!


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## TBRO (29 Nov 2018)

How interesting, thanks. T


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Edvet (29 Nov 2018)

foxfish said:


> special powers


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## foxfish (29 Nov 2018)

Great film!


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## Iskánder Vigoa (30 Nov 2018)

foxfish said:


> That is such a disappointing answer!
> I was hoping my plant had special powers or had at least eaten the soil!


WHAT!!?? if you read carefully what he wrote, you'll notice your plant actually ate the soil!


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