[Avodah] The daf yomi in Chulin 128a Tanaim hold the the kishus planted in an otsits sh’aino nakuf is yonaik min ha'aretz - is their botany different than ours?

[Zev Sero]

On 4/11/2011 12:24 AM, hankman wrote:
> The daf yomi in Chulin 128a both the Tana Kama and R. Shimon hold the the kishus planted in an otsits sh’aino nakuf and whose branch is protruding over the edge is yonaik min ha’aretz derech ha’avir. Can anyone explain just what the plant is obtaining from the aretz that would cause the plant to still be considered mechubor la’aretz? The co2, o2 and water vapor are all obtained directly (just) from the atmosphere and not from aretz via the atmosphere. What am I missing here?

And what does a plant get in an otzitz nokuv?  How does the power in the
earth jump the gap between the ground and the hole at the bottom of the
pot?  And in what way do plants in holed pots grow better than those in
unholed ones?


AIUI the theory in those days was that the power to grow comes from the
earth.  When you plant a seed it was thought to rot completely, so that
none of it was left, and then the power of growth that is in the earth
produces a new plant that follows the template of the seed it was given.
I'm not sure how they understood why plants can grow in unholed pots.
And I'm pretty sure they'd have thought hydroponics impossible.

-- 
Zev Sero        If they use these guns against us once, at that moment
zev at sero.name   the Oslo Accord will be annulled and the IDF will
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