"Ann" wrote in message
...
Feed your
soil with organic matter and your plants will grow (my definition of
plants: anything that photosynthesizes, so that includes your beloved
trees). )

What about the ghost flower?

Soil is a substance made up of sands, silts, clays, decaying organic matter,
air, water and an enormous number of living organisms. Is it alive or dead?
Yes, is the answer. We have no word for a substance that is both living and
dead - wood, soil.

I think people who call beautiful soil dirt need help.

--
Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Consulting Arborist
http://home.ccil.org/~treeman
and www.treedictionary.com
Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us
that we are not the boss.

Beware of so-called tree experts who think Webster was a gardener.


LOL

John

when they are actually feeding the
microbes who in turn feed the plants.

Most plants are autotrophs. The ghost flower is a heterotrophs. Trees
manufacture their own food and share it with others or associates. The
associates do not feed the trees. They (trees) feed themselves. What the
microbes do is alter chemical elements in the soil so that they can be
absorbed by the plant, most of the time. Elements are absorbed in a water
soluble form. Trees only absorb water when the roots are growing. Some,
such as the mycorrhizal fungi, infect non-woody roots of most trees forming
a composite organ called a mycorrhiza. Greek for root fungus. Mycorrhizae
plural, facilitate the absorption process. Root hairs (on trees non-woody
roots) which are extensions of a single cell, also help absorb water and
elements dissolved in it. There is more but thats enough for now.


--
Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Consulting Arborist
http://home.ccil.org/~treeman
and www.treedictionary.com
Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us
that we are not the boss.




--
Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Consulting Arborist
http://home.ccil.org/~treeman
and www.treedictionary.com
Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us
that we are not the boss.

"symplastless" wrote in message
news
when they are actually feeding the
microbes who in turn feed the plants.

Most plants are autotrophs. The ghost flower is a heterotrophs.

Hey! There's no need for language like that here. There might be kids
reading these messages.

"symplastless" expounded:

I think people who call beautiful soil dirt need help.

I agree!
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

Billy expounded:

Get a grip lady before you come off the tracks. John is always being
attacked by Don Staples and it was to Don I was referring. Anything
else, is in what is left of your mind.

Ya, so you were calling Don staples a 'Bush supporting witch from
Massachusetts'. Ya.

No, you were trying to instigate John into thinking I was attacking
him. Anyone with a modicum of reading comprehension can see that.

You are the one with a one-track mind, and a very narrow track it is,
too.

My feelings for Bush have nothing to do with this thread, only to do
with your own twisted hate-filled mind. Bush-hating has blinded you.
Poor little singlle-minded man.
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

There is nothing empty about the wonderful ecological stages of trees.
There is a difference between wood anatomy and tree anatomy. What do you
mean that wood and soil are empty?

there is always something living in and around soil as well as wood in a
natural setting. The only emptiness is when humans deplete the soil or
pollute the landfills with wood which would have otherwise created new soil.
Or when they try to kill all the associates of trees with kill-all
chemicals. Then it is empty, maybe.

--
Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Consulting Arborist
http://home.ccil.org/~treeman
and www.treedictionary.com
Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us
that we are not the boss.


"Jangchub" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 17 Nov 2007 22:17:24 -0500, "symplastless"
wrote:

Webster online
1: firm land : earth2 a: the upper layer of earth that may be dug or
plowed
and in which plants grow b: the superficial unconsolidated and usually
weathered part of the mantle of a planet and especially of the earth3:
country, land our native soil4: the agricultural life or calling5: a
medium in which something takes hold and develops

Nothing about living organisms. BTW, soil is dead and alive both. A
duality just as trees are alive and dead both. We have no word for a
substance that is both living and dead - wood, soil.

Soil is not dead or alive independant of other conditions. Everything
on the planets and universe are dependant upon cause and conditions.
Thus, there certainly is a word for things both living and dead and
Buddha Shakyamuni figured it out under the Bodhi tree in India and
that word is "emptiness."

symplastless wrote:
[Following the same logic we are just a couple
of dollars worth of inanimate chemicals, whose form, matrix if you will,
conjures up the phenomenon of life. ]

By weight we are made up of 98% of the same chemicals as trees. What makes
us different is the way the chemicals are connected.
(carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus)
Life is a journey powered by the sun. We are made up of chemicals borrowed
from the earth. In death, those chemicals are returned. The theme of life
appears to be buildup and breakdown.


You need to read your dictionary and learn the difference between
elements and chemicals.

Beware a so called tree biologist that has never studied biology.

In article ,
"D. Staples" wrote:

symplastless wrote:
[Following the same logic we are just a couple
of dollars worth of inanimate chemicals, whose form, matrix if you will,
conjures up the phenomenon of life. ]

By weight we are made up of 98% of the same chemicals as trees. What makes
us different is the way the chemicals are connected.
(carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus)
Life is a journey powered by the sun. We are made up of chemicals
borrowed
from the earth. In death, those chemicals are returned. The theme of
life
appears to be buildup and breakdown.


You need to read your dictionary and learn the difference between
elements and chemicals.

Beware a so called tree biologist that has never studied biology.

Not me. I have a degree in chemicals. It's only a B.S. (here's a
straight line if you want it) but what is yours?
--

Billy

Bush & Cheney, Behind Bars

In article ,
Ann wrote:

Ready on the popcorn Scott?

Billy expounded:

Get a grip lady before you come off the tracks. John is always being
attacked by Don Staples and it was to Don I was referring. Anything
else, is in what is left of your mind.

Ya, so you were calling Don staples a 'Bush supporting witch from
Massachusetts'. Ya.

No, I was advising John not to get locked into battling authorities
("Most text books treat soil as if it is dead. Defined as silt, loam
and clay and rocks.")
I can see now, in hind sight, that I should have clipped your response
from my follow up but I didn't think there was anyone stupid enough to
make a connection between your post and mine. Imagine my surprise when I
discovered it was you and not Don. Duh.
Then I realized that it really was you hassling John about his vision of
reality, which is like trying to decide if light is a wave or a packet.
I thought my best part was calling you a witch, which has certain
resonance with New England, or a word that rhymed with witch. Obviously,
I was too subtle.
John's vision of reality is functional and doesn't hurt anybody. More
than I can say about your boy George. What, we're coming up on 4,000
dead patriotic Americans and your boy George wants to go to war with
Iran which hasn't broken any international laws?
Let's not even get into his support for Cargill and Archer Daniel
Midlands.
Get a life.
I have a life and that means that I must go to bed now. I don't know how
much of you I can stand but I will try to amplify my opinion in a couple
of days, when I can waste more time.

No, you were trying to instigate John into thinking I was attacking
him. Anyone with a modicum of reading comprehension can see that.

You are the one with a one-track mind, and a very narrow track it is,
too.

My feelings for Bush have nothing to do with this thread, only to do
with your own twisted hate-filled mind. Bush-hating has blinded you.
Poor little singlle-minded man.

--
Bush Behind Bars

Billy
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/

On 11/19/07 12:40 AM, in article
, "Billy"
wrote:

In article ,
"D. Staples" wrote:

symplastless wrote:
[Following the same logic we are just a couple
of dollars worth of inanimate chemicals, whose form, matrix if you will,
conjures up the phenomenon of life. ]

By weight we are made up of 98% of the same chemicals as trees. What makes
us different is the way the chemicals are connected.
(carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus)
Life is a journey powered by the sun. We are made up of chemicals
borrowed
from the earth. In death, those chemicals are returned. The theme of
life
appears to be buildup and breakdown.


You need to read your dictionary and learn the difference between
elements and chemicals.

Beware a so called tree biologist that has never studied biology.

Not me. I have a degree in chemicals. It's only a B.S. (here's a
straight line if you want it) but what is yours?
Physics!

Billy expounded:

Get a life.

You should try that. You should also get it through you thick skull
that you have no idea who I am or what I think. Then again, trolls
don't think, they just blather on with their own agenda.
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

Billy wrote:
In article ,
Ann wrote:

Ready on the popcorn Scott?

Billy expounded:

Get a grip lady before you come off the tracks. John is always being
attacked by Don Staples and it was to Don I was referring. Anything
else, is in what is left of your mind.
Ya, so you were calling Don staples a 'Bush supporting witch from
Massachusetts'. Ya.

No, I was advising John not to get locked into battling authorities
("Most text books treat soil as if it is dead. Defined as silt, loam
and clay and rocks.")
I can see now, in hind sight, that I should have clipped your response
from my follow up but I didn't think there was anyone stupid enough to
make a connection between your post and mine. Imagine my surprise when I
discovered it was you and not Don. Duh.
Then I realized that it really was you hassling John about his vision of
reality, which is like trying to decide if light is a wave or a packet.
I thought my best part was calling you a witch, which has certain
resonance with New England, or a word that rhymed with witch. Obviously,
I was too subtle.
John's vision of reality is functional and doesn't hurt anybody. More
than I can say about your boy George. What, we're coming up on 4,000
dead patriotic Americans and your boy George wants to go to war with
Iran which hasn't broken any international laws?
Let's not even get into his support for Cargill and Archer Daniel
Midlands.
Get a life.
I have a life and that means that I must go to bed now. I don't know how
much of you I can stand but I will try to amplify my opinion in a couple
of days, when I can waste more time.
No, you were trying to instigate John into thinking I was attacking
him. Anyone with a modicum of reading comprehension can see that.

You are the one with a one-track mind, and a very narrow track it is,
too.

My feelings for Bush have nothing to do with this thread, only to do
with your own twisted hate-filled mind. Bush-hating has blinded you.
Poor little singlle-minded man.

Nice waffling.

Billy wrote:
In article ,
"D. Staples" wrote:

symplastless wrote:
[Following the same logic we are just a couple
of dollars worth of inanimate chemicals, whose form, matrix if you will,
conjures up the phenomenon of life. ]

By weight we are made up of 98% of the same chemicals as trees. What makes
us different is the way the chemicals are connected.
(carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus)
Life is a journey powered by the sun. We are made up of chemicals
borrowed
from the earth. In death, those chemicals are returned. The theme of
life
appears to be buildup and breakdown.

You need to read your dictionary and learn the difference between
elements and chemicals.

Beware a so called tree biologist that has never studied biology.

Not me. I have a degree in chemicals. It's only a B.S. (here's a
straight line if you want it) but what is yours?
What difference does it make? I will match your BS with my first BS.
Now, tell me about John's education, that allows him to be a tree
biologist. What ever that is.

OH, that's right, your just in it for the troll.

On 11/19/07 9:39 AM, in article , "D.
Staples" wrote:

Billy wrote:
In article ,
Ann wrote:

Ready on the popcorn Scott?

Billy expounded:

Get a grip lady before you come off the tracks. John is always being
attacked by Don Staples and it was to Don I was referring. Anything
else, is in what is left of your mind.
Ya, so you were calling Don staples a 'Bush supporting witch from
Massachusetts'. Ya.

No, I was advising John not to get locked into battling authorities
("Most text books treat soil as if it is dead. Defined as silt, loam
and clay and rocks.")
I can see now, in hind sight, that I should have clipped your response
from my follow up but I didn't think there was anyone stupid enough to
make a connection between your post and mine. Imagine my surprise when I
discovered it was you and not Don. Duh.
Then I realized that it really was you hassling John about his vision of
reality, which is like trying to decide if light is a wave or a packet.
I thought my best part was calling you a witch, which has certain
resonance with New England, or a word that rhymed with witch. Obviously,
I was too subtle.
John's vision of reality is functional and doesn't hurt anybody. More
than I can say about your boy George. What, we're coming up on 4,000
dead patriotic Americans and your boy George wants to go to war with
Iran which hasn't broken any international laws?
Let's not even get into his support for Cargill and Archer Daniel
Midlands.
Get a life.
I have a life and that means that I must go to bed now. I don't know how
much of you I can stand but I will try to amplify my opinion in a couple
of days, when I can waste more time.
No, you were trying to instigate John into thinking I was attacking
him. Anyone with a modicum of reading comprehension can see that.

You are the one with a one-track mind, and a very narrow track it is,
too.

My feelings for Bush have nothing to do with this thread, only to do
with your own twisted hate-filled mind. Bush-hating has blinded you.
Poor little singlle-minded man.

Nice waffling.

That's not waffling - opinions on soil and politics do not have to conform
to one school of thought. Ann and I are both organic gardeners and both
politically conservative. I hate Bush and can hardly wait for him to be
gone. I don't know Ann's opinion, don't care about it either.

C