Hi there!

What is a waste product produced by plants?

Any guess’s???

Not sure, don’t know, couldn’t care less, whatever, LOL,.

I’ll narrow it down for you with 3 multiple choice answers.

Is it,

a. mycorrhizal association with fungus

b. autumn leaves

c. oxygen

If you picked a or b you would be wrong.  The answer is c.  Yes I know, hard to believe, oxygen a waste product produced by plants.  Thank goodness they produce waste!

How is this possible?  Without getting too technical, during the process of photosynthesis(plants making food for themselves using sunlight, carbon dioxide and water) the chloroplasts(specialised structures) inside leaves contain chlorophyll(green pigment that makes leaves green) which absorb energy from sunlight.  This absorbed energy is used to join the carbon dioxide and water together to form glucose.  The plant then uses this glucose as its energy source.  The oxygen which is a waste product from this chemical reaction is then released into the atmosphere.  Who would have thought!!

Plant a few and look after them….

Cheers!