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A Sealed Garden That Was Watered Once in 53 Years (2017)

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11–20 of 169 posts

Re: A Sealed Garden That Was Watered Once in 53 Years (2017)

#11

I'm thinking we each make our own little ecosystem, maybe a half an acre would be enough. Maybe make it double walled, just in case, and then say screw it to everyone else as climate change and various other big things occur on the outside.

The movie Biodome comes to mind here.

Re: A Sealed Garden That Was Watered Once in 53 Years (2017)

#14

> In fact, more than a century has passed and David’s sealed bottle garden is still thriving and robust as can be. With thriving plant life, despite not watering it since 1972. "more than half a century" ?

The original terrarium was constructed and sealed in 1960, according to the article, and only watered since then once, in 1972.

Re: A Sealed Garden That Was Watered Once in 53 Years (2017)

#15

I'm thinking we each make our own little ecosystem, maybe a half an acre would be enough. Maybe make it double walled, just in case, and then say screw it to everyone else as climate change and various other big things occur on the outside.

Have you ever watched Silent Running?

Re: A Sealed Garden That Was Watered Once in 53 Years (2017)

#16

I'm thinking we each make our own little ecosystem, maybe a half an acre would be enough. Maybe make it double walled, just in case, and then say screw it to everyone else as climate change and various other big things occur on the outside.

Have you ever watched Silent Running?

Have you ever watched Biodome?

Re: A Sealed Garden That Was Watered Once in 53 Years (2017)

#17
post #14

> In fact, more than a century has passed and David’s sealed bottle garden is still thriving and robust as can be. With thriving plant life, despite not watering it since 1972. "more than half a century" ?

The original terrarium was constructed and sealed in 1960, according to the article, and only watered since then once, in 1972.

I'm still confused, a century is 100 years right? 1960 + 100 = 2060. Am I missing something?

Re: A Sealed Garden That Was Watered Once in 53 Years (2017)

#18

I'm thinking we each make our own little ecosystem, maybe a half an acre would be enough. Maybe make it double walled, just in case, and then say screw it to everyone else as climate change and various other big things occur on the outside.

You might be interested in Biosphere 2 [1], a 3 acre hermetically sealed dome stucture designed to house about 8 people with an ecosystem to provide them with everything they need to survive.

They didn't quite get oxygen and food production to the required level, but if you add another acre or so it should work. With renewed interest in moon and mars colonies somebody is bound to revive that line of research.

1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosphere_2

Re: A Sealed Garden That Was Watered Once in 53 Years (2017)

#19
post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you ever watched Silent Running?

Have you ever watched Biodome?

Movies from 1972 vs 1996? I'll take the ecological classic that is a bit more in line with the OC's post.

Silent Running was very much an ecological and social statement about humanity and the Earth. I cried when Lewie was gone, and felt bad for Dewey.

Re: A Sealed Garden That Was Watered Once in 53 Years (2017)

#20
I wonder if part of what makes it work is luck of the draw wrt. the microbial life that was present at the start. You need stuff that will break down the dead plants at a good enough rate but nothing that competes for resources or produces anything toxic to the plant. Or maybe that's a typical microbial makeup for sample of gardener's compost?
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