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I have had this question throughout the time that I have been gardening. Where exactly does the carbon that goes into the plant structure? Is it like the nitrogen cycle? Does it come from the air? Is it from the ground? Is it a combination? I recently saw a presentation on soil where the roots go between the soil particles. Does it get some carbon there?

J. Musser
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freddydoggie
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    This question appears to be off-topic because it is about biology? – Patrick B. Mar 27 '14 at 22:26
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    @PatrickB. understanding why something happens can help one do facilitate it. Jmusser may learn the biological process so that he may supply his plants with adequate carbon, and in the correct way. – JoJo May 19 '14 at 15:18
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    It was freddydoggie who asked the question. I do not doubt the usage of learning things. I was just suggesting that another site might give an even better answer. – Patrick B. May 19 '14 at 15:23
  • CO2 in the atmosphere combined with hydrogen. Through photosynthesis, sugars and complex carbohydrates are generated to both feed and create plant structure. – Fiasco Labs May 19 '14 at 16:31
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    This question appears to be off-topic because it is about biology, not gardening/landscaping as defined in the help center. – J. Musser Jun 20 '14 at 02:51
  • Note: Now that this question is back in the close vote review, be aware that it is too old to be migrated to [biology.se] (see [Disable migration for questions older than 60 days](http://meta.stackexchange.com/q/151890/146318) for details). It's a simple choice between closing it or not on this site. – Niall C. Jun 20 '14 at 14:01
  • No way, this is Botany 101. The more people learn about plants and how different they are from animals...the better! Most people have little botany background. I feel that this site is the place to teach people basic plant chemistry. Just an idea that popped into my head would be 'classes' or 'seminars' for which would be awarded points upon completion...??? It is tough to answer the same questions over and over when answering questions doesn't teach most people anything to improve their foundation of knowledge with plants. Just an idea from a tired, sweaty newbie... – stormy Jun 23 '14 at 01:12

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Generally, carbon dioxide enters a plant through stomata on the leaves - these are like small pores on the underside of the leaf with two guard cells which allow CO2 to enter, and oxygen to leave. Part of the photosynthetic process, and there's a formula for it - six molecules of C02 plus six molecules of water turns into 1 molecule of sugar (which the plant utilises) and 6 molecules of oxygen (which it emits from the stomata). The water comes from root uptake in the soil, but some water loss is inevitable through the stomata too.

Plants without proper leaves have stomata placed elsewhere (stems, for instance).

Bamboo
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