Greenhorn
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Posts: 20
Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2010 5:10 am
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio

Attack Of the Killer Tomatoes (science, not science fiction)

Scientists have taken a closer look at the tomato plant and some other common plants and have discovered that some of them have some carnivorous characteristics.
So you're probably thinking, how would a tomato eat anything? Well it's not that simple, according to study coauthor Mike Fay. He says he thinks these plants were overlooked because they aren't flashy and act in subtle ways. For one, they do not immediately digest what they trap. “They catch little aphids on the sticky hairs [on their stems] all the time. As these insects break down and drop to the ground the ground becomes enriched and the plants absorb them through the roots,
Source and full story.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/attack-of-the-killer-tomatoes-1834638.html

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rainbowgardener
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Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

Isn't that fascinating! Not much gets by us here at Helpful Gardener :) and we had heard that before:

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=103819&highlight=carnivorous#103819

But thanks for posting it! The thing about a forum like this is that stuff does tend to get lost in the mist of time. I'm sure not a lot of people reading now remembered that and even using the Search the Forum feature knowing it was there, it wasn't easy to find....

Welcome to another Cincinnati gardener; I'm one too! I saw your other post, a very nice detailed review of topsy-turvy tomato planters. Are tomatoes your main interest or do you grow a lot of other stuff too?



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